Rocca delle Macie Chianti Classico Riserva Famiglia Zingarelli 2019 - Tuscany, Italy

93/100 Luca Gardini
92/100 James Suckling
92/100 Wine Spectator
92/100 Natalie Maclean
90/100 Stephen Blandford, The Real Review
90/100 Raffaele Vecchione, Wine Critics
90/100 5 Stars Wine - The book - Vinitaly
Bronze - Robert Parker, Wine Advocate
94/100 James Suckling (2018 vintage)
93/100 Raffaele Vecchione, Wine Critics (2018 vintage)
90/100 Falstaff (2018 vintage)
Bronze - Wine Spectator (2018 vintage)
94/100 Raffaele Vecchione, Wine Critics (2017 vintage)
93/100 James Suckling (2017 vintage)
91/100 Falstaff (2017 vintage)
90/100 Wine Enthusiast (2017 vintage)
Bronze - Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (2017 vintage)
Bronze - Wine Spectator (2017 vintage)

Gold - Decanter World Wine Awards
Gold - Selections Mondiales des Vins Canada
Silver - Mundus Vini
Gold - Mundus Vino (2018 vintage)
Gold - Decanter World Wine Awards (2018 vintage)
Gold - International Wine & Spirit Competition (2018 vintage)

Organic - currently undergoing certification 

Luca Gardini ''Another great classic from Zingarelli family’s estate, from Castellina in Chianti area. Sangiovese, with Cabernet and Merlot to enrich the blend, berry jam on the nose, with notes of iris and peony. The mouthfeel has iodine-brackish 93 tannins, with floral-fruity return and good persistence.''

James Suckling "Savory plums, mushrooms, leather and spiced oranges on the nose, with a medium-bodied palate rounded by firm but polished tannins. Elegant and refined."

Wine Spectator "Boasts juicy cherry, blackberry, plum, earth and tobacco aromas and flavors, with undertones of leafy underbrush. Firm and balanced, with a lingering aftertaste that echoes the fruit and picks up a mineral note. Sangiovese, Colorino and Cabernet Sauvignon."

Natalie Maclean " ...a vibrant, medium-bodied and mouth-watering Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Colorino and Merlot red wine blend, aged in French oak barrels for 24 months. Vibrant with dark fruits, plum, cherry, vanilla and toasty oak spice flavours on the palate. Pour with a meaty lasagne.

Stephen Blandford, The Real Review "Garnet with orange/brick edges. The bouquet offers iris and violet perfume with raspberry fruits, clean and fresh if not overly complex. In the mouth there is ripe fruits riding on savoury elements, a thread of saline minerality carrying the wine along, tannins are rusty but fine in texture, the whole lingering pleasantly. An enjoyable drop."

Raffaele Vecchione, Wine Critics "Slightly cloudy on the nose showing notes of black prunes, crumbled tobacco and leather. Medium bodied, light tannins and a finale of medium length."

Falstaff "Clear garnet red with ruby highlights. On the nose there's aromas of savoury herb and wood alongside red bell pepper and plum jam. Mouth-filling on the palate, with noticeable acidity. Some bitter notes and broad tannins make for a slightly drying finish."

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate "This vintage naturally delivers a step up in concentration and flavor, and those characteristics are felt here, although overall winemaking is simple and rather consistent over the years."

James Suckling "Aromas of cherries, red plums, mushrooms, truffles and dried flowers. It’s full-bodied with fine tannins and bright acidity. Layered and textured, with spicy character. It’s balanced and focused with great freshness. Succulent, long finish." (2018 vintage)

Raffaele Vecchione, Wine Critics "Extremely intriguing in the mixed floral and fruity profile showing a bohemian energy with notes of pressed red flowers, raspberries, ripe blackcurrants and orange juice. Meduim to full bodied, rounded tannins and a juicy finale which both merchants and consumers will enjoy. Well made." (2018 vintage)

Falstaff "Light, brilliant ruby ​​red. Citrus on the nose, also floral tones, violets, wild berries, then cherry and blood orange again. Fresh and clear on the palate, with crunchy fruit and red berry core, drying tannin then shows in the rear area." (2018 vintage)

Wine Spectator "There's a nice mix between the cherry, plum and berry fruit and savory notes of eucalyptus, juniper and oregano in this red, adding in accents of iron and tobacco for complexity. Just a touch dry in the end." (2018 vintage)

International Wine & Spirit Competition "An elegant, stylish and harmonious wine with creamy, ripe black and red fruit; spice and cedar wood flavours supported by ripe, soft tannins. Medium-bodied, sleek and polished, with excellent balance and length." (2018 vintage)

Raffaele Vecchione, Wine Critics "The slight reduction in the glass defines an opalescence that gives intrigue and attracts attention. The hints of black plums, currants and raspberries slowly make their way through the liveliness of the orange juice and reveal the main soul of this young Riserva. Medium-full body, ripe tannins precise in the extraction and a warm and enveloping finish of remarkable beauty." (2017 vintage)

James Suckling "Pretty density to this with blackberries, currants and plums, as well as hints of walnuts on both the nose and palate. It’s full-bodied with creamy tannins and a delicious, succulent finish." (2017 vintage)

Falstaff "Intense bright ruby ​​red. Subtle expression on the nose, light forest and cherry fruit, lacquer, a hint of fine leather, spicy, after a little aeration again fruity with ripe strawberries. On the palate then superficial, ripe red berry fruit, with rich enamel, also powerful, you should put it away." (2017 vintage)

Wine Enthusiast "Crushed berry, botanical herb and baking spice aromas mingle with a whiff of sunbaked earth. The medium-bodied, savory palate offers ripe Marasca cherry, licorice and coffee bean alongside fine-grained tannins." (2017 vintage)

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate "From a hot and dry vintage that leans toward darker and more concentrated fruit, this is a mid-weight Tuscan red with dried plum and black currant backed by spice and dry tobacco. The Rocca delle Macìe 2017 Chianti Classico Riserva Famiglia Zingarelli does reflect the characteristics of the hot vintage, and it's a little dry and brittle as a result. However, there is enough easy fruit to pair with a grilled steak and pan-fried porcini mushrooms on top." (2017 vintage)

Wine Spectator "Smoky cherry and plum fruit is interlaced with earth, iron and tobacco flavors in this dry red, which turns leaner and more focused on the finish, echoing the earth and tobacco notes and picking up tea and spice accents." (2017 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. 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.

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.

Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the most famous red wine grape variety on Earth. It is rivaled in this regard only by its Bordeaux stablemate Merlot, and its opposite number in Burgundy, Pinot Noir. From its origins in Bordeaux, Cabernet has successfully spread to almost every winegrowing country in the world. It is now the key grape variety in many first-rate New World wine regions, most notably Napa Valley, Coonawarra and Maipo Valley. Wherever they come from, Cabernet Sauvignon wines always seem to demonstrate a handful of common character traits: deep color, good tannin structure, moderate acidity and aromas of blackcurrant, tomato leaf, dark spices and cedarwood.