Chianti Classico WineWhen thinking of Italian wines, surely the first name that emerges is the Chianti Classico wine, and when we say Chianti we mean that splendid timeless land situated in Tuscany between Florence and Siena; an area where all wine makers put their very best in skills, passion and hard work in producing wines, that tomorrow will be on the tables of millions of people all around the world. Most producers of Chianti Classico wine are indeed wine estates, fairly small operations that own vineyards and make wines from their own grapes; each eastate typically makes two or three Chianti Classico. The Chianti Classico area is mainly formed by four communities (Radda, Gaiole, Castellina, Greve) and although it isn't a very large area, we can find more than 700 producers and many acres of vineyards. Also, in this small area soil (stony, clayey) and climate vary from part to part. This is due to altitude differences. All these conditions create a wide range of wines. Other factors, also create differences to Chianti Classico wines, and one of these was the planting of varieties of Sangiovese clones (in the 60's and 70's) which created a low alcoholic thin wine. Other clones were replanted later which made even richer wines. So with these clones the nature of Chinati Classico is really changing. Chianti Classico vintages are also subject to variations, due to soil and microclimate conditions, so higher the temperature riper and richer are the grapes. If vintages are good, usually producers make a riserva version from their best grapes. These wines must age at least 27 months and have minimum 12,5% alcohol. And after their release they can still age happily for 15 years while a normal Chianti Classico reaches its best after 10 years. Other producers make also single-vineyard Chianti Classicos, which are the most expensive. These wines are usually riserva-level. Many single-vineyard wines made in the Chianti area, aren't really Chianti. This because producers (in the 80's and 90's) started making non-DOC designer wine, using their best grapes and vineyards, but when in 1996 the DOCG declared that Chianti Classico must be Sangiovese nearly all producers put back their best wines into the Chianti Classico fold. There is also a new trend in labeling the wines: in fact, these producers of Chianti Classico make two wines, the best (mainly riserva) has the full name of the property where it is made, while the other wine has only part of the name. Nearly all Chianti Classico wine producers are wine estates which use their own vineyards and grapes. They make three wines, basic, riserva and single-vinyard versions. Usually the names of these estates begin with castello (castle), fattoria (fah toh REE ah – farm), podere (poh DAE rae – property). Another symbol of quality is the black rooster on the neck-band which is a consortium which promotes the wines of this region since 1924. Other producers, with their own vineyards also make wine from purchased grapes, which of course are cheaper. There are also producers that own more estates, and each estate makes their own quality wine, as well as wines made from blending grapes from their different estates. The perfect example of blended Chianti Classico is Antinori's Tenute Marchesi Antinori Riserva. Normally Chianti Classico wines are firm medium-bodied and a particular feature is that the taste emerges in the middle and rear of the mouth, the opposite of the New World wines where the taste is evident on the first sip. The average quality level is quit high, and therefore you can admire the wines of many dozens of producers. Here are divide some favorite into two groups; the producers in each are listed alphabetically, and the name of the commune where they are located is listed for each. Class One Barone Ricasoli, formerly Castello di Brolio (Gaiole) Badia a Coltibuono (Gaiole)
|
