Today’s impeccable Tuscan red comes to you courtesy of the London Rowing Club. Really.
It was little surprise to see Paolo de Marchi’s estate placed in the A class with his flagship, Cepparello. Bottled simply as IGT Toscana by virtue of its pure Sangiovese recipe, historically violating the old definition of Chianti Classico, this is an icon for the region.But Paolo’s wine-growing skill clearly extends into his Chianti Classico. The 2016 scored 17.5 from Walter in barrel and subsequently Julia in bottle, for its blend of 82% Sangiovese, 15% Canaiolo and a 3% splash of Syrah.
Choosing this as my wine of the week was, instead, an indirect result of the current pandemic-inspired lockdown. In the interests of sustaining the community spirit of members such as myself during this time of disconnection, the general manager of the London Rowing Club asked me to assemble a six-bottle case of wines from the club’s suppliers, Liberty Wines, that members could have for a virtual tasting and a bit of social contact. He asked for three bottles to represent Italy and three for Spain. See the other wines I chose at the bottom of this article.
Now it is something of a fool’s errand to attempt to represent the world’s joint-largest wine-producing country with more indigenous varieties than any other in just three wines. Instead, I wanted to give a taste of what Italy can offer wine drinkers, with a good-quality white, an easy-drinking red and at least one classic, good-quality red.
There were a number of reasons to pick Chianti Classico to showcase Italy’s classic regions over alternatives such as Barolo, Barbaresco or Brunello. Demarcated in 1716, it is a historic region, its principal grape is also the most widely planted variety in Italy. Its style can be less intimidating to the uninitiated than tannic Nebbiolos. Prices have not yet gone as stratospheric as those from Montalcino and, as our Chianti Classico Night showed, average quality in the region has arguably never been better.