Castello di Meleto Poggiarso Chianti Classico Gran Selezione 2018
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Robert
Parker -
James
Suckling -
Wine
Enthusiast
Product Details
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Brilliant purple with garnet hues developing with age. Fragrant nose of red berries, blueberries, cassis and violet. On the palate the body is complemented by a bright acidity, dark fruit, straightforward tannins and a savory, long finish. An authentic Sangiovese of great elegance.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Once a Riserva and now moved up to the top appellation designation, the Castello di Meleto 2018 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Poggiarso sees fruit selected from across a 1.6-hectare vineyard site. Made with 100% Sangiovese and aged in oak for 27 months, the wine offers some tertiary definition with spice and smoke at the back of purple fruits. The oak spice is integrated (50-hectoliter barrels are used), and the wine concludes with elegant minerality.
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James Suckling
A medium-bodied CC with a good core of wild berries and perfumed sous-bois minerality, which includes a light, mushroomy edge. The tannins are finely wrought and give good support to the vibrant fruit. Long finish.
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Wine Enthusiast
Made with 100% Sangiovese, this single vineyard offering opens with aromas of ripe berry, camphor, pressed rose and toasted nut. On the savory, elegantly structured palate, firm, refined tannins support juicy Morello cherry, baking spice and espresso. Fresh acidity keeps it balanced. Drink 2023–2030.
Among Italy's elite red grape varieties, Sangiovese has the perfect intersection of bright red fruit and savory earthiness and is responsible for the best red wines of Tuscany. While it is best known as the chief component of Chianti, it is also the main grape in Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and reaches the height of its power and intensity in the complex, long-lived Brunello di Montalcino. Somm Secret—Sangiovese doubles under the alias, Nielluccio, on the French island of Corsica where it produces distinctly floral and refreshing reds and rosés.
One of the first wine regions anywhere to be officially recognized and delimited, Chianti Classico is today what was originally defined simply as Chianti. Already identified by the early 18th century as a superior zone, the official name of Chianti was proclaimed upon the area surrounding the townships of Castellina, Radda and Gaiole, just north of Siena, by Cosimo III, Grand Duke of Tuscany in an official decree in 1716.
However, by the 1930s the Italian government had appended this historic zone with additonal land in order to capitalize on the Chianti name. It wasn’t until 1996 that Chianti Classico became autonomous once again when the government granted a separate DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita) to its borders. Ever since, Chianti Classico considers itself no longer a subzone of Chianti.
Many Classicos are today made of 100% Sangiovese but can include up to 20% of other approved varieties grown within the Classico borders. The best Classicos will have a bright acidity, supple tannins and be full-bodied with plenty of ripe fruit (plums, black cherry, blackberry). Also common among the best Classicos are expressive notes of cedar, dried herbs, fennel, balsamic or tobacco.