Castellare 'Il Poggiale' Chianti Classico Riserva 2022 - 750ml

95pts James Suckling

Super fresh and leafy in style, this Gallo Nero shows personality. Aromas of kiwi peel, red currants, strawberries, anise and subtle flowers. The attack is firm but refined, with velvety tannins, zesty acidity, a medium to full body and a tense, red-fruited finish. Drinkable now, but best from 2026.

92pts Wine Spectator

Round and fruity, boasting cherry, boysenberry, pomegranate and sanguine flavors. Quickly gives way to dusty tannins and a long, fruit-filled aftertaste. Shows lovely freshness. Give this a year or two to integrate. Sangioveto, Canaiolo and Ciliegiolo. Best from 2027 through 2039.

92pts Vinous

The 2022 Chianti Classico Riserva Il Poggiale is potent and deep yet also has very good balance. Dark red cherry/plum fruit, blood orange, spice, new leather and pomegranate are nicely delineated in a Riserva that marries richness with vibrancy. This is impeccable in its proportions. There's a lot to like.

Tasting Notes

This riserva is a brilliant ruby red color with garnet highlights. On the nose aromas of cherries, red plums, and currants are layered over notes of earth, rose petals, and leather. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied showing excellent structure with firm, integrated tannins and plenty of spice on the long finish.

Pair this wine with grilled red meats, bordelaise sauces, Bistecca alla Fiorentina, and butter-poached veal shank.

About the Wine

Made from 90% Sangioveto, 5% Canaiolo, and 5% Ciliegiolo grown in the Il Poggiale vineyard, the grapes come from an elevation of almost 1,500 feet above sea level.  The combination of high elevation and low yields results in a wine that manages to simultaneously show both restraint and layered richness.  This classic red holds great aging capability.

Winery Notes

'Castellare di Castellina, in the heart of the Chianti Classico region, boasts a total of 80 hectares, 20 of which are olive groves. Thirty-three hectares are dedicated to vineyards, located on the hills of a natural amphitheater, facing southeast, at an average altitude of 370 meters above sea level. The vines range in age from 7 to over 45 years, and yields per hectare at Castellare are very low, ensuring maximum quality. Excellent sun exposure, good drainage, and a mixed soil of calcareous marl, galestro, and a little clay produce wines, both red and white, that are very well-structured, intense, and suitable for long bottle aging. The vine survey, undertaken in 1979, enabled, thanks to the results of the experimental vineyard and the micro-vinifications conducted and compared, the regrafting of both Sangioveto and Malvasia Nera with the best clones emerging from the scientific work of Professor Scienza's two assistants, for whom Castellare had established two doctoral research grants. Thanks to that work and Professor Peynaud's encouragement to work on Sangioveto, Castellare's vineyards today have the best clones for this terroir.

In the Castellare vineyards, synthetic chemicals are avoided, out of respect for nature and to make organic wines. This philosophy is reflected in the labels, which each year feature a different bird, an increasingly rare bird due to the indiscriminate use of poisons and herbicides in the vineyards.'

Blend: 90% Sangioveto, 5% Canaiolo, and 5% Ciliegiolo