Great Wine Made Simple - Andrea Immer [79]
Chianti Classico: There are a lot of great producers. Not all of the wineries that charge luxury prices for Chianti make wine that justifies the high price. I only list here those wineries I think are worth the (sometimes very high) premium, and I’ve defined a separate “splurge” category below to identify those in the upper price tier:
PREMIUM Volpaia (Vol-PIE-uh), Fonterutoli (Fohn-teh-ROO-toh-lee), Querciabella (Kwehr-chuh-BELL-uh), Dievole (Dee-EH-voe-lay), Brolio (BROE-lee-oh), Ricasoli (Ree-CAH-zoh-lee), Castello di Gabbiano (Cah-STELL-oh dee Gah-bee-AH-no), Badia a Coltibuono (Bah-DEE-uh ah Cole-tee-BWOH-no), Melini (Muh-LEE-nee), Rocca delle Macie (ROH-cuh deh-luh Mah-CHEE-ay), Terrabianca (Tear-uh-bee-AHN-cuh), Castellare di Castellina (Cass-teh-LAR-eh dee Cass-teh-LEE-nuh), Castell’in Villa (Cass-tell in VEE-luh), Querceto (Kwair-CHETT-oh), Castello dei Rampolla (Cass-TELL-oh day RAHM-poh-luh), Uggiano (Ooh-jee-AH-no).
SPLURGE Among the splurge wines are Castello di Ama (Cass-TELL-oh dee AH-muh), Fontodi (Fohn-TOE-dee), Felsina Berardenga (FELL-see-nuh Bear-ahr-DEN-guh), Ruffino Riserva Ducale (Doo-CAH-leh), Isole e Olena (Ee-SOH-leh eh Oh-LEH-nuh), Monsanto Il Poggio (Mohn-SAHN-toe eel PO-joe), and Antinori (Ann-tee-NOH-ree).
Outside of these pedigreed subzones, here are a few good basic Chiantis—refer to them for the Tuscan wine tasting below: Alaura (Ah-LAUW-ruh) from Monsanto, and Cetamura (Chett-uh-MUHR-uh) from Badia a Coltibuono. Brolio, Frescobaldi, and Ricasoli also make good basic Chianti.
CARMIGNANO DOCG This is a small vineyard zone northwest of Florence. Here the red wine is mostly Sangiovese and other local grapes, with up to 10 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, giving a medium- to full-bodied, elegant style of wine. Producers to try are Capezzana, Fattoria di Ambra, and Fattoria Il Poggiolo (eel Poh-JOE-loh).
VINO NOBILE DI MONTEPULCIANO DOCG If you visit Florence, rent a car and go see the fabulous hilltop town of Montepulciano. You will have to park on the outskirts, because the tiny streets within the stone walls are too narrow for any but foot traffic. They’ve been doing the winemaking thing here for a long time. On my visit to the most famous producer, Avignonesi (Ah-veen-yo-NAY-zee), they took me to the ruins of an ancient Etruscan wine cellar beneath their offices—on the floor of which still lay fragments of their clay amphora-like wine “bottles.” But in spite of its long history, the wine enjoys far less attention than its sister Tuscan DOCGs, although a comeback appears to be in the making. It is made from a high-quality type of Sangiovese called Prugnolo Gentile (Prune-YO-lo Jen-TEE-lay), plus some other blending grapes. Rosso di Montepulciano DOC is a sort of “baby” Vino Nobile made from grapes that don’t quite reach the quality level appropriate for the top wine. These may be grapes from young, recently planted vines, or from the main vineyards in weak harvest years.
Among the best producers are Avignonesi, Boscarelli (Boh-scah-RELL-ee), Poliziano (Poh-leet-see-AH-no), Fattoria de Cerro (deh CHAIR-oh), and Tenuta Trerose (Tray-ROSE-eh).
BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO DOCG Biondi-Santi (Bee-YOHN-dee SAHN-tee), one of the most famous wineries and wine families, is credited with inventing this wine because they were the first to isolate the Brunello (also called Sangiovese Grosso), an especially high quality version of the Sangiovese grape (grosso means big). The small growing area surrounds the hilltop town of Montalcino, southwest of Siena. The very full-bodied, powerful wines rank with Barolo as Italy’s longest agers (and in fact usually need some bottle aging to taste good). How long? The day I visited the Biondi-Santi estate, a “recorking” was under way, in which clients brought their oldest