2020 Chianti Classico, Casaloste, Panzano, Tuscany

Tasting note

The 2020 Chianti Classico is a dark, voluptuous red. Black cherry, plum, licorice and spice are all amplified in this potent, racy wine. Readers will find a super-classic Panzano Chianti Classico built on texture and volume. Expressive floral and spice notes resonate on the rich, potent finish. A dollop of 10% Merlot works well in exalting richness. This is beautifully done.

Our thoughts

The modern, precise winemaking at Casaloste belies the humble setting of the estate, which was taken over by Giovanni Battista d’Orsi and his wife Emilia in a fairly rundown state in the early 1990s. Since then, the couple have painstakingly cultivated the 10 hectares of vines, farming organically to yield grapes that are vinified in a similarly sensitive manner, with minimal intervention in a boutique, spartan winery. Today the estate stands among the leading producers of the reputed Panzano commune, with this supremely gluggable bottling embodying everything that an archetypal Chianti should in its refreshing acidity, fresh tannin, crunchy fruit and herbal, earthy tones. ‘The closest I come to a house wine,’ says our wine director Peter Mitchell MW.