San Felice's 2021 "Il Grigio" Chianti Classic Riserva is a fantastic edition of an already-popular Italian red, making the #24 spot on Wine Spectator's Top 100 Wines of 2024! This classically-styled riserva is a taste of old Tuscany: mouthwateringly vibrant, dry and savory-toned, and ideal for meaty tomato sauces and steaks... we're getting hungry just thinking about it!
The ancient settlement of San Felice in southern Chianti Classico is today the heart of an expansive estate and resort, with vineyards and olive groves dotting the gently undulating hills. Here, the Mediterranean climate is more obvious than in other parts of the region, with warmer and drier Summers. This leads to a Chianti Classico that's more rounded in feel and darkly-toned in aroma without losing the vigorous structure of bright acidity and grippy tannins to frame it all.
The 100% Sangiovese 2021 "Il Grigio" Riserva shows a poised tension between its generosity and noble austerity, a classic riserva that slowly opens up with time in the glass. It exudes subtle aromas of high-toned red currant and violet, then a dense core of juicy black cherry thoroughly infused with aromatic herbs like sage and tobacco, fragrant sun-kissed clay earth and woody balsam, along with glimmers of leather and vanilla pod. On the palate, it's rounded, warming, medium-bodied and firm, with its dry, earthy-woodsy side grounding the juicy dark-red fruit. Sangiovese's classic mouthwatering, citrusy acidity sings on the finish, along with a coating of fine-grained, grippy tannins, making this an ideal wine for rich, vibrant sauces and meats. This is a sturdy wine that will get even better with age, so tuck some away if you're so inclined! Serve at a lightly cool 65F.
#24 WINE SPECTATOR TOP 100 WINES OF 2024
WINE SPECTATOR 93 POINTS - "Offers cherry and plum fruit framed by earth, mineral and wild herb flavors. Poised between elegance and power, this red is beautifully balanced. Dusty tannins support the fruit on the long finish..."
VINOUS 93 POINTS - "The 2021 Chianti Classico Riserva Il Grigio da San Felice is a dark, dense, rather somber wine. Black cherry, leather, tobacco, incense and dried herbs reinforce that initial impression. A Riserva of substance and power, the 2021 has a ton to offer. It's an especially fine edition of Il Grigio." - Antonio Galloni
The ancient settlement of San Felice in southern Chianti Classico is today the heart of an expansive estate and resort, with vineyards and olive groves dotting the gently undulating hills. Here, the Mediterranean climate is more obvious than in other parts of the region, with warmer and drier Summers. This leads to a Chianti Classico that's more rounded in feel and darkly-toned in aroma without losing the vigorous structure of bright acidity and grippy tannins to frame it all.
The 100% Sangiovese 2021 "Il Grigio" Riserva shows a poised tension between its generosity and noble austerity, a classic riserva that slowly opens up with time in the glass. It exudes subtle aromas of high-toned red currant and violet, then a dense core of juicy black cherry thoroughly infused with aromatic herbs like sage and tobacco, fragrant sun-kissed clay earth and woody balsam, along with glimmers of leather and vanilla pod. On the palate, it's rounded, warming, medium-bodied and firm, with its dry, earthy-woodsy side grounding the juicy dark-red fruit. Sangiovese's classic mouthwatering, citrusy acidity sings on the finish, along with a coating of fine-grained, grippy tannins, making this an ideal wine for rich, vibrant sauces and meats. This is a sturdy wine that will get even better with age, so tuck some away if you're so inclined! Serve at a lightly cool 65F.
#24 WINE SPECTATOR TOP 100 WINES OF 2024
WINE SPECTATOR 93 POINTS - "Offers cherry and plum fruit framed by earth, mineral and wild herb flavors. Poised between elegance and power, this red is beautifully balanced. Dusty tannins support the fruit on the long finish..."
VINOUS 93 POINTS - "The 2021 Chianti Classico Riserva Il Grigio da San Felice is a dark, dense, rather somber wine. Black cherry, leather, tobacco, incense and dried herbs reinforce that initial impression. A Riserva of substance and power, the 2021 has a ton to offer. It's an especially fine edition of Il Grigio." - Antonio Galloni
