Brancaia Chianti Classico Riserva

This is absolutely delicious with cherry, berry and light milk chocolate. It’s medium-bodied with round tannins. Juicy and succulent. Racy and deep. Bright acidity. Give this time to open. Better after 2023.

The 2016 Chianti Classico Riserva is a beautiful wine that does an excellent job of stringing together the many varied components of what makes a great Chianti Classico and puts them all together in a single bottle. The wine is balanced and intense with a long bouquet that starts off with black primary fruit and then trails off into a continuum of spice, leather, tar and tilled earth. There are many levels to consider here. The mouthfeel is equal parts structured, fresh and succulent, and these three factors fit together with precision. This is a terrific wine and one that I will readily drink with a grilled veal steak with my favorite roasted potatoes. The blend is 80% Sangiovese and 20% Merlot. Production is 50,000 bottles strong.

Mid purplish crimson. Rather sweet and floral on the nose. More generous – and therefore less typical – than most. Quite tart grip on the finish. This still seems unknit. An ambitious wine.

The 2012 Chianti Classico Riserva is a lovely expression that deserves attention. I am impressed by the pristine and mellow nature of the bouquet that is enhanced with bright tones of red cherry, wild berry, spice and lightly toasted almond. Sangiovese is blended with 20% Merlot and aged in oak for 15 months. There are sweet oak flavors, although that spice is well integrated within the fleshy and rich nature of the fruit. The wine is tight and linear on the close, and could use another year or so to flesh out further.