2022 Tenuta di Nozzole Chianti Classico Riserva Tuscany

The estate dates back to 1300, when it belonged to the noble Florentine Strozzi family. In 1971 the Folonari family — wine producers for over two centuries — purchased the property and transformed it into one of Chianti Classico's most reliable sources of terroir-driven Sangiovese. The farm extends across 385 hectares in Greve in Chianti, with 90 devoted to vineyards and 15 to olive groves.

Chianti Classico Riserva is the appellation's statement wine — minimum two years of aging, hand-selected fruit, the patience that separates a Tuesday bottle from a cellar candidate. The 2022 was aged 24 months in oak barrels, combining traditional structure with modern finesse. James Suckling scored it 94 points, calling out "savory depth, offering iodine, tangerine peel and ripe berry aromas. The medium- to full-bodied palate is bright and fleshy, framed by velvety but focused tannins. Long, layered and spicy at the end."

In the glass, you get ripe cherry and violet on the nose, with cedar and subtle spice underneath. The palate is medium to full-bodied — red plum, tobacco, dried herbs — held together by refined tannins and the kind of bright acidity that makes Sangiovese age gracefully. The finish is long, elegant, balanced. This marries vibrant freshness with the complexity that rewards cellaring.