Cafaggio Chianti Classico Riserva 2011
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Wine Spectator
Packed with sweet plum, black cherry and leather aromas and flavors, this red is also dense with tannins. A woodsy element emerges on the vivid finish.
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Wine Enthusiast
Scorched earth, underbrush, blue flower and woodland berry are some of the scents you'll find on this focused wine. The elegant, full-bodied palate delivers black raspberry, mature cherry, brown kitchen spice and a hint of leather alongside tightly wound but refined tannins.
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Cafaggio covers approximately 60 hectares, of which 30 are cultivated as specialised vineyards and about 10 as olive groves. The remaining area is woodland. Situated in the hamlet of Greve in Chianti, in Panzano, the estate is nestled in the ‘Conca d’Oro’ (Golden basin), an area recognised as the finest zone for producing Chianti Classico.
Basilica Cafaggio srl produces four “Chianti Classico”: Basilica Solatìo Chianti Classico Riserva, Basilica San Martino Chianti Classico Riserva, as well as one Chianti Classico Riserva and one Chianti Classico. Furthermore, Cafaggio produces other two ‘Cru’: Basilica del Cortaccio Cabernet Sauvignon and Basilica del Pruneto Merlot.
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.