Giulio Straccali Chianti Classico 2020 - Tuscany, Italy

91/100 James Suckling (2016 vintage)
92/100 James Suckling (2015 vintage)
Bronze - Wine Spectator (2015 vintage)
Bronze - Wine Spectator (2014 vintage)
90/100 James Suckling (2013 vintage)
Bronze James Suckling (2012 vintage)

James Suckling "Very aromatic with dried rose petals and blackberries on the nose. Full body, a soft and velvety texture and a crisp, clean finish. Shows a pretty combination of richness and freshness. " (2016 vintage)

James Suckling "A focused and juicy red with currant, plum and berry character. Medium to full body, solid and polished tannins and a long and pretty finish. All in finesse." (2015 vintage)

Wine Spectator "Elegant, this leans to the austere side, yet there is enough cherry and strawberry fruit for balance. Leather, earth and tobacco notes round out the flavor spectrum." (2015 vintage)

Wine Spectator "A fluid, elegant red, sporting cherry, strawberry and earth flavors. Offers a fine Sangiovese character, with moderate length." (2014 vintage)

James Suckling "Silky and dense with beautiful dried cherry and strawberry aromas and flavors. Full body, fine tannins and a fresh finish. Outstanding and typical Chianti Classico." (2013 vintage)

James Suckling "A light, fruity red with sliced-plum and sour-cherry character. Medium body with fine tannins and a fresh finish."(2012 vintage)

Since 1925 the Straccali wine estate in Tuscany, founded by its namesake Giulio Straccali, has been in the vanguard of progressive Chianti wine producers. An expert enologist, entrepreneur, farmer and wine producer, Giulio Straccali was above all a man of vision. Through the wines of Tuscany, he sought to communicate to the rest of the world the scents, colors and flavors of his beloved homeland. Convinced of the need to protect and nurture the reputation and quality of Chianti wines, Straccali consistently showed a pioneering spirit. He was instrumental in the founding of the Black Rooster Consortium and from 1942 until his death in 1969, he served as Vice President. In 1978 Italo Zingarelli, founder of the Rocca delle Macie estate in Castellina in Chianti, as part of his long-term business strategy and sharing the same dream set out by Giulio Straccali many decades earlier, purchased the company from the Straccali family.

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 company 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. Accordingly, 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 75% 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.

Sangiovese 90%.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.

Canaiolo & Merlot 10%.
The Canaiolo Nero grape is particularly widespread in central Italy, used in the production of different DOC and DOCG wines. In particular it is used to impart softness to Chianti to stand alongside the Sangiovese. In addition to the Chianti, Canaiolo nero is used almost exclusively in blends, even for different wines of central Italy. The berry is black, medium, round and smooth with blue-violet consistent skin with much bloom. The bunch is medium, rather sparse, stubby or pyramidal, with one or two wings and with a medium-small, five-lobed, rarely three-lobed, dark green and opaque leaf. The grape Canaiolo nero prefers warm climates and hilly terrain, with good exposure. This grape has low vigor and medium age of maturation. The grape Canaiolo nero gives an intense ruby-red wine, alcoholic, but with low acidity. Blended with Sangiovese adds flavor and aroma.

Merlot is a red wine grape variety with strong historic ties to Bordeaux and the southwest of France. It is the second most-planted red wine grape variety in the world, after Cabernet Sauvignon. Merlot is extremely popular in northern Italy, the United States. Chile has built its reputation mainly on its Merlot-based cuvées. Merlot's flavour profile includes plum and black cherry. Often described as producing smooth, rounded and "easy drinking" wines. Merlot is often used to great effect in blends, and is known in his capacity to make some of the most famous wines in the world.