A client favorite this year, we were able to get a bit more of this one after it had been sold out since the spring! Founded by the Bianchi family in 1961 and known for launching Il Poggio as Chianti Classico’s first single-vineyard bottling in 1962, Monsanto remains a benchmark for classical style. This Chianti is a 90% Sangiovese, 10% Canaiolo/Colorino blend from estate vines on Galestro and alberese soils around Barberino Val d’Elsa, fermented in temperature-controlled conical steel, then matured for roughly 18 months, split between large casks, second-pass tonneaux, and select 500- and 225-L French oak before bottling. It shows red-cherry purity, Tuscan herb lift, an iron-tinged minerality, and refined, long-grained tannins, reflecting the vibrant, well-structured 2021 growing season. This Riserva offers pedigree, transparency, and cellar potential at a price that makes sense by the case, and is one of the absolute best buys of the vintage in Tuscany. Don’t miss it!
Decanter 95 points! "The intention with Castello di Monsanto’s Riserva is to make a wine with immediate accessibility as well as serious cellaring potential. Gorgeous and precise from the get-go, the 2021 is profuse in aromas of black pepper, flint and earthy brambles. Equally perfumed, the palate ups the ante with rose, bergamot and graphite. A firm tannic spine and linear acidity are matched by fruit depth galore, all intricately and tightly stitched. My instinct is that this is only going to get better, so I prefer to wait. The solution is to buy a few bottles to enjoy its evolution."
Antonio Galloni 94 points! "The 2021 Chianti Classico Riserva is a wine of pedigree and class. Aromatic, vibrant and delineated, the Riserva captures all the best qualities of the year. Crushed flowers, dark red/purplish fruit, mint, blood orange and pomegranate are some of the many notes that build in the glass. This is a sublime effort. (Drink between 2025-2041)"
James Suckling 94 points! "Spiced dark cherries, cassis, ripe plums and touches of cedar and mushrooms on the nose. This is juicy, structured and fine-grained, with a medium to full body and a long, firm finish loaded with fruit. Drink or hold."
2021 Castello di Monsanto Chianti Classico Riserva
2021 Castello di Monsanto Chianti Classico Riserva
A client favorite this year, we were able to get a bit more of this one after it had been sold out since the spring! Founded by the Bianchi family in 1961 and known for launching Il Poggio as Chianti Classico’s first single-vineyard bottling in 1962, Monsanto remains a benchmark for classical style. This Chianti is a 90% Sangiovese, 10% Canaiolo/Colorino blend from estate vines on Galestro and alberese soils around Barberino Val d’Elsa, fermented in temperature-controlled conical steel, then matured for roughly 18 months, split between large casks, second-pass tonneaux, and select 500- and 225-L French oak before bottling. It shows red-cherry purity, Tuscan herb lift, an iron-tinged minerality, and refined, long-grained tannins, reflecting the vibrant, well-structured 2021 growing season. This Riserva offers pedigree, transparency, and cellar potential at a price that makes sense by the case, and is one of the absolute best buys of the vintage in Tuscany. Don’t miss it!
Decanter 95 points! "The intention with Castello di Monsanto’s Riserva is to make a wine with immediate accessibility as well as serious cellaring potential. Gorgeous and precise from the get-go, the 2021 is profuse in aromas of black pepper, flint and earthy brambles. Equally perfumed, the palate ups the ante with rose, bergamot and graphite. A firm tannic spine and linear acidity are matched by fruit depth galore, all intricately and tightly stitched. My instinct is that this is only going to get better, so I prefer to wait. The solution is to buy a few bottles to enjoy its evolution."
Antonio Galloni 94 points! "The 2021 Chianti Classico Riserva is a wine of pedigree and class. Aromatic, vibrant and delineated, the Riserva captures all the best qualities of the year. Crushed flowers, dark red/purplish fruit, mint, blood orange and pomegranate are some of the many notes that build in the glass. This is a sublime effort. (Drink between 2025-2041)"
James Suckling 94 points! "Spiced dark cherries, cassis, ripe plums and touches of cedar and mushrooms on the nose. This is juicy, structured and fine-grained, with a medium to full body and a long, firm finish loaded with fruit. Drink or hold."
