In search of soulful, traditional Chianti Classico…?
I last tasted this wine as part of my Blind Chianti Classico dinner and since then, this wonderful Sangiovese has fleshed out more and is showing even better now.
The 2010 Chianti Classico is aptly named. Gone are the barriques. Gone are the international varietals. Gone are the precisely controlled temperature fermentations. This wine is organic, it’s soulful and it’s delicious in every sense.
The 2010 starts off as a beautiful medium ruby red color and has pretty violet reflections out at the rim. The aromas on the nose speak of Tuscany, and Monteraponi’s terroir. There’s loads of crushed berry, flowers, and a slight tobacco herb note. On the palate, Braganti’s touch is evident. The crushed berry flavors, fresh and lively, are joined by dusty, shaley minerals that assert themselves in both flavor and tactility. There is no sense at all that this wine saw any oak treatment. The extended cement macerations have left this wine in it’s purest form and that’s just what Braganti says a “Classico” must be.
The wine is persistent on the finish and extends it’s slightly ripe/sweet finish by adding complexity from that slight tobacco note. The wine paired very well with Pizza Margherita - in IT’S classic form, but equally as well with that famed Sicilian dish, Pasta alla Norma.
Well done and very affordable at about $19. 91 points. Bravissimi!
I also recently interview Proprietor Michele Braganti: Tuscan Vines: Monteraponi: Interview with Michele Braganti
