Chianti & Veneto, Italy Premium Mixed ~ 6 Pack Value

Chianti & Veneto, Italy Premium Mixed - 6 pack value - exclusive collection celebrates the rich diversity and exceptional quality of Italian wines, featuring a curated selection from two renowned regions: Chianti and Veneto, each bottle offers a unique expression of Italy's winemaking heritage. This collection promises an unforgettable experience that embodies the essence of Italian wine culture. Cheers to discovering the best of Chianti and Veneto in every sip.

2 x Rocca delle Macie Tenuta Fizzano Chianti Classico Gran Selezione 2019 - Chianti Classico, Italy

95/100 Raffaele Vecchione, Wine Critic
93/100 James Suckling
92/100 Wine Spectator
91/100 Robert Parker, Wine Advocate
91/100 Michaela Morris, Decanter
95/100 Raffaele Vecchione, Wine Critics (2018 vintage)
95/100 James Suckling (2018 vintage)
95/100 Daniele Cernilli, Guida Essenziale
93/100 Wine Spectator (2018 vintage)
92/100 Ernesto Gentili
91/100 Michaela Morris, Decanter (2018 vintage)
90/100 Falstaff (2018 vintage)

Gold - Mundus Vini
Bronze - Decanter World Wine Awards (2018 vintage)

3 Bicchieri - Gambero Rosso (2018 vintage)

Organic - currently undergoing certification

Raffaele Vecchione, Wine Critic "Full body, well-smoothed soft tannins and a warm and enveloping finish that everyone likes for its volume and power...Open and very vibrant in the sensory profile, it offers notes of currants, raspberries, ripe strawberries and wet flowers. "

James Suckling "Composed and traditional.....Sweet cranberries, plums and some savory cinnamon, seaweed and white pepper, extending to a medium-bodied palate that unleashes juicy and savory berry fruit with firm, polished tannins."

Wine Spectator "A fluid red, featuring a mix of plum, cherry, leather, iron and sanguine flavors. Tips to the dry side in the balance, remaining long and savory in the end. Sangiovese and Colorino."

Decanter "The nose is rather shy, hinting at flint and pepper; but the palate is more giving: plump red cherry is punctuated by pretty violets and sage, remaining juicy throughout. Tannins appear quite fine at first, then stick assertively to the finish."

Raffaele Vecchione, Wine Critic "Solid and centred showing energy and character in the fruity profile, rich with black plums, wild myrtle, cumin, white pepper and hot crumbled stone. In the background the slight riduction is well integrated and will go away with time but also protects the matrix from oxygen. Full bodied.perfectly polymerized fine grain tannins in the matrix and an authoritative finale, rich in gustatory beauty." (2018 vintage)

James Suckling "Fresh and vivid with black-cherry and violet aromas. Full-bodied with firm, lively tannins and a fresh, linear finish. Very fine and polished." (2018 vintage)

Wine Spectator "Savory and fruity combine in this dense red, whose wild rosemary, eucalyptus and woodsy notes meet cherry, plum and floral flavors. Firms up, so decant now or cellar a few more years." (2018 vintage)

Decanter "It leads with aromas of warm, dry earth, baked stone and hints of green herbs. Robust and packed with fruit, the palate demonstrates the region’s generosity. Plush, plump plum is accented by cinnamon, clove and sundried tomato, with flinty mineral notes underneath. The tannins are chalky and dry, but cushy acidity lends accessibility." (2018 vintage)

Falstaff "Dark shining ruby ​​red. In the nose of fresh cherries, blood oranges, strawberry yoghurt, also delicately of sealing wax. Red berries on the palate with slightly vegetal fruit, juicy and finely structured, but widens in the rear area and dries out, narrow." (2018 vintage)

Rocca delle Macìe was established in 1973, when film producer Italo Zingarelli – of Ettore Scola’s “We All Loved Each Other So Much” fame, and also the wildly popular series of films featuring comedy duo Bud Spencer and Terence Hill (including “They Call Me Trinity” and “Trinity Is Still My Name”) – decided to realize his lifelong dream by acquiring the “Le Macìe” estate – extending across 93 hectares (230 acres) in all, of which only two were under vine – in order to create a winery in the heart of the Chianti Classico zone.

The estate now extends to more than 500 hectares (1250 acres) with, in total, more than 200 (500 acres) used as vineyards and 22 (54 acres) as olive groves, subdivided across the company’s six estates: Le Macìe, Sant’Alfonso, Fizzano e le Tavolelle in the Chianti Classico Area, in addition to the Campomaccione and Casa Maria estates in the Morellino di Scansano Area (Maremma).

The Chianti region in Italy's Tuscany wine growing region is split between Chianti and Chianti Classico with the highest quality being the Chianti Classico Gran Selezione. This relatively new premium level for the wines of Chianti Classico DOCG being the Gran Selezione (Great Selection) — and is officially part of the Chianti Classico portfolio since 2014. Gran Selezione is a classification above Riserva, made using grapes harvested only from the winery’s own vineyards, with upgraded requirements for alcohol, extract, and aging for at least 30 months.

Basically two separate DOCG designations apply to wines from the Chianti region: the Chianti Classico DOCG for the heartland of Chianti, and Chianti DOCG for all other Chianti regions. (In 1984, the Chianti region was promoted from DOC to DOCG - Italy’s highest classification - and in 1996, Chianti Classico - the historic heartland of the region - DOCG was created, which gave autonomy to that region. In the last 20 years, a consortium of Chianti Classico producers have researched new Sangiovese clones, replanted vineyards, updated cellar practices and generally made Chianti Classico DOCG a world-class appellation. Chianti Classico must contain a minimum of 80% Sangiovese. In the 2014 edition of its annual compendium of wine ratings, Gambero Rosso noted that Chianti Classico DOCG wines were noteworthy for their “significant return to a more defined style, true to tradition.” The typical Chianti Classico wine is a ruby-red, Sangiovese-based wine with aromas of violets and cherries and a hint of earthy spice.

The Chianti DOCG designation covers wines from six Chianti sub-zones (Colli Pisane, Colli Fiorentini, Colli Senesi, Colli Aretini, Montalbano and Rufina) as well as all other Chianti wines. The Chianti Classico DOCG is located in the very center of Tuscany, between Florence and Sienna.

Tuscany is Italy's third most planted region (behind Sicily and Apulia) but it is eighth in terms of output, reflecting both the poor soil of Tuscany and deliberate efforts to limit yields and increase the quality in the wine. After Piedmont and the Veneto, Tuscany produces the third-highest volume of DOC/DOCG wines. More than 80% of the regions' production is in red wine, with the Sangiovese grape being Tuscany's' most prominent grape. Trebbiano is the leading white variety of the region.

The history of viticulture in Tuscany dates back to the Etruscans in the 8th century BC. From the fall of the Roman Empire and throughout the Middle Ages, monasteries were the main purveyors of wines in the region. As the aristocratic and merchant classes emerged, they inherited the share-cropping system of agriculture known as mezzadria. Many Tuscan landowners would turn their half of the grape harvest into wine that would be sold to merchants in Florence. Following the end of the Napoleonic Wars, Tuscany returned to the rule of the Habsburgs. Chianti, Chianti Classico, Brunello di Montalcino, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and Super Tuscan are Tuscany’s best known wines.

Sangiovese (or Nielluccio in Corsica), a dark-berried vine, is the most widely planted grape variety in Italy. Virtually synonymous with the red wines of Tuscany, and all the romanticism that goes with the territory, Sangiovese is the core constituent in some of the great names in Italian wine. Italy's love affair with Sangiovese – and indeed the world's – is generations old, though recent grapevine research suggests the variety is not as ancient as once thought.

1 x Tenuta Santa Maria Ripasso Superiore 2018 - Veneto, Italy

93/100 James Suckling
94/100 Decanter (2017 Vintage)
91/100 CellarTracker (2017 Vintage)
91/100 Wine Spectator (2017 Vintage)
90/100 5StarWines (2017 Vintage)
96/100 Decanter (2016 Vintage)
93/100 Falstaff Magazin (2016 Vintage)
90/100 Wine Enthusiast (2016 Vintage)
88/100 Robert Parker (2016 Vintage)

Silver - International Wine & Spirit Competition (2017 Vintage)
Silver - London Wine Competition (2017 Vintage)
Bronze 87 - Decanter World Wine Awards (2017 Vintage)
Gold - London Wine Competition (2016 Vintage)
Gold - Decanter World Wine Awards (2016 Vintage)

Best of Wine Tourism - Great Wine Capitals
Federazione Italiana Vignaioli Indipendenti: FIVI
Integrated Crop Management National Quality System SQNPI

James Suckling "Creamy wild strawberries and raspberries on the nose, held tight by a light, oaky note. Medium-to full-bodied with some tight, firm tannin that exerts the same kind of restraint on the juicy fruit. This is quite a complex wine that’s delicious now, but will continue to improve. Drink or hold."

Decanter "The Bertani family can trace its roots in Negrar, the heart of the Classico zone, back to the 15th century. Grapes are hand harvested; the wine spends 12 months in large oak casks so that classic red forest fruits and silky tannins can develop. On the nose, it has soft, ripe red fruits, while the well-balanced palate displays ripe plum and pomegranate and a hint of spice. Stunning juicy core, round tannins and an elegant finish.

Drinking Window 2021 - 2025" (2017 Vintage)

Decanter - "The palate brings a tobacco note, integrated oak and a peppy carriage of acidity. Long and modern. Scents of dried flowers, plum, tobacco, black cherries, coffee, herbs and menthol. " (2016 Vintage)

Wine Enthusiast "Aromas of ripe black-skinned berry, porcini mushroom and cooking spice lead the way. The dense palate offers prune, licorice and a touch of cinnamon alongside velvety tannins. Enjoy through 2022. Kerin O’Keefe" (2016 Vintage)

Robert Parker "Aged two years in large oak casks, the 2016 Valpolicella Ripasso Classico Superiore shows a good mix of primary fruit and oak rendering with light spice and cinnamon to back the dried cherry and blackberry aromas. This is a blend of 75% Corvina, 15% Corvinone and 10% Rondinella, representing a very classic approach to the Valpolicella bending formula. There is a sweet note of candied cherry on the close. Pair this wine with pasta in a meat ragù. Some 27,000 bottles were made." (2016 Vintage)

Falstaff Magazine "Rich and intense ruby red. Compact nose of cherry compote and raspberries, shows ripe forest berries and some leather on the finish. On the palate multilayered and full, spreads out as an elegant drink, very well balanced, fine savoury tones with small berries, appealing and fine up to the finish." (2016 Vintage)

The Winemaker - "The Ripasso method is delicately achieved conducting a secondary extended maceration and fermentation over the Amarone grape skins, giving the wine higher complexity, bolder and softer body, and intense colour. Reminiscent of the Amarone, the wine is a vivid ruby red color. At the nose, intense hints of cherry, blueberry, licorice and lingering accents of cinnamon and pepper. At the palate, soft and warm structured velvet tannins and a very balanced acidity. Long finish with fruity sensations."

Centuries old, Tenuta Santa Maria all Pieve is located in the heart of the Valpolicella Classica. The 100-acre producer is comprised of two estates, one in the Valpolicella Classico zone and the second in the Illasi Valley. Tenuta Santa Maria all Pieve was established by Gaetano Bertani in 1850 and today it is owned and operated by his descendants, Gaetano Bertani and his sons Giovanni and Guglielmo. Since its sixteenth century origins this elegant estate has been known for the production of fine wines, especially for its for Amarone Classico and Valpolicella Ripasso. It has a stunning chateau and walled vineyards. Since the 1800's the estate has been making wines using the Guyot Method, a technique with an emphasis on high density, and low yield harvests.

Ripasso is a red wine from the Valpolicella zone located north of Verona in the Veneto region of Italy. Ripasso is generally less well known than Valpolicella and Amarone wines, also from this area, even though it shares some features of both wines.

The term 'Ripasso' sounds like and in fact means “repassed.” That refers to its production process whereby regular, fermented Valpolicella (which is a blend of three regional native red grape varieties - Corvina, Rondinella and occasionally Molinara) is added to a cask containing the skins and lees left over from recently fermented Amarone wines. The process of adding (or repassing”) the lighter Valpolicella wine over the remainders of the “bigger” Amarone wine imparts additional color, texture and flavor to the Valpolicella wine. Also, it induces a second fermentation of the wine that increases the wine’s alcoholic content.

The end result is a wine called Ripasso that retains the vibrancy of Valpolicella but is darker in color, bigger and more flavorful and complex than the original Valpolicella.

Valpolicella is one of the most prestigious Italian winemaking areas in the Veneto region and is located northwest of the elegant Roman town of Verona, in the western corner of the Veneto. The region has grown far beyond the original classic area and extends east to Soave and west to Bardolino, next to Lake Garda.

1 x Tenuta Santa Maria Decima Aurea Merlot IGT 2013 - Veneto, Italy

92/100 - Gilbert & Gaillard (2011 vintage)
90/100 - Wine Spectator (2011 vintage)
90/100 - Decanter (2011 vintage)
Gold - Mundus Vini (2011 vintage)
Gold - Berliner Wine Trophy (2019 awards)
Top Ten Red Wines from the 2015 Savor CT Event

Neil Dubois "Stunning....a great wine which drinks like a right bank Bordeaux from a great vintage. This is another outstanding wine [from Tenuta Santa Maria]."

The Winemaker - "Complex aroma with hints of wild berries and dried plums, accompanied by notes of coffee, eucalyptus and vanilla. Well-structured, soft tannins, well-balanced acidity and consistency. Intense, with a fine liquorice aftertaste. Expressing the local terroir with an international grape variety by combining Merlot with a unique Veronese tradition of the drying known as appassimento. Some of the grapes are picked in late September and left to dry for about a month in protected airy locales on the estate. "

Winestyle "fresh fruity taste with a dense structure and a perfect balance of acidity, sweetness and spice tones. The wine has an intense aroma with notes of black currant, plum, raspberry, cherry and hints of spice."

Decanter - '16 Distinctive Wines from the Veneto' "Ripe black cherry and dark plum notes mix with hints of eucalyptus, graphite and spice box in this finely integrated red. Fresh and focused, with light tannins and accents of espresso and graphite on the finish. Merlot. Drink now through 2023. 400 cases. (2008 vintage)

Wine Enthusiast "Decima Aurea is a refined and elegant expression of Merlot with deep and long aromas of ripe cherry, blackberry pie, Indian spice, clove and old spice. The wine shows the sophistication of age, but also promises years of cellar aging."

100% Merlot

Centuries old, Tenuta Santa Maria all Pieve is located in the heart of the Valpolicella Classica. The 100-acre producer is comprised of two estates, one in the Valpolicella Classico zone and the second in the Illasi Valley. Tenuta Santa Maria all Pieve was established by Gaetano Bertani in 1850 and today it is owned and operated by his descendants, Gaetano Bertani and his sons Giovanni and Guglielmo. Since its sixteenth-century origins this elegant estate has been known for the production of fine wines, especially for its for Amarone Classico and Valpolicella Ripasso. It has a stunning chateau and walled vineyards. Since the 1800's the estate has been making wines using the Guyot Method, a technique with an emphasis on high density, and low yield harvests.

Veneto is one of the country's most widely used appellations. It covers a broad range of wine styles from Veneto, the engine room of Italy's wine industry. Each year, a substantial number of reds, whites and rosés are produced and sold under this title, in both sparkling and still forms, and even as sweet passito.

Merlot is a red wine grape variety with strong historic ties to Bordeaux and the southwest of France. It is the predominant variety in most wines from Saint-Émilion and Pomerol, the area in which the variety originated. Merlot is now widely planted in wine regions across the world and, in terms of the volumes of wine produced internationally, it is rivalled only by its Bordeaux companion, Cabernet Sauvignon.

1 x Canevel Valdobbiadene Setage Prosecco Superiore Extra Dry NV - Veneto, Italy

91/100 xtraWine 2022
92/100 Guida essenziale ai vini d’Italia 2021

Bronze - Decanter World Wine Awards 2019

xtraWine "With careful fermentation of the grapes and a slow sparkling process with selected yeasts, we can obtain a fine and silky sparkling wine."

Decanter World Wine Awards "This has yellow apple scents and a light taste of sweet almond; medium finish."

Winemaker "The jewel in Canevel’s crown right from the beginning: an exceptional wine for elegance and balance combined with the intense aromas of apples, wisteria and acacia flowers. Canevel sparkling wines have bubbles that are as subtle and elegant as silk."

100% Glera
Alcohol: 11%

Canevel Spumanti is a distinguished Italian producer celebrated for its exceptional Prosecco and sparkling wines. Renowned for their commitment to quality and tradition, they specialize in crafting high-caliber DOCG Prosecco using Glera grapes from Valdobbiadene. Their portfolio spans brut to extra dry variations, showcasing a blend of traditional methods and modern expertise.

Valdobbiadene, nestled in Veneto, Italy, is revered for producing world-class Prosecco. Its terroir, particularly for Glera grapes, offers unique characteristics that shape the renowned Prosecco Superiore DOCG. The region's winemaking legacy, coupled with its picturesque landscapes, contributes to the exceptional quality of sparkling wines produced here.

Glera is a white grape used mainly for making Prosecco in northeastern Italy. Known for fruity and floral flavors like apple, pear, and peach, it's prized for its high acidity, making it ideal for crafting refreshing sparkling wines. Formerly named Prosecco, it was renamed Glera to protect the Prosecco regional name.

1 x Tenimenti Mancini - Chianti Podere Della Filandra (Organic) 2021 ~ Chianti, Italy

Commended - Decanter World Wine Awards (2018 vintage)
Silver - Decanter World Wine Awards (2017 vintage)
Bronze - Decanter World Wine Awards (2016 vintage)

Organic

The Winemaker "Intense and clean to the nose, it opens with very intense floral scents that are prolonged with an aroma of fresh red fruits. In the mouth, it is the soft, good sensation of warmth balanced by perfect freshness. The tannins are young but pleasant and well balanced by the body and freshness. Good olfactory taste persistence, after swallowing the aromas of red fruits immediately return."

100% Sangiovese

The winemaking history of the Mancini family begins at the end of the nineteenth century with the construction of the first winery in San Polo and the cultivation of the first vineyards of the Podere Della Filandra. This continues with the subsequent acquisitions of the Tenute di Campriano and Muciafora, the most recent property. As early as 1926, the family became involved in the production of Chianti doc.

The Chianti region is located in Tuscany, that romantic area of central Italy known for its sweeping landscapes, burning hot sun and its wealth of art and food history. Like most other wines made in the Old World, Chianti derives its name not from the grape used to make the wine, which is Sangiovese, but from the region where it is made.

For a Chianti to be a Chianti, it must be produced in the Chianti region and be made from at least 80% Sangiovese grapes. While most Chiantis are 100% Sangiovese, some winemakers in the region like to blend the Sangiovese with a little Cabernet, Merlot or Syrah to soften the finish of the wine.