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2020 Castello di Volpaia Chianti Classico Riserva

Removed from a professional wine storage facility; Purchased direct from a distributor

Ends Sunday, 7pm Pacific

RATINGS

94James Suckling

Attractive aromas of ripe cherries, dried strawberries, dried orange peel, spices and crushed stones, following through to a medium to full body with compact tannins that are firm and finely grained. Smooth and textured with vivid fruit underneath and a lingering finish.

93The Wine Advocate

...characterized by an especially linear and direct personality that pushes it over the palate with good momentum.

92Vinous / IWC

Macerated dark cherry, spice, leather, tobacco, dried flowers and underbrush are some of the many notes that grace this super-expressive Riserva.

92Jeb Dunnuck

...ripe and polished aromas of toasted cedar, cherry lozenge, menthol, and spiced orange peel. Medium-bodied, it offers ripe tannins that fold into a more mineral texture, with mouthwatering stony earth and a rather long, clean finish.

90.6CellarTracker

90Wine Spectator

A juicy yet firmly structured red highlighted by bright cherry and blackberry fruit. Reveals dense tannins that inform the finish, where accents of earth and mineral linger.

17Jancis Robinson

Joyful, classic ripe red-cherry and baked-earth nose – sweet and savoury. Mouth-watering acidity and firm gum-climbing tannin. Lovely expressive fruit.

REGION

Italy, Tuscany, Chianti Classico

Chianti is Tuscany’s most famous and historic wine district, and the Chianti Classico DOCG is the most prestigious Chianti appellation. Fittingly, it is located in the heart of the larger Chianti DOCG. Chianti’s wines were so esteemed during the Renaissance that the Medici princes of Florence designated several villages within the Chianti region as discrete production zones, setting up the first appellations in Italy. By the 20th century Chianti was Italy’s primary wine export. But the pizza parlor Chiantis sent to foreign markets were inexpensive, unremarkable reds presented in round-bottomed, straw-covered bottles. To upgrade Chianti wines and the region’s image, the Chianti Classico DOC was created in 1967, then upgraded to DOCG status in 1984, with additional modifications made in 1996. In the last 20 years a consortium of Chianti Classico producers have researched new Sangiovese clones, replanted vineyards, updated cellar practices and generally made Chianti Classico DOCG a world-class appellation. Chianti Classico must contain a minimum of 75% Sangiovese. In the 2014 edition of its annual compendium of wine ratings, Gambero Rosso noted that Chianti Classico DOCG wines were noteworthy for their “significant return to a more defined style, true to tradition.”

TYPE

Red Wine, Sangiovese, D.O.C.G.

This red grape is largely grown in central Italy. As the sole component or in a blend, it gives us Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, Morellino and Super Tuscans, among other favorites wines. The name is derived from the Latin for “blood of Jove.”

VINTAGE

2020 Castello di Volpaia Chianti Classico Riserva