'Gracious wines of immense pleasure'
It is 'one of the most dynamic winemaking scenes in all of Italy', writes Antonio Galloni in his September report on Chianti Classico, and in 2018, 'balance reigns supreme'. 2018s are 'gracious wines of immense pleasure', 'incredibly delicious', outstanding for their 'purity of flavours'. And he also lists Rocca di Montegrossi as one of his overachieving Chianti Classicos. Of course, it should be no surprise to find Rocca di Montegrossi on such a list; the ancestors of proprietor Marco Ricasoli Firidolfi developed the style of Chianti as we know it today, around 150 years ago, on the site of what is now Marco's San Marcellino vineyard. It is an inheritance that Marco takes very seriously, and he has been building on it ever since he took the helm here in 1994.
As well as the Chianti Classico, there is also a Chianti Gran Selezione, made from the best grapes in the San Marcellino vineyard. Marco says the secret here is the small amount of old-vine Pugnitello (an almost extinct, high-quality but hard-to-farm Tuscan variety) that is blended in with the Sangiovese. For many it is the pick of his range. Geremia is his IGT Merlot/Cabernet blend; it turns in high scores year after year, proving (again) both the affinity between Tuscan soils and Bordeaux red grape varieties - and that you don't need to pay Super Tuscan prices to get Super Tuscan quality.
And there's an intoxicatingly good Vin Santo. This 'holy wine' is a traditional Tuscan dessert wine made from dried grapes. Montegrossi's Vin Santo barrel room is not in a cool underground chamber, but under the rafters in the warmest part of the room; when you enter, you almost collapse under the overwhelming aromas of fig, toffee, caramel and walnut. Concentrated and persistent, it is a far more intense, complex wine than most Vin Santos on the market. It is also a deliriously good match with any of blue cheese, crème brulee, fois gras or cigars. /NT
Offered subject to confirmation; for shipment Spring 2021
