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Rocca di Montegrossi, “Geremia” Toscana Rosso
Two of the best-known, most critically acclaimed “super-Tuscan” blends of all time, “Tignanello” and “Solaia,” come from vineyards in the Chianti Classico region. There are many other Chianti-grown wines from Bordeaux grapes worth a mention—Castello di Ama’s “L’Apparita” (Merlot); Castello dei Rampolla’s “Sammarco” (Cabernet); Petrolo’s “Galatrona” (also Merlot)—and today we have one that belongs in the above company but costs much less: Rocca di Montegrossi’s luscious and refined “Geremia,” a Merlot-Cabernet blend from vineyards in Gaiole in Chianti.
If you’ve ever been to Gaiole, or any of the other villages in Chianti Classico, this wine will evoke memories of its heavily forested, undulating landscape. This wine may be 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, but it’s not trying to be Bordeaux. Nor is it trying to be some “international-style” fruit bomb. It’s a wine that demonstrates what these noble varieties can do in the rocky, limestone/sandstone soils of Central Tuscany—much different terroir than either Bordeaux or Napa. Along with its trademark woodsiness is a core of saturated black and red fruit, crushed-rock minerality, and perfectly polished tannins. It captures the sophistication of Bordeaux reds costing twice as much, without aping their style; just like certain song “covers” eclipse the original versions, Geremia is a destination red unto itself (as the critics’ scores confirm) at a fantastic price.
If you’ve ever been to Gaiole, or any of the other villages in Chianti Classico, this wine will evoke memories of its heavily forested, undulating landscape. This wine may be 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, but it’s not trying to be Bordeaux. Nor is it trying to be some “international-style” fruit bomb. It’s a wine that demonstrates what these noble varieties can do in the rocky, limestone/sandstone soils of Central Tuscany—much different terroir than either Bordeaux or Napa. Along with its trademark woodsiness is a core of saturated black and red fruit, crushed-rock minerality, and perfectly polished tannins. It captures the sophistication of Bordeaux reds costing twice as much, without aping their style; just like certain song “covers” eclipse the original versions, Geremia is a destination red unto itself (as the critics’ scores confirm) at a fantastic price.
While it still flies a little under the radar, Rocca di Montegrossi is an 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. 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.
Across the entirety of the Rocca di Montegrossi 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 2015 confirms that this wine is a product of its surroundings. (It also confirms what we know about the blockbuster 2015 vintage, delivering both powerful structure and opulent ripeness.)
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 (friable marl with clay and limestone) and alberese (a clay/sandstone mix). Ricasoli-Firidolfi, who enlists the assistance of well-regarded winemaking consultant Attilio Pagli, ferments the fruit for Geremia in upright wooden vats, then transfers the wine to mostly used French oak barriques (70%) and tonneaux (30%) for 24 months. The wine is aged in bottle for at least 15 months before release, allowing the oak to integrate and the fruit and mineral components to shine.
The 2015 Geremia, which is produced only in superior vintages, frames the luscious, concentrated fruit of the vintage in some neatly tailored, fine-grained tannins and lively freshness. In the glass, it’s a nearly opaque 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 (despite being a “Right Bank” blend). 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 60-65 degrees, pairing it with beef, lamb, or game dishes that’ll draw out its woodsy side. If Geremia wasn’t on your radar before, make it so now—it is so worth it!
