Monte Bernardi Toscana Chianti Classico Riserva 2021

A wine that has gone back and forth in terms of carrying the official 'Chianti Classico Riserva' designation (we won't bore you with the subjectivity and politicking of Chianti's consorzio system), mark our words when we say this is all you could want in classic Panzano Sangio, regardless. Coming from old vineyards, rich in shale and sandstone-limestone, it sees native fermentation in concrete tanks and steel vats, followed by a minimum of 18 months aging in large oak barrels. Lithe, precise, and intensely lifted in its aromatics, this Riserva with dried flowers, bramble, slate, black plum and currant, a slightly riper fruit profile here tempered by racy angles and a menthol-y coolness. Given time, it reveals luscious fruit components, a strong minerally-driven backbone, balanced acidity and firm elegant tannins. Whatever the local pundits might have thought, this is a lights-out Chianti.