Credits: Piero Pardini – The Wolf Post
Ricasoli is the most representative winery of the Chianti Classico area. Among soft hills, velvety valleys and dense forests of oaks and chestnuts, the 1200 hectares of property include about 240 vineyards and 26 cultivated with olive trees, in a continuous succession of colors and shades around the Castle of Brolio, in the municipality of Gaiole in Chianti.
In this most central part of Tuscany, since 1993 Baron Francesco Ricasoli has been leading the company towards new challenges, with the deepest respect for his illustrious ancestors who have made that same territory great, first of all Bettino Ricasoli.
By the will of Francesco Ricasoli, current owner and President, new ideas and new concepts are born to live the vineyards in a sustainable way: the continuous study of the soils and the clonal selection of Sangiovese di Brolio are among his greatest passions, so much so that he wanted to totally renew the vineyards and define the complete mapping of the same.
The new labels are, therefore, the expression of the many research conducted with the same scientific rigor of the great ancestor but with the contemporary spirit of those who take the baton and carry it forward with new energy.
Owner: Ricasoli
Oenological management: Carlo Ferrini, Massimiliano Biagi
Agronomic management: Massimiliano Biagi
Viticulture: conventional and eco-sustainable
Vineyard hectares: 240
Bottles produced: 2,000,000
Direct sales: yes
Visits to the company: yes
Oil production: yes
Foundation year: 1141
Wine: Chianti Classico Brolio Riserva
Variety composition: 89% Sangiovese, 15% Merlot 5% Cabernet Sauvignon.
Alcoholic strength: 14% vol.
Vintage: 2017.
Classification: D.O.C.G ..
Vinification: fermentation in stainless steel at a controlled temperature of 24°- 27° C, with maceration on the skins for 14-16 days.
Aging: 18 months of aging in tonneau, first and second passage.
Seasonal trend: a very anomalous vintage, perhaps never recorded in the past. The winter was fairly mild and not very cold, except for the month of February, where the lows were in line with the seasonal averages. The budding of the vines began at the end of March, about 10 days earlier than the average recorded over the years. The frost of April 18-20, the drought, the scorching heat for over two months set the land and vines on fire. Between the end of August and the first ten days of September, two important rain events revitalized the plants and allowed a good technological and phenolic maturation.
© Ricasoli 1141
Visual exam
Clarity: limpid
Color: ruby red
Consistency: consistent
Observations: with garnet reflections.
Olfactory examination
Intensity: intense
Complexity: moderately complex
Quality: fine
Description: floral, fruity and spicy
Remarks: the sample opens with floral hints reminiscent of a leek pot of red flowers, followed by notes of dark berry fruits such as blackberries and ripe raspberries, sweet spice of cinnamon and vanilla. Nuance of nutmeg.
Taste – olfactory examination
Sugar: dry
Alcohols: warm
Polyalcohols: moderately smooth
Acids: fresh
Tannins: tannic
Minerality: moderately salty
Structure: full-bodied
Balance: moderately balanced
Intensity: intense
Length: long
Quality: good
Remarks:
Final remarks
State of Evolution: ready
Harmony: moderately harmonious
Pairings: fillet of beef with porcini mushrooms.
Barone Ricasoli Spa Società Agricola
Località Madonna a Brolio
53013 Gaiole in Chianti (SI)
Phone +39 0577 7301
E-mail: barone@ricasoli.it
Website: www.ricasoli.it
