Chianti
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Chianti
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Vinous (94)
A gorgeous, young wine, the 2017 Bolgheri Superiore Matarocchio is rich and sumptuous, with generous dark fruit, chocolate, spice and torrefaction notes. Silky tannins give the 2017 a decidedly nuanced feel to match its mid-weight personality.Inc. VAT£1,033.94 -
James Suckling (99)
A beautiful nose with tangerine peel, strawberries, rose petals, boysenberries, cranberries, red plums, red cherries and dark spices. Very grainy and refined on the palate with a real kick from the orange-rind undertones that permeate the entire palate. Tiptoes like a tightrope walker between power and finesse and executes its mission nearly to perfection. Drink now or hold.Inc. VAT£509.63 -
James Suckling (98)
This is sensational, with ultra fine tannins that melt into the wine. Such intense and beautiful fruit with cherries, peaches and lightly candied cherries. Some citrus, too. Very soft and creamy with wonderful polish. Beautiful center palate and a lovely finish. A song in the bottle. A little tight now. Hard to wait, but give it two or three years to open.Inc. VAT£282.02 -
Decanter (97)
The south-facing Rancia vineyard reaches altitudes of 420 metres, overlooking the lower-lying vineyards of Colli Senesi. It boasts complex soils of calcareous clay layered with the chalky white limestone-like alberese and schistose galestro. This 2016 vintage is simply stunning. It's stately yet gracious, with personality for days, leading with a sumptuous nose of smoke, exotic spice and iron-rich earth. Ripe fruit coats the mouth yet it remains buoyant and tangy as chalky tannins charge in to frame the palate. A seductive wine with an appetising, savoury edge and a long, long life ahead.Inc. VAT£347.63 -
Vinous (94)
The final bottle was the 2015 Ipsus from Caggio. This maiden release comes from 6.5 hectares of Sangiovese owned by the Mazzei family, matured 50% new tonneaux and 50% in stainless steel, plus eight months in cement vat. This was the first time I had tasted Ipsus, and I was impressed. Sure, it is primal on the nose and needs another year or two to subsume the oak, but it offers gorgeous scents of ebullient red fruit tinged with crushed violets and a hint of peppermint. The palate has more density than a lot of Chianti Classico and is quite insistent in terms of grip, offering pure blood-orange-infused, luxuriant red fruit toward the grippy finish. It improved with aeration and after a couple of hours was more open and floral. Superb.Inc. VAT£1,179.62 -
Decanter (98)
2016 was a later harvest, with picking interspersed with rain showers. 18 micro-vinifications took place in 25% new tonneaux and 75% stainless steel tanks, using wild yeast for the first time (the 2015 was inoculated). It was also the first year of using large barrels as the team sought to reduce overt oakiness in the wine, and so the 2016 was matured for 24 months in new tonneaux and one large 15hl barrel, followed by five months in cement before bottling. It has a darker profile with more black cherry character compared to 2015, grippier, more powerful and silky in the mouth. It has great freshness, showing plenty of balsamic influence and raspberry acidity, finishing with flourishes of wood, herbs, spice and earthiness. 3,600 bottles produced.Inc. VAT£783.62 -
Decanter (97)
The 2018 vintage appears to be a combination of 2015 and 2016, showing the ripeness of 2015 - red cherries and plums - with the freshness of 2016. The tannins are tight and still evolving, while the acidity is crisp. The red fruit is underpinned with oak notes. Hold for a couple of years before opening.Inc. VAT£783.62 -
Vinous (96)
The 2017 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione is ample, rich and quite seductive, which is to say very much in the style of the year. Dark red fruit, spice, leather, tobacco and incense all build as the 2017 shows off its considerable allure. This is so expressive today.Inc. VAT£685.22
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Vinous (94)
A gorgeous, young wine, the 2017 Bolgheri Superiore Matarocchio is rich and sumptuous, with generous dark fruit, chocolate, spice and torrefaction notes. Silky tannins give the 2017 a decidedly nuanced feel to match its mid-weight personality.In Bond£852.00 -
James Suckling (99)
A beautiful nose with tangerine peel, strawberries, rose petals, boysenberries, cranberries, red plums, red cherries and dark spices. Very grainy and refined on the palate with a real kick from the orange-rind undertones that permeate the entire palate. Tiptoes like a tightrope walker between power and finesse and executes its mission nearly to perfection. Drink now or hold.In Bond£414.00 -
James Suckling (98)
This is sensational, with ultra fine tannins that melt into the wine. Such intense and beautiful fruit with cherries, peaches and lightly candied cherries. Some citrus, too. Very soft and creamy with wonderful polish. Beautiful center palate and a lovely finish. A song in the bottle. A little tight now. Hard to wait, but give it two or three years to open.In Bond£227.00 -
Decanter (97)
The south-facing Rancia vineyard reaches altitudes of 420 metres, overlooking the lower-lying vineyards of Colli Senesi. It boasts complex soils of calcareous clay layered with the chalky white limestone-like alberese and schistose galestro. This 2016 vintage is simply stunning. It's stately yet gracious, with personality for days, leading with a sumptuous nose of smoke, exotic spice and iron-rich earth. Ripe fruit coats the mouth yet it remains buoyant and tangy as chalky tannins charge in to frame the palate. A seductive wine with an appetising, savoury edge and a long, long life ahead.In Bond£279.00 -
Vinous (94)
The final bottle was the 2015 Ipsus from Caggio. This maiden release comes from 6.5 hectares of Sangiovese owned by the Mazzei family, matured 50% new tonneaux and 50% in stainless steel, plus eight months in cement vat. This was the first time I had tasted Ipsus, and I was impressed. Sure, it is primal on the nose and needs another year or two to subsume the oak, but it offers gorgeous scents of ebullient red fruit tinged with crushed violets and a hint of peppermint. The palate has more density than a lot of Chianti Classico and is quite insistent in terms of grip, offering pure blood-orange-infused, luxuriant red fruit toward the grippy finish. It improved with aeration and after a couple of hours was more open and floral. Superb.In Bond£975.00 -
Decanter (98)
2016 was a later harvest, with picking interspersed with rain showers. 18 micro-vinifications took place in 25% new tonneaux and 75% stainless steel tanks, using wild yeast for the first time (the 2015 was inoculated). It was also the first year of using large barrels as the team sought to reduce overt oakiness in the wine, and so the 2016 was matured for 24 months in new tonneaux and one large 15hl barrel, followed by five months in cement before bottling. It has a darker profile with more black cherry character compared to 2015, grippier, more powerful and silky in the mouth. It has great freshness, showing plenty of balsamic influence and raspberry acidity, finishing with flourishes of wood, herbs, spice and earthiness. 3,600 bottles produced.In Bond£645.00 -
Decanter (97)
The 2018 vintage appears to be a combination of 2015 and 2016, showing the ripeness of 2015 - red cherries and plums - with the freshness of 2016. The tannins are tight and still evolving, while the acidity is crisp. The red fruit is underpinned with oak notes. Hold for a couple of years before opening.In Bond£645.00 -
Vinous (96)
The 2017 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione is ample, rich and quite seductive, which is to say very much in the style of the year. Dark red fruit, spice, leather, tobacco and incense all build as the 2017 shows off its considerable allure. This is so expressive today.In Bond£563.00
Chianti has a long and successful wine history in Tuscany's rolling hills, dating back hundreds of years. The advent of Super Tuscans put Chianti on the back-foot as almost every winemaker emulated the Antinoris and experimented with blending. Chianti's response was robust. The introduction of Chianti Classico and Riserva Chianti Classico have restored its great reputation. The wine is complex, tannic, savoury and a great match for lots of food. Higher altitudes have fresher styles whilst lower vineyards have fuller, richer wine.
