2016 Capannelle Chianti Classico Riserva DOCG

Capanelle is of the hottest wineries in Tuscany today.  Everything is produced from their estate vineyards located in Gaioli in Chianti.  The Sangiovese varietal is king in Tuscany and some of my favorite Chianti Classicos are made from 100% Sangiovese like Fontodi, Felsina and this Capannelle wine. 

They also make a very good Chardonnay from their vineyards in Tuscany, this is in an odd shaped and colored bottle for this varietal but that does not affect the quality of the wine, just consumer recognition that this is in fact the Chardonnay varietal but the wine is in the bottle like the rest of the wines from this excellent winery.

Then, there is the Supertuscan or IGT wine that they produce from a combination of Sangiovese and one of the other local varietals Malvasia Nera.  This Solare wine is unique and considered to be among one of the top blends of its type made in Tuscany.  The 2001 was among the favorites on the table with the group but every wine was excellent- even the 2000 vintage, which was not considered to be great in Tuscany but this is where great producers like Capanelle shine.

The history of Capannelle wine producing dates back to 1974, when Raffaele Rossetti, a 40 year old business man in Rome, decided to purchase an old XVI century farmhouse in the heart of Chianti.

Capannelle wine producers in Gaiole in Chianti, Siena, extends over about 20 hectares (16 of Vineyard) and produces about 80.000 bottles of wine a year. The owner is James B. Sherwood, founder and shareholder of the Orient - Express Hotels LTD., which owns some of the world's most beautiful hotels: Hotel Cipriani in Venice, Hotel Spendido in Portofino, Villa San Michele in Florence, Hotel Caruso in Ravello and many others.

Capannelle's first product came out in 1975, a Chianti wine bearing the name of the farmhouse. A brilliant experiment which in few years led the Company to figure on the list of quality producers.

(90 Points) Aromas of sun-baked earth, pressed iris, wild berry, underbrush and a whiff of game lead the nose. The round, open palate delivers fleshy black cherry, ripe plum, ground pepper, leather and anise alongside velvety tannins. It's already accessible but will hold up well for the next few years. Drink through 2018.  Wine Enthusiast