It has been a great run for Chianti over the last couple vintages. There has been any number of epic performances by \u2018the usual suspects.\u2019 But perhaps more exciting is the energy running through the whole category, and the appearance of a few newer faces that have a lot to offer. This pair of Chiantis aren\u2019t necessarily \u2018famous\u2019 from a media standout. But they are everything else you could want\u2026distinctive, elegant, and possessed of excellent expression of \u2018enlightened traditional.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We were familiar with the Bibbiano <\/strong>label mostly from noticing it in and among rather extensive consorzio tasting events in Europe.\u00a0 This is the first time we were ever presented the wine by the current importer and the Bibbiano Chianti Classico 2016<\/a> <\/strong>is the first version to be on the floor.\u00a0 These are not newcomers in general though, having been founded in 1865.\u00a0 Bibbiano is located in the historic Chianti region, in the municipality of Castellina in Chianti, overlooking the Elsa Valley towards the castle of Monteriggioni. Today\u2019s owners, Tommaso and Federico Marrocchesi Marzi, represent the fifth generation to operate the estate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bibbiano\u2019s current winemaker was trained under the long-standing consultancy of famed winemaker Giulio Gambelli, also famous for his long relationships with Montevertine and Case Basse di Soldera.\u00a0 The estate was certified organic in 2011.\u00a0 The Chianti Classico 2016 is 100% Sangiovese with grapes harvested by hand and fermented in accordance with their position on hill as the grapes come from both sides of the property.\u00a0 The fermentation is done entirely in concrete to preserve the terroir notes but also soften the profile of the wine.\u00a0 The flavors run from dark cherry to plum, with elements of earth and stony minerality, and a touch of spice.\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n The wine has a pleasing touch of rusticity in among the fruit, definitely giving it a bit of an \u2018old school\u2019 vibe, and presents a relatively fruit-forward demeanor.\u00a0 Having had past vintages sporadically, we\u2019d proffer that the 2016 vintage gave this one a bit more flesh than normally, kicking it into another level.\u00a0 Wine Spectator<\/strong> said of this wine, \u201cA racy style whose vibrant acidity drives flavors of black cherry, black currant, iron, earth and soy. Still very firm, with the acidity acting in tandem with refined tannins. Fine length. Drink now through 2033… 91 Points.\u201d\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Not sure we\u2019d use the term \u2018racy\u2019.\u00a0 We’d describe it as a slight \u2018chewiness\u2019 that is quite pleasing.\u00a0 But, all in all, the Bibbiano is certainly tasty and satisfying, as well as a Chianti that plays very well for its moderate tab.\u00a0 A well-made \u2018workhorse\u2019 in a bit of a throwback style.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Castello Romitorio Chianti Colli Senesi 2017<\/a> <\/strong>was something of a surprise. Not because we didn\u2019t know the house. On the contrary, we have been selling Romitorio\u2019s Brunellos for years. The estate is well known for their historic castle (the foundations of which may date to Roman times), their highly-regarded Brunellos, and the occasional controversial label from artist\/owner Sando Chia. What we hadn\u2019t seen before was a Chianti Colli Senesi from this notable estate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Sando\u2019s son, Fillipo, spoke with great enthusiasm about the Chianti project as a way to put a more affordable version of the Romitorio name into the marketplace to cast a wider net.\u00a0 The idea here is to make a polished version of the genre, with the estate\u2019s tech sheet speaking about the hills around Siena and making the statement that, \u201cThis area has been known since ancient times for knowing how to produce very high quality reds that rival Burgundy for elegance.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The grapes are hand harvested, and sorted twice, both before and after destemming.\u00a0 This 100% Sangiovese sees ten months in oak.\u00a0 We\u2019re perfectly capable of writing notes but as we researched this piece, we found a somewhat over-the-top literary effort by MW Anne Krebiehl\u00a0, \u201cJust smell it to be transported to the ocher-colored countryside of Tuscany: the scent of parched earth and oak woods is there, together with the characteristic, harsh hint of Sangiovese marasca cherries. The body presents structure and tension without being heavy, it is fresh and pungent, a wine born for the table. Good persistence, sincere, and impactful but agile at the same time. The fruit, red currant, cranberry and Morello cherry, looks clear in the finish. It has charm and character to sell.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Artists. In truth there is something of an ethereal sense to this very sleek Chianti that is modern yet at the same time has tradition in full view. Like the Bibbiano, it is a very classy effort for under $20, though stylistically quite different. It is also a \u2018little\u2019 wine made big time folks, a long adhered-to axiom of ours. Wee found no mention of it anywhere in the media but are happy to have discovered this beauty and anxious to see where it goes in future vintages. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" It has been a great run for Chianti over the last couple vintages. There has been any number of epic performances by \u2018the usual suspects.\u2019 But perhaps more exciting is the energy running through the whole category, and the appearance of a few newer faces that have a lot to offer. This pair of Chiantis … Continue reading “MORE MAGIC FROM CHIANTI”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[19],"tags":[673,460,672,69],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.winex.com\/stockreport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3596"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.winex.com\/stockreport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.winex.com\/stockreport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.winex.com\/stockreport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.winex.com\/stockreport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3596"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.winex.com\/stockreport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3596\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3630,"href":"https:\/\/www.winex.com\/stockreport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3596\/revisions\/3630"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.winex.com\/stockreport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3596"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.winex.com\/stockreport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3596"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.winex.com\/stockreport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3596"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}