Site, vintage, history - and a master of Chianti
'I was completely blown away by the wines I tasted at Rocca di Montegrossi this year. Proprietor Marco Ricasoli Firidolfi turned out some of the most brilliant wines of his illustrious career.' - Antonio Galloni, vinous.com, Chianti Classico and Beyond, Sep 2021
We have followed the marvellous Chiantis of Rocca di Montegrossi every vintage since the late 1990s, and they have never yet let us down. But it's a double pleasure when two splendid vintages arrive back-to-back. 2019 saw beautiful weather throughout the Tuscan grape harvest, and Tuscany outperformed Italy as a whole; the 2019 Montegrossi Chianti Classico is excellent. And from the top 2016 vintage, we also have the Gran Selezione San Marcellino.
Marco Ricasoli-Firidolfi describes his Rocca di Montegrossi as 'a young winery'; he struck out on his own and made his first vintage in 1995. And yet, there is so much history behind him. The Ricasolis have been making wine in the area since around the 12th century. The name 'Rocca di Montegrossi' refers to a 16th century Ricasoli fortification. In the 19th century, Marco's ancestor 'the Iron Baron' found time in between being prime minister of Italy (twice) to create the formula for Chianti as we know it today - mainly at the site of what is now Marco's San Marcellino vineyard. Clearly, Marco feels he has a duty to history to do things right.
The estate lies in the Chianti heartland, near the town of Gaiole - Marco says his wines have a particularly Gaiole-ish character, from the very stony, calcium-rich soils here. His flagship Chianti Classico is a blend of 90% Sangiovese, together with a small dollop of local Canaiolo and Colorino. When it comes to the San Marcellino, Marco likes to say that it's mainly about the excellent terroir - but the secret weapon is the 5% of old-vine Pugnitello that he uses. It's an almost extinct, high quality Tuscan variety that is hard to farm, but 'like seasoning to the Sangiovese'. /NT
