Winemaker Notes
Pair with Steak Florentine, Osso Buco and Chicken Cacciatore.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Impressive intensity of fruit here with blueberry, blackberry and raspberry character yet a linear acidity and tannin backbone cuts through the middle of the wine. Fine and racy. Drink or hold.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2013 Chianti Classico Riserva is a terrific wine that is offered at a very attractive price point. The bouquet is sweet and generous with bold layers of red fruit and dark berry nuances. Those are followed by balanced tones of spice, tobacco and moist earth. The blend is 90% Sangiovese and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon aged in French oak for up to 12 months. This 2013 vintage shows exceptionally well.
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.