Le Cinciole Chianti Classico 2011
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Suckling
James
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James Suckling
Fresh red fruits with aromas of rose and marble stone on nose. Fresh strawberry jam with silky, polished tannins. Elegant finesse. From organically grown grapes. Drink now.
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In 1991, Milan residents Luca and Valeria Orsini took a radical leap; tired of the fast-paced city life, they seized the opportunity to buy the Le Cinciole estate in the storied Chianti village of Panzano. They relocated to Tuscany and left their former careers as math professor and architect to become grape growers and winemakers. Their first vintage was not the most encouraging: 1992 was a horrendous vintage in Tuscany! Nevertheless, the Orsinis kept on in their pursuit of great Chianti Classico and now, almost twenty years later, they have succeeded masterfully!
Named after the property’s historical place name, which was a twist on the ancient Etruscan-Roman name designating the immediate area as “the lands of Quintius,” the estate, now recognized throughout Italy for its quality, extends across northern Chianti Classico district Greve’s famed “Conca d’Oro”, or “golden vale”. Though most vineyards in Greve are at approximately 200-350 meters, Le Cinciole’s Panzano slopes rise to a cool 400-450 meters and host Chianti’s famous galestro soil mixed with sand and chalk. With a total of 13 hectares planted to vines, 11 are currently in production, whereas 5 additional hectares are planted to olive groves. The Petresco vineyard, which is the source for the grapes for the Riserva, is limestone-based. Only a few wines are produced at Le Cinciole in order to focus on quality.
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.