Like a phoenix, the iconic Ricasoli wine estate not only returned to its former glory when its namesake family reacquired it in 1993, but has since soared to new heights! Now is a perfect opportunity to see how far they've risen with their elegant 2021 Gran Selezione Chianti Classicos, which received glowing reviews from Wine Spectator (95 to 97 points). This is a vintage to go big on according to Italian wine critic Antonio Galloni, who wrote that 2021 is "the single greatest young vintage" he's tasted in his 25+ years of visiting the region!
The Ricasoli name happens to be one of the most important in Italian wine, and especially so in Tuscany! The family tree is rooted in the <>b>historic Chianti region (the stretch of hill country between Florence and Siena) going back to at least to the middle-ages. It was 1800s ancestor, Baron Bettino Ricasoli, who helped shape what the iconic wine from these already-famous hills should be, including promoting the noble Sangiovese grape to its current starring role. Things have changed a bit, but we think the ancestors would be proud - and impressed - with the exciting wines the family is putting out from their ancient fortress, Castello di Brolio!
The Gran Selezione category is meant to be a winery's flagship Chianti Classico, a wine that represents the best from their neck of the woods. Reflecting the Ricasoli's long history in the southern area of Gaiole, they have a fantastic collection of vineyards represented through four Gran Selezione bottlings! The Castello di Brolio Gran Selezione comes from vineyards of different characteristics around the castello itself, which is strategically perched on a high foothill of the Chianti Mountains. Ricasoli's three single-vineyard Gran Selezioni, on the other hand, are focused on pure expressions from renowned sites in the cascade of hills flowing down from the castello; they are extremely elegant, firmly-cored renditions of Chianti Classico, with a sense of lift and aromatic intensity rather than overt power. All of their 2021s are delicious to drink now, given a little time to breathe (even better with an hour in the decanter), but they'll develop true ethereal complexity in the years to come... if you can hold onto them that long!
Moving south of the castello, the Colledilá vineyard is at a higher altitude than the other single vineyards, with soils high in limestone. It makes the most finessed expression of their Gran Selezioni, with a powerful core of "crushed limestone" minerality and ethereal fruit, driven by vibrant, savory-tinged red berries. The finish tapers into a subtle stoniness, with nuanced echoes of fruit, and a gently grainy grip.
WINE SPECTATOR 97 POINTS - "Packed with cherry, raspberry and pomegranate flavors, this red is also succulent and verging on racy in profile, with a deep vein of mineral and peppery spice notes that intensify on the extended finish. Shows superb balance and grace, with the best yet to come. 1,166 cases made, 700 cases imported."
WINE ADVOCATE 96+ POINTS - "The Barone Ricasoli 2021 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Gaiole Colledilà opens to dark fruit, but perhaps more significantly, you get a slate-like mineral note that adds focus. That mineral note appears in all these beautiful Gran Selezione wines from vintner Francesco Ricasoli, but in the case of this bottle, it adds a dark or slightly brooding personality. The finish is absolutely savory and salty."
The Ricasoli name happens to be one of the most important in Italian wine, and especially so in Tuscany! The family tree is rooted in the <>b>historic Chianti region (the stretch of hill country between Florence and Siena) going back to at least to the middle-ages. It was 1800s ancestor, Baron Bettino Ricasoli, who helped shape what the iconic wine from these already-famous hills should be, including promoting the noble Sangiovese grape to its current starring role. Things have changed a bit, but we think the ancestors would be proud - and impressed - with the exciting wines the family is putting out from their ancient fortress, Castello di Brolio!
The Gran Selezione category is meant to be a winery's flagship Chianti Classico, a wine that represents the best from their neck of the woods. Reflecting the Ricasoli's long history in the southern area of Gaiole, they have a fantastic collection of vineyards represented through four Gran Selezione bottlings! The Castello di Brolio Gran Selezione comes from vineyards of different characteristics around the castello itself, which is strategically perched on a high foothill of the Chianti Mountains. Ricasoli's three single-vineyard Gran Selezioni, on the other hand, are focused on pure expressions from renowned sites in the cascade of hills flowing down from the castello; they are extremely elegant, firmly-cored renditions of Chianti Classico, with a sense of lift and aromatic intensity rather than overt power. All of their 2021s are delicious to drink now, given a little time to breathe (even better with an hour in the decanter), but they'll develop true ethereal complexity in the years to come... if you can hold onto them that long!
Moving south of the castello, the Colledilá vineyard is at a higher altitude than the other single vineyards, with soils high in limestone. It makes the most finessed expression of their Gran Selezioni, with a powerful core of "crushed limestone" minerality and ethereal fruit, driven by vibrant, savory-tinged red berries. The finish tapers into a subtle stoniness, with nuanced echoes of fruit, and a gently grainy grip.
WINE SPECTATOR 97 POINTS - "Packed with cherry, raspberry and pomegranate flavors, this red is also succulent and verging on racy in profile, with a deep vein of mineral and peppery spice notes that intensify on the extended finish. Shows superb balance and grace, with the best yet to come. 1,166 cases made, 700 cases imported."
WINE ADVOCATE 96+ POINTS - "The Barone Ricasoli 2021 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Gaiole Colledilà opens to dark fruit, but perhaps more significantly, you get a slate-like mineral note that adds focus. That mineral note appears in all these beautiful Gran Selezione wines from vintner Francesco Ricasoli, but in the case of this bottle, it adds a dark or slightly brooding personality. The finish is absolutely savory and salty."
