2019 Tenuta San Giusto a Rentennano Chianti Classico

WINERY NOTES

San Giusto a Rentennano Chianti Classico is a blend of 95% Sangiovese and 5% Canaiolo grapes, hand-picked when perfectly mature. It is fermented in glazed concrete and stainless steel vats for about 14 days. During fermentation the skins and must are pumped-over and punched-down a number of times to extract the maximum qualities from the grapes. After the wine has been racked , the skins are soft-pressed in an horizontal press and the juice thus obtained is added to the wine. Malolactic fermentation is stimulated by heating the building where the vats are stored. The wine is racked several time during maturation in cask and 500 liters oak tonneaux for 10-12 months.

2019 Vintage

A rainy spring time on the whole; very low temperatures during May, which then rose to above average levels in June. In July a heavy hail-storm partly damaged both the leaf coverage and the grapes, causing delay in respect of the normal seasonal phenolic development. A number of thinning out turns were necessary in an attempt to balance the leaf to fruit ratio in favour of a better ripening. Painstaking care in proper farming practices notwithstanding, we had to wait before harvesting for a longer time than is usual in this our southernmost end of Chianti area. Harvest in fact was carried out in the days from the 30th of September to the 15th of October, but under very favourable climate conditions, that enabled a right phenolic fruit maturity. Thinning out was effected in three turns; of the initial fruit load – reduces as it had already been by hail damage – around 35% was discarded.

(92 Points) The organic San Giusto a Rentennano 2019 Chianti Classico is another excellent buy from a tight group of iconic Tuscan wine estates. This vintage, made with 95% Sangiovese and 5% Canaiolo, is pure and tonic in character. There are clearly etched aromas of blueberry, wild cherry, limestone and crushed stone. These are essential aromas to any traditional expression of Chianti Classico, and this wine delivers them with terrific simplicity and balance. Fruit is sourced from across a 30-hectare vineyard with south-facing exposures. (ML)  Review Date: 10/2021, Wine Advocate