Product Overview
Importer's Notes
"Monterotondo is a hill high on the southeast corner of the Chianti Classico appellation, in the commune of Gaiole. The estate named after this hill makes extraordinary wine, mostly from Sangiovese. Using an unusual technique of very long macerations with the skins creates wines that are deep, concentrated, and exciting.
A blend of 85% Sangiovese, 10% Canaiolo, 5% Malvasia Nera*; all estate-grown fruit and fermented using indigenous yeasts only. Sangiovese is macerated for four months or longer, depending on the vintage, using the submerged cap method, the other varieties are given a more normal fermentation with a total maceration of several weeks. The combined wine is then aged in large (30 HL) barrels of neutral oak for about two years, much longer than the minimum required for Chianti Classico, and cold stabilized by leaving the barrels outdoors during the winter. About 15,000 bottles were produced.
Broad bright red color, fairly dark for Sangiovese (due to the long maceration, apparently); complex aroma and flavor of cherries, tea leaf, spices, a hint of mint. On the palate, this has the weight and beefy structure of a Riserva, very long and complex. Cries out for bistecca alla fiorentina.
*in fact there are a few Ciliegino and Colorino vines mixed in"
Varietal Composition: 85% Sangiovese, 10% Canaiolo, 5% Malvasia Nera (with small amounts of Ciliegino and Colorino)
Appellation: Chianti Classico DOCG
Farming Practices: Organic
Aging: 2 years in 30hl Slavonian oak barrels
Production: 1,250 cases
86 Points - Vinous
"The 2020 Chianti Classico Vigna Vaggiolata is marked by strong, angular contours. There's good depth to the Sangiovese fruit, but also some hardness that is impossible to look past. Pine, menthol, sage and dried flowers add an attractive upper register." -AG, Jun/2023
