Very informative, as always, John. I had no idea about the extensive re-plantings post-2000. Having been disappointed with many Chiantis I drank in the '70s, '80s and '90s I more or less ignored it for many years. It was your videos, among one or two others, that persuaded me to give it another go. As a result, I have purchased a few en primeur bottles from the 2019, '20 and '21 vintages from some top producers, such as Fontodi, Volpaia and Barone Ricasoli, including some Gran Selezione. Looking forward to tasting those in due course. Thanks for encouraging me in this direction, as you have with Brunello di Montalcino. Italy has almost caught up with France as my number one wine country - and Spain is not far behind.
Thanks very much, Steven! Very glad to hear it. Yes, Chianti Classico wines are so much better today than they were even 15-20 years ago. And that will become even more apparent as the vines in these re-planted vineyards age and create wines with more complexity. Appreciate the positive feedback! Hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend.
Steven, Friends can disagree. I started drinking wine in the 70's so we may be about the same age. By the 80's the quality was much improved. By the 90's however, the quality improved exponentially. Beautiful primary fruit flavours usually cherry and sour cherry. Lovely earthiness which I don't see as a secondary flavour or aroma, but from the terroir or the unique expression of the grape itself. Incredible mushroom and olive as well even in young wines. Softer tannins with the body actually evolving upon aeration. Many were using smaller barrels and French ones. A lot has changed. Back to huge cheap Slavonian barrels with a Slavonian oak stave being probably 20% of the cost of French oak. In spite of what consider a warming trend the fruit seems to have disappeared except for generic Chianti. What I get now is graphite and not even lead pencil as one would in a good Bordeaux. I'm not sure what they are doing differently, but I must assume that they are meant to make more money for as cheaply as possible.
@@Allan-cl8ie Thanks for sharing your perspective. Appreciate your input. Do you find this at all levels or primarily annata? There are so many producers that there could very well be some variability, but I have had excellent success with producers such as Castello di Monsanto, Volpaia, Fontodi, Antinori, and others.
@@AttorneySomm John, I usually have to drink CC annata or sometimes riserva because I'm retired and simply cant' afford what I used to. GS would really be out of my price range even for a holiday now unfortunately. I already knew we shared an affinity for Monsanto a lovely wine, but I haven't had it in a while. It was what I believe showcased what Sangiovese could be in a world class wine. Beautiful dried sour cherry, slight earthiness with mushroom and velvety tannins. Antinori may produce a whole lot of wine, but somehow their winemakers and I'm sure there are a lot of them always manage to retain its Tuscan typicity and always good wine. Years ago case in point Castello di Ama made a wine i.e. their entry level that was more modern, but I thought very good where you knew it was still Sangiovese.
Post script to my response which was cut off. I recently had that Castello di Ama annata and it was like a different wine still with soft tannins, but totally lacking in fruit and terribly earthy and yes graphite. I have read that they are changing their style perhaps less French oak and the presence of the oak still there with soft tannins, but where's the fruit? I have also noticed this in other annate lacking in fruit that used to be good, but I can't just say it is with the annate because that is what I can usually afford. I have also noticed this in Chianti Rufina which used to be delicate with violet on the nose and palate which seems to be lacking now. Perhaps with new clonal selection this may be a factor which may be causing them to be overly dark and extracted. As I said some beautiful wines were being made a generation ago, though you may have just started drinking at the time so it may be hard for you to compare. It would seem as if they are trying to make wines in the St. Estephe style which is good for St Estephe, but it is not everyone's idea of what even a left bank wine should be.
Traveling tomorrow to Tuscany and was looking for content about Chianti Classico. Exactly 15 min later you released this video! Thanks again for your great content and depth. You became one of my favorite and most reliable sources of wine knowledge!
It’s great to learn more about this region from you, John. Thank you for making this outstanding video. It showcases your incomparable expertise in Chianti Classico, and your manner of presentation is authoritative, intelligent, and elegant as per usual. As someone who often enjoys Chianti Classico Riserva, I very much appreciate your detailed discussion of this wine region’s history, terroir, grape variety/Sangiovese, and three categories. Cheers, John, and Happy Sunday!
Thanks very much, Margaux! Appreciate the thoughtful comment and kind feedback! It is a special region with rapidly-improving wines. Also a tremendous place to visit. Happy Sunday to you!
@@AttorneySomm You’re welcome, John! You’re absolutely right - definitely a special region and a wonderful place to visit. Hope I can return there someday. Thank you and cheers to the new week ahead! Happy Sunday!
Completely off topic, John. Hardly any of the the wine channels I follow even mention sherry, let alone cover it as a topic. Konstantin Baum has done a video fairly recently but that is all I have seen. Do you know why? Do you drink sherry and, if so, what are your favourite styles? Is it considered a bit niche, do you think?
I do enjoy sherry, including but not limited to PX, but do not drink it very often. There are a lot of factors that go into decisions about what to publish. At least for me that includes things that I'm studying or tasting at the time as well as the potential for a video to be well received and do well on RUclips. I thought about doing a sherry video while taking my fortified wine course for the DipWSET program, but did not get around to it at the time and have not had a chance to taste many of them since then.
Thanks, John. I am just enjoying a glass of La Gitana fino, which is why the thought occurred to me. My favourite styles are: dry amontillado in the winter and fino/manzanilla for the rest of the year. I find that sweet sherry lacks acidity and can be a little cloying. @@AttorneySomm
@@stevenholt4936 Sounds good. I definitely enjoy some in those categories as well. If all goes well, I'll visit the region the next time I'm in Spain. At that point, I'll be able to share much better insights.
![I.N "HALLUCINATION" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/n5B5q1Hwt_U/mqdefault.jpg)
Very informative, as always, John. I had no idea about the extensive re-plantings post-2000. Having been disappointed with many Chiantis I drank in the '70s, '80s and '90s I more or less ignored it for many years. It was your videos, among one or two others, that persuaded me to give it another go. As a result, I have purchased a few en primeur bottles from the 2019, '20 and '21 vintages from some top producers, such as Fontodi, Volpaia and Barone Ricasoli, including some Gran Selezione. Looking forward to tasting those in due course.
Thanks for encouraging me in this direction, as you have with Brunello di Montalcino. Italy has almost caught up with France as my number one wine country - and Spain is not far behind.
Thanks very much, Steven! Very glad to hear it. Yes, Chianti Classico wines are so much better today than they were even 15-20 years ago. And that will become even more apparent as the vines in these re-planted vineyards age and create wines with more complexity. Appreciate the positive feedback! Hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend.
Steven,
Friends can disagree. I started drinking wine in the 70's so we may be about the same age. By the 80's the quality was much improved. By the 90's however, the quality improved exponentially. Beautiful primary fruit flavours usually cherry and sour cherry. Lovely earthiness which I don't see as a secondary flavour or aroma, but from the terroir or the unique expression of the grape itself. Incredible mushroom and olive as well even in young wines. Softer tannins with the body actually evolving upon aeration. Many were using smaller barrels and French ones. A lot has changed. Back to huge cheap Slavonian barrels with a Slavonian oak stave being probably 20% of the cost of French oak. In spite of what consider a warming trend the fruit seems to have disappeared except for generic Chianti. What I get now is graphite and not even lead pencil as one would in a good Bordeaux. I'm not sure what they are doing differently, but I must assume that they are meant to make more money for as cheaply as possible.
@@Allan-cl8ie Thanks for sharing your perspective. Appreciate your input. Do you find this at all levels or primarily annata? There are so many producers that there could very well be some variability, but I have had excellent success with producers such as Castello di Monsanto, Volpaia, Fontodi, Antinori, and others.
@@AttorneySomm John, I usually have to drink CC annata or sometimes riserva because I'm retired and simply cant' afford what I used to. GS would really be out of my price range even for a holiday now unfortunately. I already knew we shared an affinity for Monsanto a lovely wine, but I haven't had it in a while. It was what I believe showcased what Sangiovese could be in a world class wine. Beautiful dried sour cherry, slight earthiness with mushroom and velvety tannins. Antinori may produce a whole lot of wine, but somehow their winemakers and I'm sure there are a lot of them always manage to retain its Tuscan typicity and always good wine. Years ago case in point Castello di Ama made a wine i.e. their entry level that was more modern, but I thought very good where you knew it was still Sangiovese.
Post script to my response which was cut off. I recently had that Castello di Ama annata and it was like a different wine still with soft tannins, but totally lacking in fruit and terribly earthy and yes graphite. I have read that they are changing their style perhaps less French oak and the presence of the oak still there with soft tannins, but where's the fruit? I have also noticed this in other annate lacking in fruit that used to be good, but I can't just say it is with the annate because that is what I can usually afford. I have also noticed this in Chianti Rufina which used to be delicate with violet on the nose and palate which seems to be lacking now. Perhaps with new clonal selection this may be a factor which may be causing them to be overly dark and extracted. As I said some beautiful wines were being made a generation ago, though you may have just started drinking at the time so it may be hard for you to compare. It would seem as if they are trying to make wines in the St. Estephe style which is good for St Estephe, but it is not everyone's idea of what even a left bank wine should be.
thanks again for a nice video. Chianti Classico is one of my favorites !
Thanks very much! Very glad you enjoyed it!
@@AttorneySomm yeah, just had a nice barbee this afternoon and we drank ... chianti classico so its a nice coincidence hehe
Traveling tomorrow to Tuscany and was looking for content about Chianti Classico. Exactly 15 min later you released this video! Thanks again for your great content and depth. You became one of my favorite and most reliable sources of wine knowledge!
Thanks very much! Excellent timing! Very glad to hear it. Appreciate the positive feedback! Hope you enjoy your trip!
Nice job, John. Keep up the good work in bringing a fresh perspective and insight. Bravo. 👏
Greetings from Singapore.
Thanks very much! Glad you enjoy the videos!
@@michaelgourlay1746 Hello! Had a wonderful visit to Singapore last May. A vibrant wine scene there!
@@AttorneySomm we were both at Vinexpo last May. Sorry we didn’t meet.
It’s great to learn more about this region from you, John. Thank you for making this outstanding video. It showcases your incomparable expertise in Chianti Classico, and your manner of presentation is authoritative, intelligent, and elegant as per usual. As someone who often enjoys Chianti Classico Riserva, I very much appreciate your detailed discussion of this wine region’s history, terroir, grape variety/Sangiovese, and three categories. Cheers, John, and Happy Sunday!
Thanks very much, Margaux! Appreciate the thoughtful comment and kind feedback! It is a special region with rapidly-improving wines. Also a tremendous place to visit. Happy Sunday to you!
@@AttorneySomm You’re welcome, John! You’re absolutely right - definitely a special region and a wonderful place to visit. Hope I can return there someday. Thank you and cheers to the new week ahead! Happy Sunday!
Castello di Fonterutoli🍷🇮🇹
Greetings from🇨🇭
@@willyegli9290 Excellent! Enjoy!
Completely off topic, John. Hardly any of the the wine channels I follow even mention sherry, let alone cover it as a topic. Konstantin Baum has done a video fairly recently but that is all I have seen. Do you know why? Do you drink sherry and, if so, what are your favourite styles? Is it considered a bit niche, do you think?
I do enjoy sherry, including but not limited to PX, but do not drink it very often. There are a lot of factors that go into decisions about what to publish. At least for me that includes things that I'm studying or tasting at the time as well as the potential for a video to be well received and do well on RUclips. I thought about doing a sherry video while taking my fortified wine course for the DipWSET program, but did not get around to it at the time and have not had a chance to taste many of them since then.
Thanks, John. I am just enjoying a glass of La Gitana fino, which is why the thought occurred to me. My favourite styles are: dry amontillado in the winter and fino/manzanilla for the rest of the year. I find that sweet sherry lacks acidity and can be a little cloying. @@AttorneySomm
@@stevenholt4936 Sounds good. I definitely enjoy some in those categories as well. If all goes well, I'll visit the region the next time I'm in Spain. At that point, I'll be able to share much better insights.