Daniele Nardi's website

Keywords: red wine; Sangiovese; Tuscany

Castello di Monsanto is another reference producer in the Chianti Classico region. It makes all the quality tiers of Chianti Classico (annata, riserva, and gran selezione) at an amazing quality/price ratio and their wines are just iconic. However, this wine specifically (their riserva) sometimes is a slight mismatch for me, meaning that a lot of people love it, and I instead find some shortcomings that preclude me from strongly recommending it.

Ruby color, medium-dark opacity. Medium intensity nose, filled with blackberry, blackberry jam, flowers, and lots of herbs (sage, rosemary). A bit of baked fruit and veggie, which is not too attractive. Full body, lots of tannins, acidity, but also rich concentration of fruit. This wine is dominated by dark fruit. Long finish, with dried plums. Almost a touch of sweetness in the end. The best thing about this wine is the balance and the rich mouthfeel, but the nose is not the best.