Ah, Chianti.
Lovely Sangiovese-based blend from Tuscany, how do I love
thee? As you all know, here around Vine HQ, we love our food, and there are few
better food wines anywhere than those that come out of the Chianti region.
Now, as you might have guessed from the first paragraph,
Chianti is the name of a place, not a grape. Italian wines are generally named
after the locale where the grapes for the wine are grown, with a few
exceptions.
There are rough quality delineations among Chianti, roughly
mirroring the price points. A wine simply labeled “Chianti” can be made from
grapes harvested anywhere in the region. At least 70% of the wine must be made
from Sangiovese. The balance of the wine is usually a blend of other Italian
indigenous varietals, along with the occasional addition of Cabernet Sauvignon
or Merlot. Chianti tend to be relatively lighter-bodied, full of cherry and
raspberry fruit flavors, and with a mineral character that feels a little
“chalky” to me.
You might see “Chianti Classico” on a bottle if you’re looking.
“Classico” has nothing to do with being a “classic” wine. The term refers to
the area in the heart of the Chianti region bordered by Florence on the north
and Siena on the south. This was the “original” area of Chianti which produces
arguably some of the best wine. Chianti Classico must be a minimum of 80%
Sangiovese. The flipside of Chianti Classico is “Chianti Superiore,” which is
typically higher quality wine made from grapes sourced from anywhere in Chianti
other than the Classico region.
If you see “Chianti Riserva,” that means that the wine is
aged for a longer period of time in barrel – a minimum of two years. A standard
Chianti is only aged for 4-7 months. Chianti Superiore must be aged for at
least nine months and Chianti Classico for at least ten. The terms can be
stacked, so you might run into a “Chianti Classico Riserva” in your travels.
There is also the recent addition of “Chianti Gran Selezione”
into the lexicon, which is supposed to reflect the highest quality. The minimum
alcohol level is slightly higher – 13% compared to 12.5% for riserva. The wine
must be aged for 30 months minimum. These wines tend to run towards the very
expensive end of the spectrum. When I’ve had the opportunity to try them, I’ve
not thought that they were quite worth the extra shekels.
In any case, I went on a Chianti kick last week after I
received a bottle for sampling. The Sweet Partner in Crime and I did a
side-by-side-by-side tasting with three different levels of Chianti. The
contestants:
Fattoria Rodano 2015
Chianti Classico ($17)
Castello di Albola
Chianti Classico Riserva ($28)
The DaVinci was light-bodied, with that cherry covered
chalkiness that I mentioned before. It’s fairly high in acid and makes a very
straightforward table wine.
The Rodano Chianti Classico was actually the fullest, most
concentrated wine of the three. Full and round, I found plums and cherries on
the palate, which was softer and not quite as sharp. I thought it tasted like a
“concentrated” version of the DaVinci flavorwise. The finish was more tannic,
with coffee and chocolate flavors alongside the chalk.
The di Albola Chianti Classico Riserva was the most “serious” of the wines – much more
complex than the other two, with a smokier, silkier flavor. While the
chalkiness was present, it was largely in the background, not detracting from
the cherry and blackberry flavors that were dominant. While the body was
lighter styled than the other Chianti Classico, the finish was longer and
fruitier to go with its wisp of smoke.
I don’t generally care for Chianti on its own. It’s not
usually my choice for a wine just to pop and pour. Of these three, the Rodano
was probably the best for a “drink
alone” wine. But Chianti is made for food,
and we tried the three over the space of a couple of nights.
First, with a pan-roasted salmon with tomatoes and fennel,
the best of the three wines turned out to be the least expensive. The higher
acid level in the straight Chianti cut through the fattiness of the fish
easily, while still retaining its character. The Chianti Classico was too
concentrated. It didn’t play well with the flavors, running over them instead.
The Chianti Classico Riserva was fine, but you could tell that it needed more
substantial fare.
We got that fare the next night, when I got out my meat
tenderizer and pummeled some round steaks into submission to make my
semi-famous Brasciole. The Chianti Classico got heavy and dark alongside this
pairing – turning into something akin to an inexpensive syrah. The regular
Chianti was good, but the real champ was the di Albola. Its flavors snaked
around the beef and garlic, yet had enough of an acid backbone to stand up to
the long-simmered red sauce. A real winner.
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