This is less about any individual Chiantis as much as to give our impressions of the latest vintage of Chiantis starting to hit the market. Please note that we have offered up a couple of early arrivals that we think prove our point below. Also, not long after we proclaimed 2016 one of the best vintages ever in Tuscany, here we are touting a vintage again. So, for the record, we are not redacting what we said about 2016. It is still the best vintage we have tasted. But as we move forward, 2019 is going to make a LOT of friends just based on their sheer sexiness.
The 2016s still stand alone for their power, grace, balance and typicite. But the 2019s are not that far behind in terms of performance and are some of the lustiest, creamiest examples of the genre we can recall. These take people- pleasing to a new level with their overt roundness, silky texture, and fruit-driven mid-palate. Kinder, gentler Chianti? It works. Here are a couple of examples from two meticulous producers.
The Monteraponi Chianti Classico 2019 is a relatively new favorite from Radda in Chianti from a high altitude (from 400-500 meters above sea level). The wines are carefully made in a very natural way, which is to say no added yeast, nutrients, or malolactic bacteria are used, and fermentation takes place in cement tanks, followed by long macerations (even the Chianti Classico is kept on the skins for at least 25 days). The wines are aged in large oak only, and they are not fined or filtered. This Classico, a blend of 95% Sangiovese and 5% Canaiolo, expresses the outgoing spice and minerality we have come to expect from this respected source, but the urgent cherry fruit component is a much less tightly wound and more relaxed and engaging. This producer is a consistent star but this friendlier version will reach a broader audience.
We have been fans of Castellare for decades and the Castellare Di Castellina Chianti Classico 2019 is a beauty. Their Chiantis are always clean, precise and delicious, but this one has a wealth of forward dark red leaning towards black fruit and something of a slippery direction. It doesn’t happen often but this Chianti, while it will play its usual role as an augment to food, can be consumed with gusto all by itself thanks to its gentle palate, plush fruit, and well tucked in acidity.
Based on purity, quality and likability, we’d normally predict great reviews for these. But there is concern that a reviewer who is very strict in their reference points might be taken aback by these wines’ more New World demeanor. Do they fit the mold by comparison to all Chiantis that have come before? Maybe not because they are juicier and more outgoing than most examples we can think of. But that is by no means a problem. Are they delcious? Absolutely, and that is the point.