Rocca di Montegrossi Chianti Classico 2019
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James
Suckling -
Wine &
Spirits
Product Details
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
In the glass it is lively ruby, with bright violet reflections, and on the nose displays the rich fruity aromas typical of the varietals, particularly forest berry fruit and sour cherries. On the palate it is harmonious and well structured, with nice tannins and savory notes.
Blend: 90% Sangiovese, 8% Canaiolo, 2% Colorino
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Plums, spices, mushrooms and dried herbs on the nose. It’s full-bodied with fine tannins. Juicy and textured with tangy acidity and spicy character. Flavorful finish.
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Wine & Spirits
Marco Ricasoli’s Gaiole estate saw ample rainfall during the growing season and stable weather at harvest, giving a wine with round, ripe tannins and persistent dark cherry and blackberry flavors woven with notes of licorice. A layer of cool graphite balances the dark fruit tones and reinforces the wine’s firm structure.
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Robert
Parker
Rocca di Montegrossi is located in the heart of Chianti Classico – just outside Monti in Chianti, about 7 kilometres from Gaiole. Marco Ricasoli-Firidolfi, is a descendant of the historic winemaking family that can be credited with having put Chianti on the map of the world’s best wines. The winery, whose restoration and modernization were completed in 2000, is located near the Romanesque Church of San Marcellino.
Marco Ricasoli-Firidolfi’s passion for vineyards and fieldwork drives his entrepreneurial spirit. Indeed together with consultant agronomist Dr. Stefano Dini, Marco personally oversees all the operations in the vineyards; his goal is to reach the perfect balance between growth and production through daily care of the vines, from short pruning to reduced carefully reasoned fertilization, from the planting of ground cover to the various kinds of green pruning, including bunch thinning, crown pruning, and defoliation a few weeks prior to the harvest. At Rocca di Montegrossi harvest is manual, into small baskets and is carried out in three phases to guarantee that the grapes are selected and picked only when they are perfectly ripe.
Rocca di Montegrossi's cellars have been designed to allow Marco Ricasoli-Firidolfi and Attilio Pagli, the consulting enologist, to handle the grapes from the estate's vineyards in the best possible, ecosustainable manner. In keeping with the organic cultivation of the vineyards, the cellars are environmentally friendly; some of the energy necessary to run them is produced by solar panels on the roof, while the remainder is exclusively from renewable sources (per the RECS International certification).
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.