Winemaker Notes
This wine opens with vibrant aromas of ripe strawberries, violets, and subtle white pepper with hints of tobacco. Elegant and refined tannin structure invites notes of raspberry, white chocolate, and vanilla bean in the palate. Each sip is framed by pleasant acidity and finishes with warm notes of cinnamon and nutmeg.
Blend: 85% Sangiovese, 15% Merlot
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
This red is sleek and engaging, offering cherry, raspberry, blackberry and mineral aromas and flavors. Harmonious, with beautifully integrated tannins and vibrant acidity. The finish is long and detailed. Sangiovese and Merlot.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Pouring a youthful ruby color, the 2022 Chianti Classico is a departure from the focus of this report, with these wines coming from Castelnuovo Berardenga. The nose is supple and inviting with aromas of candied berries, crushed flowers, and sweet herbs. It moves seamlessly to the palate with refined tannins and an elegant lift of fresh acidity to close it out.
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James Suckling
A solid, balanced and intense Chianti Classico with aromas of sweet cherries, raspberries and sweet spices. It’s full-bodied with fine tannins. Solid core of red berries at the center, with a refined texture and an intense development in the finish.
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.