Corzano e Paterno Soulful Chianti

Over the last the last five or so years we’ve tasted a lot of Chianti from Estates seeking representation in Australia. Many of these have been from well-established and/or well regarded names within the Classico region. Most of the time, to be honest, we’ve been pretty underwhelmed by what we’ve found in our glasses - in most cases the wines simply lacked character and any sense of place. For the most part what we tasted were examples of the obvious, plummy, oaky reds that dominate the Chianti landscape these days. They simply didn’t speak to us on any level and they reflected the immaturity of this region as a whole. As Francesco Ricasoli, the 32nd Barone di Brolio, recently told us, “We [Chianti] are still such a young region. Our history is only just beginning.” There is still much learning going on regarding soil types and clones in Chianti and then there is the all pervasive influence of the US market – which has encouraged too much new oak and over extracted wines. Finally, there is the often forgotten fact that Sangiovese is a very difficult grape variety to work with, even if you have one of the few quality clones. It is for all... read more