SommSelect Editorial Director David Lynch tends to prefer ‘regular’ Chianti Classico to its bigger (and usually oakier) ‘Riserva’ sibling. Why? Because Sangiovese, like Pinot Noir, is all about finesse.
Not all my fellow Italian wine geeks agree with me when I say that Tuscany’s Sangiovese has more in common with Pinot Noir than Piedmont’s Nebbiolo (and many would further assert that Sicily’s Nerello Mascalese has usurped them both for the “Pinot of Italy” crown). Then there’s the still-uphill battle to sell my wine-loving friends on Chianti Classico—not so much on its significance, or importance, as a wine zone but on the actual excellence of its wines. I think today’s delicious 2013 Chianti Classico from Le Regge would help me on both fronts. When I served it blind to my sharp-nosed colleague, Ian Cauble, he wound up in the right place but not before dallying in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Yes, the perfume and texture of this wine are such that a Master Sommelier might flirt with calling it a Pinot Noir. That’s my point—this can happen with Sangiovese, and, in my humble opinion, it’s more likely to happen in Chianti Classico than anywhere else. I might also mention that this polished, eminently drinkable wine (with a few years of flattering bottle age, no less) is a great value. There’s no stopping at just one glass (or bottle), so I’d advise you to stock up.
I’m particularly keen on this wine because I’ve been waiting for it to arrive for a while. Last year, I met Le Regge’s proprietor, Barbara Ferruzzi, at an event in Texas; upon learning that Le Regge had no representation in California, I put an importer friend in touch with her and voilá—here it is, ready to ship to you! I love playing matchmaker, especially for a small-scale property like Le Regge, which farms eight hectares of vines just outside the village of Greve in Chianti, at the northern end of the Chianti Classico appellation. The soils here, on the eastern side of the Greve Valley, have a significant percentage of clay along with marl and sandstone, and while there are always exceptions, I’ve tended to find Chiantis from Greve more finessed than wines from nearby villages such as Panzano and Gaiole.
The Ferruzzi family has owned Le Regge since 1989, but their connection to the place goes back much farther: Barbara’s 93-year-old grandfather, Giovanni Ferruzzi, worked these very same vineyards in the 1960s when they belonged to the nearby Castello di Uzzano. Their vines range in age from 10 to 70 years and sit at an altitude of about 300 meters. For this Classico bottling, hand-harvested grapes were fermented in stainless steel and aged in large oak vats for 10 months before bottling.
And while I’m an avowed Sangiovese freak, I appreciate the small dose of Merlot (10%) added to the blend here; I think it’s what gives the wine its voluptuous texture, rounding out Sangiovese’s sharp edges, deepening its color, and contributing some plummy fruit to the mix. In the glass, the wine is a reflective ruby with garnet highlights at the rim, with aromas of black and red cherry, black raspberry, damp violets, underbrush, and hints of tar and leather. It’s got more than a little in common with a modern-style Bourgogne Rouge or, yes, Oregon Pinot: Silky, ripe tannins lend it a supple feel on the palate, and the finish is floral and lingering—but there’s also a meaty, woodsy savor that pulls you to the thickly forested hills of Chianti Classico. It is ready to pop and pour now—serve it at 60-65 in Burgundy stems with something you might eat at an
osteria in Greve, like a nice steak with
fagioli all’uccelletto (see attached) on the side. Simple perfection. Cheers!
— D.L.
