Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
Harmonious and supple in texture, this red offers cherry, raspberry, floral and mineral flavors. An elegant version, with finely wrought tannins and a long, refreshing finish. Sangiovese and Colorino. Drink now through 2036.
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James Suckling
This has attractive aromas of stewed cherries, licorice and grilled herbs. It’s medium-bodied and chewy with a sweet-savory character. Drink now or try from 2025.
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Wine Enthusiast
The nose starts with fruit aromas of cherry and strawberry, but quickly turns sanguine and umami with mushrooms, wet leaves, damp earth and mixed herbs. Sanguine fruit and salty earth return on the palate. Grippy, chewy tannins provide structure, while acid electrifies the middle of the tongue.
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.