FEBRUARY WINE BOX: EXPRESSIONS OF CHIANTI CLASSICO (Stage 11), led by sommelier Stefano Carmassi - February 2019
Podere il Palazzino, Monti in Chianti-Gaiole in Chianti (SI)
We find it in Monti in Chianti, in the heart of Siena's Chianti Classico. The Sderci family has been producing wines since 1973: first they sold their own grapes which were harvested in their splendid vineyards, all facing south-east and on alberese and galestro soil.
Their beautiful farm was born in the second half of the eighteenth century in the wake of Leopoldo's agrarian reforms and overlooks a valley open to the winds and well exposed to the sun.
In the 16 hectares of vineyards they produce Chianti Classico of great value with artisanal and manual work processes ; insecticides, herbicides and every type of product deriving from synthetic chemistry have been eliminated from the vineyards to limit damage to the soil as much as possible. The Sderci family aims for the essentiality and naturalness of the fruit, using indigenous yeasts and conducting malolactic fermentations spontaneously.
Rodano farm, Rodano-Castellina in Chianti (SI)
Beautiful Chianti farmhouse born on a Benedictine settlement that served as a stopping point for pilgrims who passed on foot on the nearby Via Francigena. The company was founded at the end of the 1950s by Carlo Pozzesi, a doctor much loved and esteemed by the inhabitants of Castellina in Chianti, and now run by his nephew Enrico.
The Chianti Classici di Rodano have a historical origin and describe the territory and the soil in a superb and representative way , thanks also to the initial imprint given by that great genius Giulio Gambelli, known as “Bicchierino”, who, starting in the 1960s, created splendid Sangiovese-based wines in the Chianti area.
The landscape around Rhone is haunted by so much beauty , the vineyards are managed organically and lie on clay and limestone soil, and the company's footprint is centered on maximum environmental sustainability. The wines of Fattoria Rodano are fermented with indigenous yeasts and refined in large barrels, as per tradition.
Oliviera , Vagliagli-Castelnuovo Berardenga (SI)
Sandro Bandini is the owner and works directly in the cellar, masterfully interpreting the territory with its excellent Chianti Classici.
There are 9 hectares of vineyard located in the southern part of the Chianti area around the beautiful medieval village of Vagliagli, with a production of approximately 40,000 bottles.
The Oliviera vineyards are surrounded by dense woods which give the landscape a varied and evocative view, with exposures to the south and south-west and with soils of marl matrix and rich in skeleton.
Sandro gives us wines strongly connected to the territory , where the classic markers of Sangiovese unfold sharp and clear in the taste-olfactory analysis. In Oliviera's wines we find sensorial suggestions of ancient memory , true antidotes to the twists of contemporary enology.
THE PROPOSED BOXES
ENTHUSIAST BOX
Chianti Classico Argenina , Podere il Palazzino
It comes from a 3 hectare plot planted around the ancient settlement of Argenina in Monti in Chianti.
The altitude and the soil composed of marl, clay and tuff veins give us an expression of Chianti Classico well connected to the territory, with delicate florals and fresh red fruits. The sweet spiciness and balsamic freshness are well present, thus bringing complexity typical of Chianti Classico. The acid shoulder gives us freshness and makes us salivate, while the well-smoothed and elongated tannins tell us about a tamed Sangiovese.
To be drunk in sips, with joy and cheerfulness.
Try it together with stracotto ravioli with Chianina sauce!
Chianti Classico , Fattoria Rodano
Splendid vineyards that breathe and overlook the Val d'Elsa; clayey and limestone soils that give Chianti Classico so much fruit. This wine is a guarantee to understand the terroir of this area.
The organic management of the farm, the use of small percentages of canaiolo and colorino blended with sangiovese to smooth out its roughness, make us understand how this wine is at the heart of tradition and classicism.
Lots of red fruits, light toasting, autumnal undergrowth, refreshing sips and nervous tannins lead us to the discovery of an expressive and colloquial Chianti Classico.
Try it with the pork loin with juniper…
Chianti Classico , Oliviera
Sandro Bandini's vineyards in Vagliagli give us a typical Chianti Classico with soils rich in skeleton with a lot of marl and with traditional management of the work processes. Small company but great wines, which immediately manage to tell us about the subsoil and which predispose us, as in the case of this Chianti Classico, to a reflection on authenticity and clear and clear varietal correspondence.
We finish the sip and start drinking again, lightly and sweetly. Fruits, flowers, light spiciness and woody notes bind us to the deepest Chianti soul, also made up of bucolic reflections and contemplations.
In this area the Sangiovese grapes always arrive in the cellar of great quality.
Sommelier Stefano Carmassi recommends it with pici with Tuscan ragù…
EXPERT BOX
Chianti Classico Grosso Sanese , Podere il Palazzino
A great Chianti Classico with long and important fermentations and refinements where the truncated conical wooden vats and small barrels then give elegant structures, constantly evolving olfactory ranges, a full and fleshy sip, softness and persistence.
The varietal markers of this beautiful Sangiovese are all there and tasting it while looking at the view from the cellar makes us reflect on the incessant and virtuous work of Alberese and galestro in the composition of the fruit.
The yield per hectare with which the production is carried out is very low and this allows you to drink a high-quality Chianti Classico.
The sommelier recommends pairing it with stewed wild boar.
Chianti Classico Vineyard Via Costa , Fattoria Rodano
Vigna Via Costa is an emotional wine, extracted from Sangiovese grapes on clay soil of only 6 hectares. It expresses the Chianti soul and is capable of riding far into time, just like a purebred Chianti Classico.
The long macerations on the skins make it a complex wine, broad and intense on the nose with balsamic and spicy finishes; It has a smooth and fresh drink, with vibrant acidity and high-quality tannins.
Enrico only releases it in the best years, when nature gives us the perfect fruit. The aging woods are managed impeccably, with lightness and elegance typical of the great Sangiovese-based Tuscan wine.
Try it in combination with Impruneta peposo.
Chianti Classico Campo di Mansueto , Oliviera
Small particle of excellent quality with which the Chianti Classico Campo di Mansueto is made. Few bottles, just 2000, and you have to run in time to enjoy them.
Fruity notes with small red fruits such as strawberries, blood oranges and fresh florals such as violets. Yes, the violet, which reminds us of the elegant notes of Sangiovese. Spices at the end of the mouth, elegance and enveloping, but with agility and dynamism. The acidity and tannin of this Chianti Classico are in superb balance with the soft components.
Sandro Bandini's small company gives us a great Chianti Classico, a real resistance to the globalization of taste and the prevailing models dictated by wine corporations.
Perfect in combination with Hunter-style fallow deer chops.
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