Tag: riserva

STRIKING, LATE BREAKING 2016 CHIANTI RISERVA

We haven’t had the occasion to talk a lot about Tuscan 2016s very much of late. Sadly, the bulk of them have pretty much passed through the market. But we aren’t so far along that the possibility of something popping up has totally passed. That said, a brief reminder that we think 2016 in Tuscany is one of, if not the best vintage we have experienced in our four decades of doing this.

The Bindi Sergardi Chianti Classico Riserva I Colli 2016 isn’t a label we are intimately familiar with though we have carried a few examples over the years. But we don’t remember anything quite like this one. This is definitely the ‘home run’ version, a Chianti with driving, ample, outgoing fruit, and an array of gorgeous notes of sour cherry, earth, wild herbs, chocolate, and spice. This is a Chianti that is big on flavor but still poised to support food with a measured underpinning of acidity that pushes the wine across the palate.

This shows everything that gets us ranting about 2016, great fruit, superb balance, great presence on the palate, and the unmistakable impression that there are a couple of gears the wine has yet to reveal. It’s all here and, in truth, this was one of the easier calls because there was plenty going on right up front.

While they may not be among the best known names in Chianti in the American market, they have certainly put in their time. Located just outside Siena, the family claims the “I Colli estate represents the history and soul of 23 generations of the Bindi Sergardi family, which built this hamlet at the end of the 1400s.”

They certainly got dealt a winning hand in 2016, and they have the critical acclaim to prove it. From WIne Spectator, “This is bright and linear in profile, displaying cherry, strawberry, bitter almond, earth, iron and tobacco flavors. Balanced and taut, lingering with a mix of fruit, mineral and savory elements. Best from 2022 through 2043…93 points.”

This wine impressed us right out of the gate and we are probably more on the level of enthusiasm of James Suckling, who wrote, “Aromas of raspberries, sour cherries, dates, chocolate, dried herbs and five spice. Medium- to full-bodied with fine tannins and a creamy, velvety texture. Layered and balanced with a caressing feel. Long, spicy and savory finish. Drink now or hold…95 points.“

An exceptional effort in a traditional style from a historic harvest, an exciting find this late in the game.

A VERY SPECIAL CHIANTI

We have come through a very special period in Tuscany in general and Chianti in particular.  But we are still on the lookout for more examples of 2016, arguably the best and most complete vintage we can recall in all of our years doing this.  We are thrilled to run across regular Chianti bottlings from the vintage but, for the most part, the market has absorbed those wines.  There should still be occasional appearances from Riserva and Gran Selezione bottlings from this exceptional vintage that should prove to be memorable high points.

We had great expectations, given what we have tasted from 2016, when a purveyor pulled one of the late arriving  2016 Chiantis out of their bags and the Caparsa Chianti Classico Riserva Caparsino 2016 did not disappoint.  In fact it was arguably one of the most impressive examples of the vintage we have tasted thus far.  Since we don’t have a long experience with this producer (or any prior to 2016), we can’t really say with any authority if how much of this wine is courtesy of the vintage, or if Paolo Cianferoni is some sort of winemaking genius.  In any case, even among the sensational array of outstanding Chiantis we have tasted from 2016, this one is special.

Located in Radda in Chianti, there is a distinct mineral undertone that makes a first impression here and is part of the whole experience front to back.  The flavors and profile are definitely Tuscan, the insistent stony underpinnings definitely something we associate with Radda (a relatively small designation), but the density and richness of the fruit component and mid-palate elevate this wine to another level.  Given the performance here, we couldn’t even balk at the price, certainly at the upper end of the riserva classification though relatively modest by comparison to many of the Gran Selezione bottlings.

In the notes from the winery, this wine is 100% Sangiovese (hand harvested, of course) from an elevated site (about 1450 feet) that is spontaneously fermented with natural yeasts and then sees one year in large barrels.   The color is impressively dark for Sangiovese, the aromas show powerful fruit tones and well as that stony minerality.  The weight on the palate surprises for Sangiovese as well, the flavors deceptively rich and yet distinctively Tuscan, the tannins and acidity well tucked in as is the standard in 2016, this is a head turner. 

Antonio Galloni was suitably impressed as well, “The 2016 Chianti Classico Riserva Caparsino is the more refined of the estate’s two Riservas. Aromatic, silky and also plush, the 2016 is fabulous. Mint, pine, lavender, espresso and macerated dark cherry all open up in the glass, but more than anything else, the 2016 is a wine that gracefully marries power with richness. The 2016 is a total knock-out. Don’t miss it… 96 Points.”

We understand that for some of you, $45 for something that says Chianti might be a little difficult.  But this is one of those wines that rises above the appellation and bests most of the much pricier Gran Selezione wines we have tasted.

Like Galloni says, don’t miss it. He’s right.