I checked 3 Italian oriented books from Nicolas Belfrage, Rosemary George, and Joe Bastianich and this Chianti producer is not mentioned in any of the indices. My email inbox is also fairly quiet with only light mentions over the decade, maybe twice in the last 5 years. Commentary here is also Spartan.
Is there anything of note about Bindi Sergardi? I have never tasted them
Sounds like an Indian transplant to Tuscany.
Good producer with the the family located in the Colli Senesi for about 600 years, though they do own vineyards and a home within the CCR. Wines are very good, pure, precise, if modern though not heavy or oaky, big wood being used here. It is surprising that you mention them as being overlooked or underplayed, though perhaps where they are best noticed, probably the Spectator, people here rarely play.
Should you try them. Of course. Why not? The wines from the Mocenni estate really show their rocky soils and higher elevations well. The CCR is as good as the Gran Selezione for my palate, and already not inexpensive, so I don’t see any reason to indulge in the up-charge.
The Colli Seensi wines are good as well, but decidedly easier going, intentionally. They seem to be designed to complement the CCR line-up rather than compete with it, though their estate does also include some vineyard in CCR and they do produce a fine if less terroir driven wine from that vineyard.
Thanks for that color Greg. As you note, by coincidence I was reading a Wine Spectator yesterday afternoon as dinner bubbled away, and they had fresh reviews of Bindi Sergardi wines. The reviews sounded quite positive, so it seems curious that a pair of Masters of Wine like Belfrage and George would omit them from their writings.
I was making a (insanely good!) fennel/pork/Marzano tomato ‘Sunday red sauce’ bucatini casserole yesterday, and felt the need for a suitable (rhyming!) pairing^. The 2019 Bindi Sergardi ‘La Boncia’ [Chianti] sounded close enough, so it’s DIAM3 was pulled, and into the stems it went. The raw material are from young sangiovese vines (10-15 years age) from a single vineyard (Boncia) from the I. Colli family estate. The destemmed fruit is vinified/aged in stainless and intended for early consumption. It leads off with a bouquet of citrus, almond and then plum on the palate. Body is medium, 13.5% abv, acidity is zippy, tannin non existent and there is a fir/resin/forest aspect lurking around too. For an estate that has been around for 700 (!) years, distribution and online discussion remain thin. Broadbent has picked the importation up so I have a few other bottlings, but it’s surprising how little mention Bindi Sergardi garners. This wine is solid/good, and the labels are just lovely. It’s in the B to B+ zone for me.
^ Bucatini ~ Bindi
Here are some of their CC vineyards in the Vagliagli UGA.
Petroio/Mocenni
Quercegrossa
Alessandro Masnaghetti’s Chianti Classico: The Complete Atlas of the UGA Vineyards
I’ve purchased a bunch from Tannico, mostly because I got married a few km from their main estate. They can get up there in price, but I’ve never felt I overpaid.
I only buy their CC or CCS vs Chianti just because I’ve been burned by producers trying to hide inferior wines/blends under that banner. YMMV.
We’re these grapes grown just outside the CCS zone? Or did they just not want to go for CCS? Hard to say from their website. In Montalcino, they usually just go Toscana IGT when they don’t want to bother with CCS rules.
Their 2016 CC la Ghirlanda was really delicious. Quite pure and red fruited My last bottle around this past Christmas was the best. I’d gladly have more.
I’ve had both the '16 Calidonia and I Colli and really enjoyed them. Sitting on another '16 Calidonia and GS Mocenni Particella 89.
With midweek home made pizza I tried the 2021 Bindi Sergardi ‘Achille’ [IGT Toscana] which is nearly all sangiovese but has a 10% merlot component. Even before knowing it’s blend, I assumed it was going to be include some international/Bordelaise as it tasted more tannic / full bodied than what I would have expected. Maybe a generation ago it made sense to add merlot to this ilk (like Antinori’s Santa Cristina) but global warming suggests that may not be needed. I’m assuming the sangiovese would be sunny/round enough, but perhaps these lower tier bottlings don’t have as good sites as the upper labels. In any case there is still some chalky tannin and the flavor is balanced between the the modern fruity pole and funky earthy traditional end. The name ‘Achille’ apparently comes from a famous ancestor of the family. The importer - Broadbent Selections - has put some appealing packaging on this: a lovely label, a tapered premium feeling bottle, and DIAM3 closure. I like and enjoyed this no/low oak sangio, but was not wowed, and am cooling on all IGT Toscana – I feel like I have plenty of Bordeaux varietal / blends and when opening Tuscan wines, want to taste all local varietals. Sort of the B to B+ zone for my tastes.
I think her dad was killed by a stingray.
What Belfrage and Bastianich works are you consulting? The only books I know of theirs are more than 20 years old.
(Yes, I know this was an old post.)
I just looked on my bookshelf and the inside page where the publication info is:
Belfrage books - One was a 1999 release and another was 2009. Bindi Sergardi was not in the index for either.
Bastianich - 2002 release
Sangiovese and merlot blends out of Chianti just don’t do it for me.
Is the 2009 one a new book? I love his original two volumes, but they’re getting pretty dated.
Yes, it’s part of that University of California Press series that is quite good for regional primers.
I need to buy more of that series. No wait… I need to read all the gift wine related books sitting on my pile first!
