I’m throwing down the gauntlet today: If you’re a Burgundy-head, and are convinced that Italian reds (whether from Sangiovese or Nebbiolo) can’t compete with your beloved French Pinots, taste today’s 2015 Chianti Classico Riserva from Monteraponi. If you’re still unmoved after that, well, as the kids like to say on Twitter: Fight me.
Yes, I know that’s a little extreme (and unnecessary…a polite debate would be fine), but now that I have your attention, allow me to sing the praises of this “grand cru” Sangiovese from one of the most critically celebrated producers in recent Italian history. I don’t even like making this whole “Burgundy of Italy” argument in the first place, but when you’re dealing with a polarizing region like Chianti Classico—I’m on the “true believer” pole, by the way—you do what you have to do. Monteraponi proprietor Michele Braganti has often stated that great Burgundy is very much what he aims to emulate, so I’m not grasping at straws here; his “Il Campitello” vineyard, where 40-year-old vines perch at 420 meters’ elevation, produced a seriously age-worthy, multi-dimensional beauty of a wine in 2015. It left us all transfixed, with a lot of the discussion centered on how majestic and profound it will be in 10-15 years’ time. I’ll put it up not just against top Burgundy but its Sangiovese cousin to the south, Brunello di Montalcino. It’s ready to take on all comers, but hey, let’s not fight—let’s just all be glad we have some to share!
When I lived in Italy in 2000, Michele wasn’t yet producing wines at Monteraponi, a property that has been in his family since the early 1970s. To be truthful, Monteraponi didn’t appear on my radar until much later, but, over the last few years, I’ve gotten to know Michele and his wines—crafted with the help of Tuscan winemaking legend Maurizio Castelli—quite well. The estate spans more than 200 hectares, most of which is woodland on the outskirts of Radda in Chianti. Braganti has 12 hectares of vineyards and 8 of olive groves, all now certified organic, and like many Tuscan wine properties, Monteraponi was at one time a Medieval borgo—a tiny village unto itself that once belonged to a marchese (marquis) who was the governor of Tuscany. Today the impeccably restored houses are used as holiday rentals, and Braganti’s aging cellar sits underneath a 12th-century tower that is the centerpiece of the property. Perched at about 500 meters, with its vineyards concentrated within a south-facing amphitheather, it is a stunningly beautiful place to make (and drink) wine. The soils are the classic, extremely rocky mix of galestro (a friable marl with limestone) and alberese (sandstone).
What Braganti strives for in his wines is finesse and aromatic uplift, and his model for what’s possible in this terroir is the legendary Montevertine estate—which is also in Radda, on a hilltop just across the valley. Montevertine, whose “Le Pergole Torte” is one of the great examples of Sangiovese’s “Burgundian” ambitions, took the “Chianti Classico” DOCG moniker off its labels long ago. But that doesn’t change the fact of their origins, and Braganti has hosted many joint tastings with Martino Manetti of Montevertine to hammer his point home. Theirs are wines focused almost exclusively on Sangiovese, with only small percentages of the traditional, local blending grapes—Canaiolo and Colorino—making up the remainder.
Today’s 2015 from the schistous “Il Campitello” vineyard is comprised of 90% Sangiovese, 7% Canaiolo, and 3% Colorino subjected to a lengthy maceration (45 days) in concrete vats during fermentation. It was then aged in large oak barrels for 26 months and was bottled without fining and filtration. At this moment, it’s a wine with a very taut, tensile structure—invitingly aromatic but needing air to loosen up and showcase its bright, brambly cherry fruit. Decant it at least an hour before serving at 60-65 degrees in Burgundy stems, and you’ll be treated to the full range of classic Sangiovese sensations: black cherry, raspberry, blood orange peel, rose petals, dried violets, bay leaf, humus, leather, and tobacco. It is medium-plus in body, with some sandy tannins that will resolve over time—starting in about five years, and, I’d say, continuing for the next 15-20, this wine is going to blow some minds. If you have a cellar, I’m wholeheartedly recommending finding space for this one, which has the nerve and “cut” to take on whatever slab of beef you throw at it. The attached recipe also calls for
cavolo nero, a.k.a. Tuscan black kale, which feels right for such a resolutely Tuscan red wine. Cheers!
