2020 Fèlsina – Berardenga, Chianti Classico Riserva DOCG, Castelnuovo Berardenga, Tuscany, Italy.
This dark, aromatic supple and rich 2020 vintage of Fèlsina’s black label, Chianti Classico Riserva is, as per normal, a wonderfully pure Sangiovese and is densely packed with luxurious fruit and has solid and gracious length, while retaining a fine balance. This wine, like the gorgeous 2016 version, offers up a range of flavors including blackberry, plum, black cherry, mulberry and currant fruits along with accents of mocha, minty herb, spicy cut tobacco leaf, crushed flowers and cedar, adding an a touch of anise, leather and a lingering framboise note. This bottling, as I’ve mentioned before, while not surprising given Fèlsina’s record of quality, does raise an eyebrow for its value and purity of form in this price point, you’d most likely be happy with this wine’s performance at twice the asking price, so stock up Chianti fans. This is a wine that transports me back to Italy and my first experiences in Tuscany and I cannot wait to return and explore it all again, see those picturesque vines, charming hilltop towns, castles and smell the harvest as it happens. In the rolling hills, not far from Siena, just to the to the southwes,t sits Castelnuovo Berardenga, one of Chianti Classico’s most unique growing zones that for thousands of years was known for the quality of olive oils more than wine, until wineries like Fèlsina turned this area into one of the best terroirs for Sangiovese. Fèlsina’s 100% Sangiovese Fontalloro is one of the most iconic wines in all of Italy, proving Sangiovese, can all by itself, can rival to top red wines in the world and the full collection here are elegant offerings that will impress almost every palate.
The Fèlsina Castelnuovo Berardenga estate, in an area that was cherished during Roman times, was once the farm of the Grand Dukes of Tuscany, back then Fèlsina was mostly known for its sense of peace and its olive groves, with, as the winery notes, just a few hectares dedicated to viticulture before the nineteenth century. The original wine cellar was small, but in the early 1900s had already begun bottling on site and Fèlsina’s slow and historic march toward greatness in Italian wine began, with the present generation of care takers here committed to holistic and sustainable farming and the Sangiovese grape, including preserving a selection old special clones of this classic Tuscan varietal. The rolling hills of Castelnuovo are covered with chalky, rocky calcareous soils, with primarily marl, a common characteristics in Chianti, along with layers of sandstone and clay, along with ancient marine sediments rich in minerals all facing the path of the sun that allows for ripe fruit, concentration and refined tannins, while retaining energy with natural acidity. This Fèlsina Berardenga Chianti Classico Riserva was a special selection of top sites, carefully sorted with de-stemmed grapes that were fermented and macerated in temperature controlled stainless steel vats with gentle punchdowns and pump overs to ensure perfect extraction after which the wine was aged in a combination of large Slovenian oak casks and twice and three time filled French oak barriques for between 12 to 16 months before the final blend was assembled to taste in the cellar. This dark crimson/garnet, textural and delicately perfumed Chianti Classico Riserva matches robust cuisine and or aged Pecorino (hard) cheeses and gains an extra dimension with air, this is everything you’d want from a 100% Sangiovese! I’m again thrilled with Fèlsina’s basic Riserva and I can’t wait to try the next set of releases.
($35 Est.) 93 Points, grapelive