Winemaker Notes
Chianti Classico Riserva, produced only in the best vintages, is the result of a careful selection of the best Sangiovese. After the traditional controlled temperature fermentation, the process of aging continues in barriques and barrels of medium capacity for 14 months and then the aging in bottle for 10 months. The Villa Cerna Chianti Classico Riserva has floral aromas; its harmony is the result of the balance between acidity, tannins and alcohol.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A really ripe red showing strawberry jam, dried plums and hints of figs. Ash, too. Full body, round and juicy tannins, a dusty texture and a medium finish.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Famiglia Cecchi's 2015 Chianti Classico Riserva Villa Cerna is a dark and well-concentrated wine with rich fiber and integrated structure to match. The bouquet emits aromas of dried cherry, plum and blackberry that segue to spice and savory tobacco. The character of the wine is dark, rich and savory and would go nicely with a mincemeat pie. The blend here is 95% Sangiovese with 5% Colorino, and the wine ages in oak for 14 months or just a little bit longer because it is a Riserva.
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.