The 100 Tuscan wines to have in the cellar. Bet 2: Chianti Classico and Bolgheri

A selection dedicated to the novels of Boccaccio's Decameron by Ais Toscana

After the first chapter dedicated to the Supertuscans and Brunello di Montalcino, we continue our selection dedicated to the 100 best Tuscan wines not to be missed, inspired by the novels of the Decameron, then moving on to the 3rd and 4th day of our tastings, the first 10 of Chianti Classico (Riserva and Gran Selezione), the second 10 of wines from Bolgheri.

THE THIRD DAY: CHIANTI CLASSICO Riserva and Gran Selezione

Chianti Classico Riserva and Gran Selezione

The best Chianti Classico Riserva and Gran Selezione from 2011 to today, selected during the Wine Previews by AIS Toscana Sommeliers.

The 21st wine:  Vigneto Bellavista Chianti Classico Docg Selezione 2007 Castello di Ama

Deep ruby red, vivid, high consistency in the glass. Complex and varied smell. It expresses the mass and intriguing minerality. The same thickness is expressed in the mouth. Powerful, fruity and tannic that in perspective will fade. The pleasure is based on freshness with fruity returns giving a tasty and long duration.

The 22nd wine:  Rancia Chianti Classico Docg Riserva 2009 Felsina

Intense garnet red with good consistency, this wine has intense and complex olfactory notes of humus, ripe fruit and plums, followed by a floral bouquet, hints of rhubarb, leather and tobacco. Elegant on the palate, with good structure, balanced with non-aggressive tannins and good flavor. The alcohol content balances out the flavor. A long and fine finish echoes the aromas on the nose.

The 23rd wine:  Vigna del Sorbo Chianti Classico Docg Riserva 2009  Fontodi

Red ruby with light garnet red highlights on the border. Ripe cherry and marasca cherry, faded flowers and rich spices, cinnamon and rhubarb, blond tobacco, earth, underbush and smoked scents. State of the art tannins. In the mouth it is rich and deep, warm and tasty. Acidity tension and full flavored taste are the prelude to an endless finish.

The 24th wine:  Ser Lapo Chianti Classico Docg Riserva 2011 Castello di Fonterutoli

Bright, seducing ruby red of great intensify. Complex olfactory profile with fruity notes of marasca cherries, cassis and raspberries followed by rose petal aromas and elegant spicy-flavored chocolate, blonde tobacco and cedar tree notes with mineral notes of graphite on the finish. Promising, perfectly structured tannins.

The 25th wine:  Montornello Chianti Classico Docg Riserva 2012  Bibbiano

Dense ruby-red colored. Intense on the nose with the Sangiovese’s fiery character. Tannins play the leading role and everything revolves around them. A still young wine, promising well for the future and excellently crafted.

The 26th wine:  Borro Del Diavolo Chianti Classico Docg Riserva 2013 Ormanni

Ruby-red colored with pale garnet-red tinges. Wild rose aromas burst on the nose followed by meatier notes and hints of shade tobacco, tea leaves, cardamom and mineral and pepper notes. Lingering and well-balanced on the palate, a long finish with excellent balance between savouriness and acidity.

The 27th wine:  Castello di Meleto Chianti Classico Docg Riserva 2015  Vigna Casi

Intense ruby red colour. Boasts decisive aromas of toasted woods and cherry, accompanied by a distinct balsamic note. The liveliness of the wine is strong but elegant in the mouth: decisive tannins with a long finish of tobacco.

The 28th wine: Mocenni 89 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione 2016  Bindi Sergardi

Pale ruby-red colored verging on garnet red. Fruity and spicy aromas on the nose blend with a mix of orange, cherry, curcuma and mace followed by hints of incense. Perfect tannins on the palate and excellent savoriness and freshness which infuse the progression of flavors with elegance. Floral finish.

The 29th wine: Colledilà Chianti Classico Gran Selezione 2016  Ricasoli

Pale ruby-red appearance with bright garnet-red nuances. Close-focused on the nose with notes of violet, followed by raspberry and redcurrant, tea leaves, spices and iron-like hints. Great fresh-savory pressure on the palate, accompanied by very elegant, silky tannins. Lingering iron-like and sour orange notes.

The 30th wine: Le Fonti-Panzano 2016  Chianti Classico Gran Selezione

Clear garnet-red colored. The nose offers aromas of redcurrant and rose petals, evolving into cinnamon and pipe tobacco. Ripe tannins add volume to the palate, backed by vibrant freshness. The progression of flavors unfolds lengthwise leading to the balsamic and citrusy finish.

THE FOURTH DAY: BEST WINES OF BOLGHERI

the best bolgheri wines

The great red wines of Bolgheri between labels that have now entered the history of wine and the new entry of the Bolgheri Olympus, through a wine tasting conducted by AIS Toscana sommeliers in May 2011. The numerical order is not indicative of a qualitative ranking , but it’s functional to correspond to the ideal inspiration from which we started: a wine a day like the tales of Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio.

The 31st wine: Guado al Tasso Bolgheri Superiore Doc 2008 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot 30%, Cabernet Franc 10%, Petit Verdot 3%

Elegant and attractive the concentration of pigments in the glass. Scents of blackcurrant followed by camphor, fern, an earthy leap and a mix of sweet spices. In the mouth it is refined and decidedly soft, striking for its refined balance, combining tannins of noble texture with a vein of freshness that enlivens the whole. The finish is precious and long-lasting.

The 32nd wine: Ornellaia Bolgheri Superiore Doc 2008 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot 27%, Cabernet Franc 16%, Petit Verdot 3%

Impenetrable ruby that readily reveals itself to the nose with wild fruits, cassis, milk chocolate, Mediterranean maquis, black tea. On the palate it has great body and extraordinary strength with marine returns. Tannin and freshness in an almost harmonious whole. In the finish an unexpected vegetal note.

The 33rd wine: Sapaio Bolgheri Superiore Doc 2008 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot 20%, Petit Verdot 20%, Cabernet Franc 10% Podere Sapaio

Compact with a lively ruby edge. Very intense and ample nose, immediately fruity, blackberry, cassis, violet, licorice, cardamom, graphite. The sip is tasty, strength and structure its strong point. Full and consistent characters. In the mouth, the fruity note and the coffee note is exhausted very slowly.

The 34th wine: Millepassi Bolgheri Superiore Doc 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot e Merlot Donna Olimpia

Dense ruby red colour. Crunchy fruit on the first nose, cherry, apple, then aromatic herbs, thyme, lavender, balsamic hints. Shows great linearity and consistency in the mouth. Warm, soft and with a fruity freshness that supports an almost velvety tannin. Tasty to the end.

The 35th wine: Argentiera Bolgheri Superiore Doc 2008  55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, Cabernet Franc 5%

Compact ruby. Intense and persistent nose that rests on berries, currants and blackberries in jam alternating with sweet spices, vanilla, eucalyptus and graphite. In mouth is full, fleshy, good crispness with young but appreciable tannins, agreeable correspondence to the nose. The finish is almond long enough.

The 36th wine: Sondraia Bolgheri Superiore Doc 2008  65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, Cabernet Franc 10% Poggio al Tesoro

Red compact on visual inspection, very concentrated. Pulpy smell of raspberry and blackberry jelly, berries juice, spices, liquorice, cigar box. In the mouth it is linear balanced, perfect harmony of taste with a fruity finish not very persistent.

The 37th wine: Michele Satta Bolgheri Superiore Doc  2009 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Sangiovese, 30% Merlot, 10% Altri

Bright ruby red, almost purple on the edge. Nose deep and rich in violet, then overflowing with black and red fruit, tobacco. In the mouth it is very tasty long and in perfect balance, the tannin is satiny, close to the overall elegance.

The 38th wine: Greppicante Bolgheri Superiore Doc 2009 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc I Greppi

In the glass a full, concentrated and consistent color. Nose characterized by a sweet, fruity and floral bouquet, rich in spices, balsamic. The taste is full, exuberant yet to be balanced but with good potential.

The 39th wine: Le Macchiole Bolgheri Superiore Doc 2009 50% Merlot, Cabernet Franc 30%, Syrah 20%

Glass filled with a lively ruby. To the first smell it seems little expressive then red fruit in abundance, aristocratic spices, Mediterranean maquis. Mouth naturally more representative and ready than the nose, tannin already silky, adequate structure even if in search of a balance to be made. It still needs a long stay in the bottle, great future prospects.

The 40th wine: Arnione Bolgheri Superiore Doc 2009 40 % Cabernet Sauvignon 20 % Cabernet Franc 20 % Merlot 20 % Petit Verdot Campo alla Sughera

Intense color, purple nuances, intriguing sweet notes of ripe black cherry, raspberries, red rose, pleasant balsamicity, blend of spices, thyme, smoked sandalwood and wild fennel; pleasant and surprising consistency in the mouth, a freshness in the mouth with a taste of red orange follows an elegant progression of sensations ranging from black cherry to retro-olfactory saline and Mediterranean scrub notes, tannin in promising evolution, full persistence.