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2020 Barone Ricasoli Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Ceniprimo

Removed from a professional wine storage facility

3 available
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Ends Sunday, 7pm Pacific

RATINGS

97James Suckling

Aromas of al dente cherries with citrus peel. Flowers, such as red roses, also come through clearly. Medium to full body, with open grain tannins that caress like cashmere. Chewy, fresh and vivid.

95The Wine Advocate

...concentrated feel that translates into aromas of cherry liqueur, blackberry, spice and sweet earth. This wine carries a little more fruit weight and textural richness thanks to lower-elevation vineyards and silty riverbed soils.

94Wine Spectator

A complex, focused red marked by enticing aromas of cherry, black currant, violet, mineral and spices. Dry and bracing, with a firm, mineral-infused finish. Shows fine balance and a lingering aftertaste, where the fruit, mineral and savory elements converge.

94Wine Enthusiast

An exemplary nose, with soil, graphite, red and black cherry, bitter orange and wild fennel leads to a palate with denser, sweeter fruit and a decadent mint mocha finish.

94Jeb Dunnuck

...opens to layered aromas of cedar, kirsch, fresh leather, candied raspberry, and sweet licorice. Medium to full-bodied, it’s refined and plush on the palate, with a velvety texture that never feels heavy, clean, balanced acidity, and a long finish.

92Vinous / IWC

White pepper, cedar and dried herbs lend notable aromatic presence to this mid-weight Gran Selezione.

16.5+ Jancis Robinson

Rich and solid. Quite dense and tannic and slow-maturing, Lots of tannin.

PRODUCER

Barone Ricasoli

Barone Ricasoli is one of Chianti’s largest estates, with nearly 650 acres of vineyards in Gaiole in Chianti, in the southern part of the Tuscany’s Chianti appellation. The estate has been in the hands of Ricasoli family for more than 500 years. The winery today is run by Francesco Ricasoli and other family members, and it calls itself the oldest commercial winery in Italy. The estate makes many wines, including a rose, vin santo and a Chardonnay blend, though its Chiantis are its signature wines. Its flagship Castello di Brolio Chianti Classico is usually a blend of 80% Sangiovese, 10% Merlot, and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. Gambero Rosso, Italy’s leading wine journal, notes that Barone Ricasoli’s vineyards “have always been managed to ensure high-quality 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 Barone Ricasoli Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Ceniprimo