One for all, All for you
The Black Rooster in back on the glittering red carpet of Stazione Leopolda amidst the flashes of the press, operators, and winelovers! What a joy, and what a great party! We did miss the limelight that has always distinguished the Chianti Classico Collection, making it so exquisitely glamorous every time!
And he is back with lots of great news, because the Black Rooster is always full of dynamism, ideas, and evolution. And when the world seemed to want to stop, overwhelmed by a pandemic of no equal in the contemporary era, he just never wanted to stay still! Let me tell you what he has been up to these last two years. It is worth remembering his marvelous endeavor from last year to begin with, with a quote from a previous article on the Chianti Classico Connection 2021 that you can find here.
” After the legend on its determinant role in a challenge between knights in the Middle Ages, this year the Black Rooster did write a new and important page in the history of wine and Chianti Classico because he was able to spread love for Made in Italy in the world against all odds, in spite of the evil Covid-19. Now tell me if this will not enter the Hall of Fame just as well! Therefore, if the World cannot come to the House of the Black Rooster, he gets busy, well equipped and organized and takes off to conquer the World armed with lots of good wine and enthusiasm, so that the World will never be without Chianti Classico!”
Let us go back to the present now; given that I am a true nerd, I went straight to the press room and concentrated on the tasting of the Riserva and of the Gran Selezione in particular, to which I dedicated most of my time for a specific in-depth study that I had been wanting to do for a long time. Tastings characterized by a harmonious elegance, each with its own style but all with the desire and daring to become great champions. This 6% at the top of the Chianti Classico quality pyramid once again underlines the fact that the conscious choice to produce quality is not just a slogan nor a commercial trick, but a serious and passionate commitment that pays off by raising the bar of excellence year after year. No Top 10 or anything like that, it never makes sense to me, but as always, a special mention that this year, for the specific category, goes to
- Riecine – Vigna Gittori – Chianti Classico Gran Selezione 2019 . A superb wine, which combines strong character with a graceful elegance. A dart shot by Cupid that strikes straight to the heart and wins you over forever. Only 2,800 bottles, I need to hurry up and get some!
I must confess that I did not last more than a couple of hours in the press room, because the call of the party that was taking place outside was way too strong, and so I threw myself into the fray among the 176 stands of the Producers that were present. And that is when the true magic began! In a tasting with a producer the wine gets you in a totally different way, more intense and certainly more emotional. You do not try to understand, to look for this or that scent, to dissect fragrances, flavors, and tactile sensations in the glass. None of this! Here we all long for that moment of excitement, that peak of joy, and that sublime pleasure capable of giving a shiver down the spine, a caress to the heart, an intense moment of happiness.
Once more, Chianti Classico succeeds in giving thrills and emotions in all three vintages – 2018, 2019 and 2020 – so different and discontinuous in terms of weather, but all expertly managed and interpreted. It proves once more the widespread ability to do well that makes all the difference, beyond the AGUs, the last great novelty of this year. The Chianti Classico presented this year has kept all its promises, and it will certainly amaze some more in the future! Pulp, fruit, precise aromas, noble tannins, with a single password: Balance! And what a beautiful word this is in a historical moment in which the balance of those who govern the world seems to have vanished, overwhelmed by a sort of general madness. If we ever face a nuclear catastrophe, something absolutely inconceivable to me, it will really mean that we do deserve extinction.
Let me leave you the names of two wineries that certainly deserve a special praise, but there are many others believe me:
- Il Barlettaio with its deep, enveloping wines, amazing in their aromas and clean sip. Strongly emotional.
- Isola delle Falcole – a very, very promising new entry! Young guys who have a clear and winning idea of wine and the ability to go straight to the point! Keep an eye on them because you will hear more about them. (Thanks to Riecine for the suggestion)
I will wrap it up with the last great news: the mention of AGU in the label, and I stress in the label, and only for Gran Selezione. Because AGUs – Additional Geographical Units – have existed for quite some time now. Chianti Classico enthusiasts in fact know well the nuances and peculiarities of San Casciano, Greve, Montefioralle, Lamole, Panzano, Radda, Gaiole, Castelnuovo Berardenga, Vagliagli, Castellina and San Donato in poggio, okay maybe not all of them, but this will stimulate the curiosity of each and every one of us. These are the differences, in a cohesive territory, that create richness and value.
This is the wonder of Chianti Classico that is able to repeat itself every year now, what can I tell you! An Appelation that increasingly consolidates its position in the Olympus of the great red wines of Italy.
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