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Chianti Classico Riserva
2014
It was in 1981, when the Swiss couple Brigitte and Bruno Widmer fell in love with each other and purchased the (at the time) abandoned Brancaia estate, Castellina in Chianti. Only two years later, Brancaia made the first rank in an important Chianti Classico tasting and then rapidly gained international recognition. This lead to a continuous extension of the activities resulting in purchasing the Poppi estate (Radda in Chianti) in 1989, followed in 1998 by the founding of Brancaia in Maremma,...
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Brancaia CHIANTI CLASSICO RISERVA is produced from the best Sangiovese grapes from Brancaia and Poppi and then blended with a touch of Merlot. The wine ages 16 months in French oak barrels - half of them are new - and matures for a few months in the bottle, prior to release.
A spicy Chianti Classico Riserva showing dried red plums, dried roses, mahogany, forest floor, cedar, white truffles, wet earth and leather. But it’s all so fresh and delightful. The palate’s so focused and refined as the firm, wonderfully savory tannins dance between layers of dried fruit, which remains so pure due to the wealth of punchy acidity. Hints of orange rind on the long finish. Like a baby Brunello. Drink in 2024.
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A beautiful, floral wine with flowers, cherries and currants that follow through to a full body, round and juicy tannins and a flavorful finish. A big Chianti Classico, yet there’s freshness and form to it. Drink or hold.
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This is a beautiful wine that shows the crisp linearity and bright focus that are characteristics of limestone soils and cool elevations. The 2017 Chianti Classico Riserva is a soft and enriched red wine with plump cherry and blackberry, spice, crushed stone and dried flowers. I love the extreme focus that comes through despite the hot and dry vintage. I think this wine should flesh out further with more bottle aging, so stay tuned.
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The 2017 Chianti Classico Riserva is laced with the essence of crushed raspberry, mint, blood orange, wild flowers sweet spice. Silky tannins and sweeping aromatics give the Riserva much of its allure. The 2017 is a Riserva that is all grace and sensuality. There is plenty to like here.
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Brancaia usually adds a little Merlot (20%) to this wine to soften and flesh out the crisp tightness that comes from Sangiovese. The 2015 Chianti Classico Riserva is a beautiful wine that plays its best cards in terms of mouthfeel. The bouquet is beautiful as well, with dark fruit nuances that are layered tight. You get wild cherries and red rose petal in generous supply. The mouthfeel is light to medium in texture, but it shows more smoothness and silkiness compared to many of its peers. Some 60,000 bottles were produced.
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Brancaia’s Riserva combines fruit from estate vineyards in Radda and Castellina, though the plots vary from vintage to vintage. The final selection is made through tasting trials of separate lots conducted by owner Barbara Widmer and her team. The 2017 comes across as less oak-led than previous vintages and is fairly reserved. With coaxing, it divulges chocolate, mint tea, tobacco and forest berries. The tannins are still rather rigid and a tad dry, while the fruit is mellow and soft. Spiced plum pads out the palate and the finish brings in powdered cocoa notes.
Drinking Window 2022 - 2027
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Mid purplish crimson. Rather sweet and floral on the nose. More generous – and therefore less typical – than most. Quite tart grip on the finish. This still seems unknit. An ambitious wine.
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Mid ruby with orange tinges. Firm nose of cherry and with hints of tar making it initially look a little older than it actually is. Any doubts are dispelled by the full cherry fruit palate with bags of muscular tannins.
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