The name “Ricasoli” looms large in Chianti, but Marco Ricasoli-Firidolfi represents his branch of the family with humility, a hands-on approach, and most important, a well-priced lineup of impeccable Chianti Classico wines. Perhaps it’s that humility that keeps Rocca di Montegrossi under the radar, because the quality of the wines—from vineyards that have been Certified Organic since 2010—demands our attention. It’s a “modern” wine, but also a resolutely authentic wine, and very much the kind of Chianti we’d serve to someone who says they don’t like Chianti. The pitch-perfect balance of forest-floor savor, black cherry fruit, and textural polish is exactly what will bring more wine lovers into the Chianti Classico tent; it isn’t pandering to the ‘international’ palate, but neither is it the kind of excessively rustic style that kept a lot of people away. This is, to put it plainly, a great Tuscan wine.
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 the creation of the original “recipe” for Chianti Classico wine. 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. Barone Ricasoli Chianti is a behemoth, producing close to half a million bottles of wine every year. But close by, in the hamlet of Monti in Chianti, Marco quietly and humbly produces excellent wines on a much, much smaller scale. That is not to say his family history and tradition don’t play a role in the farming and winemaking, they do, but this is a labor of love for Sangiovese and its history which goes back much further than the name Ricasoli.
Monti, and the larger Gaiole village area, are nestled high in the famous Tuscan hills near the very center, or heart, of the Chianti Classico zone. 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 (a friable marl with clay and limestone) and alberese (a clay/sandstone mix). In general, the Chianti of Gaiole tends to be a bit deeper, and richer, than its northerly neighbors like Radda and Greve, but the high elevations and Marco’s gentle touch adds elegance and lift to the brooding side of Sangiovese.
Ricasoli-Firidolfi, who enlists the assistance of well-regarded winemaking consultant Attilio Pagli, ferments this flagship Chianti Classico in upright wooden vats before transferring the wine to used oak tini (54-56 hectoliter vats made of Allier French oak) for 12-14 months. The wine then spends another six months in bottle before release. This is an exceptionally balanced rendition, hailing from the excellent 2021 vintage. In the glass, it’s a deep ruby with purple and garnet reflections, with aromas of black cherry, crushed black raspberry, coffee grounds, cigar wrapper, warm baking spices, black pepper, wood smoke, and forest floor. Its “modern-ness” is expressed in its ripe and fine-grained tannins—there’s great acidity lending freshness and lift but, on balance, the wine is a smoother and silkier breed of Chianti Classico, and very appealing because of it. Medium-plus in body, it has a kind of “rustic-chic” quality to it—luxurious, but also rugged. Serve with braised meats, or pasta of course!
