There’s quite the story behind this particular bottle of Chianti – and it comes in two chapters. Part One regards the wine itself, and in the second part we’ll discover who’s behind it.
In the best vintages where the vineyards produce high yields of top quality grapes, some of the growers who own the Classico vineyards in Chianti have more fruit than they need. This excess – even though it is acknowledged as the very best from the region – is sold as ‘standard’ Chianti DOCG in a process known as ‘declassification’. The point is to preserve the prestige of the most sought-after wines rather than dilute the brands.
This DOCG Chianti, bottled from the 2022 vintage, comes from a top-tier winery whose name has to be kept secret. The fruit was grown in the heart of the Conca d’Oro (Italian for “Golden Basin”) – one of the finest areas of the Chianti Classico zone, centred around Panzano.
It has a bouquet filled with raspberry, morello cherry, redcurrant, thyme, clove and a floral lift of dried rose petal and fresh violets. Medium-bodied and with a mouthwatering line of crisp acidity, the flavours in the palate are a reflection of the perfume. Both expressive and elegantly structured, the tannins are supple and chalky, giving the wine a firm spine. The red fruits are ripe and glossy, but you’ll also find a little tomato leaf, tart cranberry and toasted spice as accents towards the back of the palate. There is a sneaky length to the dry finish, with pepper and cinnamon also showing.
The creators of this wine are Franco Bernabei (known affectionately as “Mister Sangiovese”), and his son Matteo Bernabei. Together they run a prestigious wine company Enoproject, a leading oenological consultancy in Greve in Chianti.
The firm advises wineries across Italy – from their native Tuscany to Trentino – on viticultural, enological, and marketing strategies. The company champions matching grape variety to soil and respecting vineyard identity, with a motto that says “First the vineyard, then the wine.”
Franco has worked on some of the most famous wines to have come from Tuscany – including the ‘Supertuscan’ wines that emerged in the 1980s, challenging what the wine world knew about Sangiovese from the region. He had a hand in a couple of legendary wines – first in Panzano (where this wine comes from) – at Fontodi, with Flaccianello della Pieve; then with Fèlsina’s Fontalloro which have developed into flagship wines for those companies, and built on the Supertuscan trend started by wines like Tignanello and Sassacaia.
It is rare for wines like this to find their way to the New Zealand market. Pair this quintessential italian red with pasta, grilled meats or platters laden with charcuterie, cheeses and olives. 91pts.
