Castello di Monterinaldi Chianti Classico DOCG 2017
Background
Any time an Italian wine is marked as ‘Classico’ you can assume that at one point the geographic boundaries of the original region were widened to include more land, more growers and more vineyards. Producers on what used to be the outskirts would now be able to label their wine as Chianti, Soave, etc, and producers from within the original borders of the region would now be known as ‘Classico’.
In some regions, the delineation between ‘general appellation’ and Classico isn’t such a big deal. It matters a bit more here in Chianti because when the original region was expanded, it more than quadrupled in size. There are certain factors of terroir that are found in the Classico region that just isn’t there in all parts of the larger general appellation. We’re not saying that Classico wines are always better (that’s far from the truth), but generally speaking they are more true to the original style of the wine.
The history of winemaking in Chianti is rich and deep. The castle for which this producer is named was first mentioned in writings from 1010 and stuck around until it was destroyed in WWII. Today the Ciampi family runs production on this site. Despite the history here, their equipment and techniques are quite modern. They hold 18 single vineyards all packed together on a hill. This is the inspiration for the turtle imagery on the label. (Wine business secret: put animals on your label and you’ll sell more).
While the region is known for Sangiovese, the wine laws here allow blending. By law a wine labelled as Chianti must be 70% Sangiovese, but producers can include white grapes (up to 10%) Cabernet Sauvignon (max 15%) and a few minor role-players like Canaiolo, which is used to add fruit flavours and soften Sangiovese’s sharp tannins.
Tasting Notes and Food Pairing
Chicken Cacciatore - On the nose, Chianti can almost feel like Pinot Noir. You’ll get lots of red fruit (usually cherry or raspberry) and lots of herbal savory aromas. In fact, when blind tasting, we’ll often confuse one for the other… until we take a sip. Italian wines in general have a little more structure than most. That means, more acid, more of a tannic grip, and maybe a little more alcohol than a Burgundian Pinot. When the structure is cranked up like this, the wine tends to age better, being preserved by all that tannin and acid. However, it doesn't mean you can't drink these wines young! That acid and tannin is a winner with anything that has bright tomato acidity. Chicken braised low and slow in a tomato sauce with some pancetta, mushroom and herbs would be a textbook match for this wine’s tart red fruit, herbal aromas and sturdy structure.
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