When this bottle leaves the winery, there should be a few rows of trumpeters in period costumes heralding its arrival. “San Marcellino” is intended to sit atop the Rocca di Montegrossi lineup like a king on a throne, which must create a lot of pressure for Marco Ricasoli-Firidolfi and his winemaker, Attilio Pagli. If you’re going to throw a designation like “Gran Selezione” on a label, you’d better deliver, but Rocca di Montegrossi is more than up to the challenge:
“San Marcellino,” named for a prized vineyard surrounding an 11th century church, is Chianti Classico taken beyond riserva into new, rarefied territory. The wine’s extraordinary level of depth and dimension requires it be aged more than four years in barrel, then bottle, before it is released, a regimen reminiscent of top-of-the-line reds from Barolo, Rioja, and elsewhere. It is predominantly Sangiovese, with a small dash of the rare Tuscan Pugnitello grape lending color and a little flesh, but its appeal comes not from palate-pummeling heft but from silky, polished elegance. This is luxury-tier Tuscan wine, poised to go toe-to-toe with the very best in the region—a “great selection” for sure!
In many respects, the addition of the “Gran Selezione” designation in 2014 added to the confusion some people feel about Chianti Classico wines. There was already Chianti Classico “Riserva,” not exactly a uniform classification itself given the variations in blending formulas and types of oak used for aging the wines. In my view, Gran Selezione is a way for producers to make a “Super Tuscan” type of wine but keep it under the Chianti Classico banner, which is ultimately a good thing: Some of the greatest Super-Tuscans ever created hail from Chianti Classico, but don’t say so on their labels—a missed opportunity to highlight the true greatness of the region’s terroir.
And while it still flies a little under the radar, Rocca di Montegrossi is a Chianti Classico estate at the top of its game. Top to bottom, its wines are impeccable. Proprietor Marco Ricasoli-Firidolfi is a great-great-great grandson of Bettino Ricasoli, the so-called “Iron Baron” and two-time Prime Minister of Italy who is credited with creating the original “recipe” for Chianti Classico wines. The family “seat” was the Brolio Castle in the Chianti Classico village of Gaiole, which not only still stands but lends its name to one of the best-known Chianti wines on the market. Close by, in the hamlet of Monti in Chianti, Marco represents his branch of the family with humility, a hands-on ethos, and most important, a well-priced lineup of wines. Across the entirety of his lineup, the wines are exceptionally clean and refined, often with a kiss of expensive oak, and yet they retain a clear sense of place. The estate’s 50 acres of vineyards are, in typical Chiantigiano fashion, surrounded by some 250 acres of woodland, and the first sip of today’s 2016 confirms that this wine is a product of its surroundings.
The first of Rocca di Montegrossi’s vineyards were planted in 1966 by Marco’s father, on south- and southeast-facing slopes that vary in elevation from 340 to 500+ meters. The soils are the classic, extremely rocky mix of galestro (schist) and alberese (limestone marl). Ricasoli-Firidolfi, who enlists the assistance of well-regarded consultant Attilio Pagli, sources the Sangiovese (92%) and Pugnitello (8%) from a 17-acre vineyard surrounding the Pieve di San Marcellino, an 11th-century parish church located on the property. Vines range in age from 20 to 50 years, and the hand-harvested fruit is fermented in upright wooden vats; the wine then spends 25 months in a combination of French oak barriques and tonneaux (20% new), followed by a minimum of 24 months in bottle before release.
Pull the cork on this 2016 and the superlatives start flowing immediately: “seamless,” “voluptuous,” and “sleek” were some of the descriptors flying around our table, and the wine’s well-tailored combination of refined tannins and freshness bodes well for a long evolution ahead. In the glass, it’s a deep ruby-black moving to magenta and garnet at the rim, with aromas of crushed blackberries, black and red cherry, currants, cassis, grilled herbs, graphite, tobacco leaf, espresso grounds, vanilla, and a touch of camphor. It is nearing full-bodied on the palate but with a fine-tuned, regal bearing that calls to mind some of the greats of Bordeaux’s Left Bank. The ripe, velvety tannins make it extremely delicious and enjoyable now, but its excellent balance and freshness should sustain it for at least 10 years in your cellar. Decant it 30-45 minutes before serving in Bordeaux stems at 60 degrees, pairing it with beef, lamb, or game dishes that’ll draw out its woodsy side. For all its polish, it won’t let you forget about that dense Tuscan woodland, so consider the food pairing accordingly. A little smoke, char, and meaty goodness is in order. Cheers!
