2020 Bindi Sergardi – Tenuta I Colli, Chianti Classico DOCG “Ser Gardo” Tuscany, Italy.
A new discovery for me, this 2020 Bindi Sergardi – Tenuta I Colli Chianti Classico, 100% Sangiovese, was drinking beautifully with a purity and transparency of form that I really admire with a medium/full bodied palate of classic flavors that include dusty plum, dark berry, red currant, brandied cherry and strawberry fruits, as well as earthy tones, tobacco leaf, anise, cedar and minty herbs. A touch of mineral (graphite) and leathery savory notes come through in the glass, but there’s a nice ripe feel and smooth tannins, allowing this dark garnet, lightly spicy and delicately floral Chianti Classico to shine throughout and linger on and on. For best enjoyment, as per normal with traditionally styled Chianti Classico, you’ll want to have this fine effort with food, in particular I’d say wild bore ragu pasta, earthy mushroom dishes, hard sheep cheeses or rustic meaty county cuisine. The Ser Gardo is dedicated to Niccolò Sergardi, who was the Governor of the city of Siena back in 1530) and called “Ser Gardo”, which translates to Sir Guardian of the city. The Bindi Sergardi winery, with a variety of vineyards throughout Tuscany, is now run by the dynamic Alessandra Casini Bindi Sergardi, who says she is grateful to live in close contact with nature and relishes the challenges of grape growing with the weight of history on her shoulders and Maddalena Casini Bindi Sergardi, who also feels connected to her linage and to this unique terroir.
My friend and winemaker Giuseppi Cossu was excited that I got to try the latest from Bindi Sergardi and sent a note saying that they have a hugely talented female proprietors with the wine coming from vineyards around the Chianti Classico zone of Castenuovo Berardegna, with high hillside vines, set mostly on chalky calcareous soils. He calls these Bindi Sergardi offerings very natural and traditional Old School wines. Bindi Sergardi, which dates back to 1349, makes their Chianti Classico with 100% Sangiovese, grown on hillside plots, on “Alberese” limestone soils, that are close to 350 meters above sea level, making for a high-elevation site that sees warm days and cool nights. The winery notes that their Tenuta I Colli estate has been in the family for 23 generations – as it was the family that built the village surrounding the estate back in the 1400s, in the historic townships of Monteriggioni and Vagliagli north of Siena. The winemakers, Stefano di Blasi and Federico Cerelli say that fermentation takes place in stainless steel vats where maceration lasts 18 days at a controlled temperature of 28/30° C. After the alcoholic fermentation the wine is transferred into large oak barrels where it undergoes malolactic fermentation and where it remains for more than a year for further refinement. The finished bottled wine is then stored close to another year in the cellar prior to its release, all done to preserve terroir and give the wine time to show off its best features as seen here with the 2020 vintage. This is a prime example of Chianti Classico to look for that I highly recommend to drink over the next 5 to 7 years.
($35 Est.) 93 Points, grapelive