Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine & Spirits
The rocky slopes of Marco Ricasoli-Firidolfi’s San Marcellino vineyard harbor 3.7 acres of 50-year-old sangiovese vines and just over two acres of pugnitello, an old, thick-skinned Tuscan variety. Seven percent pugnitello lends a firm tannic grip to this wine; it also provides ballast in the form of blackberry and black currant notes that deepen the bright flavors of cherry, plum and cassis. The wine rested for 27 months in a mix of barriques and tonneaux (primarily second and third passage) and another two years in bottle, allowing time for those tannins to meld with the ripe fruit and vibrant spice, and making it accessible now as a partner for beef tenderloin.
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Wine Spectator
Beefy tannins shore up cherry, plum, black currant, earth and tar flavors here. Complex and juicy, with a long, spicy finish. Needs grilled meats or a hearty ragù. Best from 2018 through 2030.
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James Suckling
A structured Chianti Classico that shows lots of tannin and fruit density. Full body, chewy tannins and a chocolate, meat and berry aftertaste.
Among Italy's elite red grape varieties, Sangiovese has the perfect intersection of bright red fruit and savory earthiness and is responsible for the best red wines of Tuscany. While it is best known as the chief component of Chianti, it is also the main grape in Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and reaches the height of its power and intensity in the complex, long-lived Brunello di Montalcino. Somm Secret—Sangiovese doubles under the alias, Nielluccio, on the French island of Corsica where it produces distinctly floral and refreshing reds and rosés.
One of the first wine regions anywhere to be officially recognized and delimited, Chianti Classico is today what was originally defined simply as Chianti. Already identified by the early 18th century as a superior zone, the official name of Chianti was proclaimed upon the area surrounding the townships of Castellina, Radda and Gaiole, just north of Siena, by Cosimo III, Grand Duke of Tuscany in an official decree in 1716.
However, by the 1930s the Italian government had appended this historic zone with additonal land in order to capitalize on the Chianti name. It wasn’t until 1996 that Chianti Classico became autonomous once again when the government granted a separate DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita) to its borders. Ever since, Chianti Classico considers itself no longer a subzone of Chianti.
Many Classicos are today made of 100% Sangiovese but can include up to 20% of other approved varieties grown within the Classico borders. The best Classicos will have a bright acidity, supple tannins and be full-bodied with plenty of ripe fruit (plums, black cherry, blackberry). Also common among the best Classicos are expressive notes of cedar, dried herbs, fennel, balsamic or tobacco.