Wine & Spirits - April 2020 - 126

SPECIAL REPORT: CHIANTI CLASSICO
91 | Marchesi Antinori

$45

91 | Tenuta di Arceno

$25

2016 Chianti Classico Riserva Marchese
Antinori Tenuta Tignanello ^ This is a plush
and velvety Chianti Classico, with ample
notes of toast, vanilla and baking spice on
red cherry and plum tones. The wine shows
good freshness and acidity, suggesting a few
years in the cellar will allow the fruit and oak
to further integrate. (W&S 8/19) § Ste. Michelle
Wine Estates, Woodinville, WA
275561
276729

92 | Cafaggio

$50

92 | Istine

$53

92 | Rocca delle Macìe

$53

2015 Chianti Classico Riserva Basilica Solatìo ^ This is a full-bodied sangiovese from a
vineyard in Panzano. The wine aged for 30
months in Slavonian casks, developing dark
cherry flavors balanced by notes of tobacco
and roasted game. The wine's ripe, powerful
tannins will benefit from a few years of cellaring. § Ethica Wines, San Diego, CA
276395

2016 Chianti Classico Riserva (Best
Buy) ^ This 2,500-acre estate in Castelnuovo
Berardenga, owned by California's Jackson
Family Wines, sources grapes for its Riserva
from south-facing blocks, where the fruit
ripens into flavors of black raspberry, cassis and roasted red pepper. Ten months of
aging in French oak barriques enriches those
deep fruit tones with notes of dark chocolate,
vanilla and peppery spice. § Sovereign Wine
Imports, Santa Rosa, CA

92 | Villa La Pagliaia

$27

2015 Chianti Classico Riserva (Best Buy) ^
This pure sangiovese from Chianti Classico's southern Castelnuovo Berardenga commune shows classic flavors of juicy morello
cherry accented by notes of Tuscan herbs
and framed by firm, ferrous tannins. Aged
in large Slavonian casks for two years, the
wine shows good freshness for this vintage,
with plenty of mouthwatering acidity to preserve the flavors over the next several years. §
Worldwide Libations, Hackensack, NJ
271077

126

WINE & SPIRITS

APRIL 2020

91 | La Sala

$34

2016 Chianti Classico Riserva ^ From Chianti Classico's northern commune of San
Casciano Val di Pesa, this Riserva shows flavors of ripe black cherry that verge on sweetness, balanced by tangy acidity and notes
of orange peel. Raspy tannins and notes of
savory tomato skin give the wine a pleasant,
rustic appeal. § Vignaioli Selection, NY
275849

91 | Castello di Verrazzano $44

2015 Chianti Classico Riserva ^ Verrazzano owns 105 vineyard acres in the Greve
commune, where the limestone-rich soils
yielded a concentrated Riserva in 2015. The
wine rested in new French oak barrels for
two years, developing dark spice notes that
deepen its cherry flavors, and firm tannins
that call for braised pork or grilled game. §
Palm Bay Int'l, Port Washington, NY

2015 Chianti Classico Riserva Levigne ^
Angela Fronti is a dynamic young winemaker who farms her high-elevation vineyards around Radda and Gaiole organically.
She combines fruit from three vineyards for
Riserva Levigne. Aged for 18 months in Slavonian oak casks, the wine shows the sunny
character and power of the 2015 vintage in its
flavors of dark cherry, menthol and thyme,
while maintaining verve. § Soilair Selection, NY
275806
2015 Chianti Classico Riserva Ser Gioveto ^
Ser Gioveto was labeled as an IGT until this
vintage. It includes ten percent each of cabernet sauvignon and merlot that impart flavors
of black currant and dark plum. Those fruit
flavors glide on smooth tannins refined during aging in French oak barriques, where the
wine gained notes of chocolate and espresso
that enhance its bold profile. § Palm Bay Int'l,
Port Washington, NY
275778

276304

276732

91 | Cafaggio

$50

2015 Chianti Classico Riserva Basilica
San Martino ^ Cafaggio's San Martino bottling offers a more international take on
Chianti Classico than its Solatìo (also recommended). This one includes a combined
20 percent of cabernets sauvignon and franc
that add dark tones of blackberry and black
currant to the wine, with hints of spice and
polished tannins from 18 months in French
oak barriques. § Ethica Wines, San Diego, CA
275838

91 | Mazzei

$37

2016 Chianti Classico Riserva Ser Lapo ^
Flavors of cherry, licorice and spice take on
savory notes as this wine sits in the glass. The
fruit (sangiovese with ten percent unnamed
varieties) comes from the Fonterutoli estate
in Castellina in Chianti, and the wine aged
for one year in French oak barriques and tonneaux, half of which were new. Its dark and
meaty flavors are a match for pasta in a rich
ragù. § Taub Family Selections, Boca Raton, FL

276731

90 | Cafaggio

$30

90 | Castello di Meleto

$44

2015 Chianti Classico Riserva ^ Sangiovese
culled from vineyards in Panzano's Conca
d'Ora and aged for 18 months in Slavonian
casks produced this rich, full-bodied wine.
The flavors of dried cherry and blueberry
jam reflect the warmth of the 2015 vintage;
they are matched by powerful, meaty tannins
that need hearty food, like braised beef cheek
pappardelle. § Ethica Wines, San Diego, CA
276810
2016 Chianti Classico Riserva Vigna Poggiarso ^ Snappy red cherry flavors take on
https://www.lasala.it/site/chianti-classico-riserva/?lang=en https://www.cafaggio.wine/en/prodotto/basilica-solatio/# https://www.cafaggio.wine/en/prodotto/basilica-san-martino/ https://www.cafaggio.wine/en/prodotto/chianti-classico-riserva/
Wine & Spirits - April 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Wine & Spirits - April 2020
