Banfi Chianti Classico 2019
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Wine
Spectator -
Wilfred
Wong
Product Details
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Ruby-red. Bouquet is intense with notes of cherries, plums, and violets. Rich flavors of cherry and leather. Supple tannins and good acidity.
Perfect accompaniment to a wide variety of foods, including red-sauced pastas, grilled meats and roasts.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
Pure flavors of strawberry and cherry are the hallmarks of this expressive Chianti Classico, with earth, wild herb and tobacco accents adding depth as this firms up on the lingering finish. Sangiovese, Canaiolo Nero and Cabernet Sauvignon.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2019 Banfi Chianti Classico comes right at you with lovely aromatics and liveliness on the palate. TASTING NOTES: This wine excels with aromas and flavors of ripe raspberry, other tart red fruits, and a hint of flowers. Enjoy it with lightly-seasoned, pan-fried pork chops. (Tasted: July 27, 2022, San Francisco, CA)
Other Vintages
2016-
James
Suckling
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Wine
Spectator
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Wine &
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Castello Banfi is a family-owned vineyard estate and winery located in the Brunello region of Tuscany. This award-winning estate was founded on the philosophy of blending tradition with innovation, and is recognized as a pioneer in elevating the standards of Italian winemaking. Dedication to excellence has won the approval of aficionados the world over. Capturing honor after prestigious honor, Castello Banfi is a constellation of single vineyards encompassing over three dozen varying subsoils. The estate is renowned for its clonal research that allows noble grape varieties to thrive in their optimal terroir, creating not only a consistently outstanding Brunello, but the ultimate expression of Montalcino Super Tuscans.
Among Italy's elite red grape varieties, Sangiovese has the perfect intersection of bright red fruit and savory earthiness and is responsible for the best red wines of Tuscany. While it is best known as the chief component of Chianti, it is also the main grape in Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and reaches the height of its power and intensity in the complex, long-lived Brunello di Montalcino. Somm Secret—Sangiovese doubles under the alias, Nielluccio, on the French island of Corsica where it produces distinctly floral and refreshing reds and rosés.
One of the first wine regions anywhere to be officially recognized and delimited, Chianti Classico is today what was originally defined simply as Chianti. Already identified by the early 18th century as a superior zone, the official name of Chianti was proclaimed upon the area surrounding the townships of Castellina, Radda and Gaiole, just north of Siena, by Cosimo III, Grand Duke of Tuscany in an official decree in 1716.
However, by the 1930s the Italian government had appended this historic zone with additonal land in order to capitalize on the Chianti name. It wasn’t until 1996 that Chianti Classico became autonomous once again when the government granted a separate DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita) to its borders. Ever since, Chianti Classico considers itself no longer a subzone of Chianti.
Many Classicos are today made of 100% Sangiovese but can include up to 20% of other approved varieties grown within the Classico borders. The best Classicos will have a bright acidity, supple tannins and be full-bodied with plenty of ripe fruit (plums, black cherry, blackberry). Also common among the best Classicos are expressive notes of cedar, dried herbs, fennel, balsamic or tobacco.