Monsanto Chianti Classico DOCG Riserva 2015, Tuscany, Italy

Fabrizio Bianchi produces Monsanto Riserva with 90% Sangiovese, 7% Canaiolo, 3% Colorino. Fermented in stainless steel tanks with a 20-day maceration. Aged 18 months in French barriques. Aged 3 months in bottle. Castello di Monsanto is one of Chianti Classico’s most historically important estates. Proprietor Fabrizio Bianchi was at the forefront of many innovations that later became standard practice. In the early 1960s Monsanto pioneered the concept of the single-vineyard wines, and its Il Poggio is credited as being the first such Chianti Classico. In the years that followed Bianchi removed the traditional white varietals from the Chianti blend, years before other producers followed suit. Today Monsanto makes wines in a slightly more updated style that remains very much connected to the past, and most importantly, to its unique terroir.