Campochiarenti and…..

~ San Gimignano is home to Campochiarenti ~

San Gimignano is magical.  Campochiarenti is equally magical.  Daniele Rosti’s vineyards and winery are a perennial stop on the Rustic Tuscany Tour.  And although I’ve enjoyed the wines below on several occasions, I’ve somehow never documented a review.  So, that changes today.

In this edition of Tuscan Snips,  I’m making up for lost time.   Looking back to March of 2023, when my sons and I spent a week tooling around Tuscany (and Roma!), was when I first tasted the 2019 Summus.  It made a clear impact then and well, I was right.

The 2019 Castello Banfi Summus is a bit of an oddity.   It represents a sort of “bridge” from the 2018 traditional blend, to the 2020 new blend, which (sadly) drops the Sangiovese.  This vintage is 60% Cabernet, 33% Sangiovese and 7% Syrah.   The wine was fermented in Banfi’s patented hybrid tanks and then aged in a combination of tonneaux and barrique for 24 months.

Brilliant, deep garnet color. The wine has gained incredible complexity over the last 8 months.  On the nose, the crushed cherry fruit is still prevalent, but flowers, smoked meat and tobacco are notable.  In the mouth, the wine is centered around a core of dark fruit, but fennel, bacon and toasted spices are just wonderful. The Syrah seems to really be exerting it’s influence. Oddly, it’s a percentage of Syrah that is way reduced compared to previous vintages.  I absolutely love this and glad I’ve got several more.  96 points. Find this wine.

~ This 2019 is dynamite and showing incredibly well with 90 minutes in a decanter ~

Most of you know Renieri from their Brunello production.   But the property makes a handful of IGT wines that I’ll be profiling over the next few months.   The estate is fully organic and farms about 30 hectares on the slopes of Mount Amiata.

The 2020 Re di Renieri is a blend of Cabernet, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot.  Bordeaux with an Italian accent.  Almost black in the glass, the aromas are expressive with black fruits, coffee, sage, mint and earth.  On the palate, this is massive.  Large scaled, tannic and structured.  It was great with the porterhouse we enjoyed, but it needs time.  Although the Merlot lends a certain roundness to the palate, the complexity isn’t there just yet.  91 points.  Good value under $40. Think Solengo on a budget.   Find this wine.

~ Renieri is owned by the Bacci family ~

Sangiovese from CA?

Those who have been reading my work for a while know that I recoil at the notion. Why?  Because in the CA heat, Sangiovese gets overripe. Winemakers don’t know how to handle it and they ruin Sangiovese’s aromatic profile and its natural acidity that make it one of the world’s most versatile reds.  But, Erich Russell knows how to approach the grape.  Under the Passione Divina label, which he shares with Campochiarenti’s Daniele Rosti,  he has created a gorgeous Rosato.  And he’s done so in the perfect Italian style.

The 2024 Passione Divina Rosato is light salmon, pinkish onion skin color.   Right from the bottle, the aromas are attractive and feature red berry, white flowers and hints of melon.  On the palate, the fruit is bright and forward. The wine is clean, with crisp acidity that speaks to Sangiovese. Medium bodied, dry but fruity, there’s a hint of flinty stone.  As it warms, the fruit plumps more.  There’s a lot to like here.  First, I adore the screw cap.  Two, it’s 12.1% which makes it easy to enjoy in the heat.  The 6 pack I bought won’t make it to Labor Day.  Finally, it’s a wonderful value. Very pleased here and I am not a big Rosato drinker.  91 points.  Available directly from the winery if not already sold out.

~ The Passione Divina Rosato is 100% Sangiovese ~

~ Capella Campochiarenti ~

Campochiarenti is on a major roll.  At this point, it shouldn’t surprise anyone because this has been the case for several years now.  In a sense, this article is timely because it covers the three most recent rosso releases from Campochiarenti.

Between tasting privately at the Estate, both before and after release, during the Rustic Tuscany Tour and now several times here at home, I’ve had these wines on dozens of occasions.  Read on….

~ Vineyards near San Gimignano ~

I’ve had many wonderful Chianti Classico and Rosso di Montalcino from 2021.  Looks as though Chianti Colli Senesi was smiled upon too.

The 2021 Chianti Colli Senesi “Sant Ambrogio” is a shimmering ruby.   The aromatics are wonderful and feature crushed cherry, hints of ripe tobacco and fresh flowers.  On the palate, this is seamlessly put together.  Medium bodied, with a large core of wild red fruits, hints of fresh fennel, exotic spices and tobacco leaf.  It’s just wonderful and although special, it’s affordable enough to drink several times per month.  92 points.   Available directly from the winery.

~ Sant’Ambrogio is a blend of 85% Sangiovese with the balance to Canaiolo, Colorino, Ciliegiolo, Mammolo, and Foglia Tonda ~

Next up is the younger sibling of the above wine.  The 2022 Sant’ Ambrogio shares the same blend as the 2021 and is very similar in style.  Each wine is aged 6 months in botte grande.

Deep color, maybe slightly darker than the 2021 – again a nod to the vintage.  Ripe cherry on the nose with cocoa, wild raspberry and sweet herbs.  If there is a difference in the character of this wine vs. the 2021, this wine seems fresher, maybe livelier.  But Daniele Rosti’s style and fingerprints are unmistakable.  In the mouth, the wine is juicy and lively. Fresh wild berry, crushed stone and spices are so easily drinkable.  This wine will be interesting to watch evolve.  Again, another dynamite value.  91 points.  Available directly from the winery.

~ 2022 was slightly warmer than 2021 and although balanced, this wine shows the vintage character ~

Lastly, the wine with a story.  The 2019 San Nicola was meant to be a Chianti Colli Senesi Riserva.   As many are aware, 2019 was an epic vintage.  Daniele Rosti was aware too that his vineyards had performed miraculously.  The grapes destined for the Riserva were wonderful and very structured.  As a result, he aged the wine 4 years in Grande Botti.  (as a reminder, that’s 2 years more than many Brunello)

A clerical snafu which broke the chain of bureaucratic Italian paper work rendered the wine unable to be labeled Riserva.  Without incurring significant expense to correct the error, Daniele relented and decided to label the wine simply as “IGT” while retaining the “San Nicola” name.

The 2019 San Nicola is a blend of 85% Sangiovese and 15% Colorino, Canaiolo and Ciliegiolo.  The depth of color is incredible given the length of time the wine stayed in barrel.  Right now, my suggestion is to decant the wine as it improves dramatically with air.

The boisterous aromas start the taster off.  Crushed wild cherry, roasted coffee, chocolate, fennel and dried herbs are utterly amazing.  On the palate, this is fresh, juicy and lively.  There is no hint of the 15% abv.   Dark red fruits cascade across the palate and are seamlessly integrated with tannins and acidity.  Espresso bean, powdered minerals, sweet leaf tobacco and fennel are framed perfectly with toasted spices.  It’s hard to find fault here. Very, very hard.  I have bought plenty and if you haven’t already, you’re leaving more for me.  97 points.  Available directly from the winery.

~ This easily stands among the best reds Campochiarenti has produced ~

At the moment, Daniele is absorbing the 10% tariff on Italian goods.  Therefore, this is still an excellent opportunity to buy directly from this small, family producer.  My Rustic Tuscany guests will enjoy all of these wines (and many more) come September.  It will surely be worth the wait.

Salute!