A Classic Tuscan Pairing: Castello di Brolio Chianti Classico Riserva with Ribollita

Le Mie Cose Preferite, "my favorite things", is the theme of this month's Italian Food, Wine & Tasting group hosted by Camilla.  The focus this month is to highlight our favorite Italian wines, along with a pairing or travel tale.  Picking a favorite Italian wine is not an easy task for someone like myself.  I honestly have so many favorites!  When my hand is twisted, though, I must turn to one of my favorite grapes, Sangiovese.  This is a grape produced throughout many of Italy's wine regions, mostly central Italy, but it finds its true home in the region of Tuscany.   

 

Sangiovese throughout Italy 

 

With that, Tuscany holds a special place in my heart as it's where I first came to fall in love with the country many moons ago when studying abroad in college.  It was a life-changing experience for me, and although I didn't enjoy wine at that time, I have truly come to appreciate the Sangiovese grape and its many expressions.  Whether it's produced in the heart of Chianti Classico, Brunello di Montalcino, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, southern Tuscany in the Maremma, Umbria or in the Emilia Romagna region.  These are just a few of the many ways I have enjoyed the expressions of this grape. 

 

The Ricasoli Brolio estate 

 

You may recall that I featured this renowned winery, Barone Ricasoli, some years ago, and an earlier vintage of this wine that I’m sharing today.  The Ricasoli family is one of the most historic throughout Italy and the world.  According to wine.com, they are “the fourth oldest family business in the world” and the “oldest winery in Italy” with over 880 years of ownership.  Now that’s some history!   

 

The Ricasoli family is made up of a two-time Prime Minister, Baron Bettino Ricasoli, who also developed the recipe for Chianti back in 1872.  The family also contributed to the unification of Italy and helped defend Florence against Siena.  The family acquired the Brolio estate in Gaiole in 1141 and operates 580 acres of sustainable vineyards.  Today the winery is led by Baron Francesco Ricasoli since 1993.  He is the 32nd owner and president of the winery from within the family. 

 

Wine selection  - Barone Ricasoli Brolio Chianti Classico

 

Although if I had to pick my favorite expression of Sangiovese it would be in Brunello di Montalcino.  I wasn't quite ready to sit and thoroughly enjoy a bottle of Brunello this week in preparation for this blog, so I chose a 2016 Barone Ricasoli Brolio Chianti Classico Riserva DOCG.    The 2016 vintage is made of 80% Sangiovese, 15% Merlot, and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon.  This wine was rather transparent in color with ruby to garnet coloring on the edges.  There were herbal aromas combined with dried cherries and dried roses.  On the palate, this wine was beautifully well-balanced.  Medium-bodied, with well-integrated tannins and nice cherry flavors on the palate. The elegance of this wine makes it so lovely to drink.  ABV 14%.  

A Tuscan pairing of Ribolitta with Chianti Classico 

 

Since time has been quite short lately and I feel I've been just getting by most days feeding the family, I decided to make the time to pair this wine with a Tuscan classic soup, ribollita.  There is nothing like a good soup when the cold weather hits.  Ribollita is a hearty Tuscan soup with a rather thicker consistency than most.   

 

The name comes from the word rebollire, meaning reboiled.  Ribollita was considered a peasant cuisine during the Middle Ages when reheating leftover vegetable soup with stale bread was a tasty meal.  It's just one of the examples of cucina povera, translating to poor kitchen, that was an inexpensive but easy meal to enjoy for peasant families that utilized simple ingredients. That's one of the things I have always appreciated about the Tuscan cuisine I have experienced from my travels throughout the region. Simple ingredients, but full of flavor.   

 

It was an easy preparation of this dish by sautéing onions, carrots, and celery in extra virgin olive oil until softened.  I added some garlic along with a cup of white wine, a can of whole peeled tomatoes, and 4 cups of vegetable broth.  I let these cook over medium for a bit, breaking up the whole tomatoes.  I then added two cans of cannellini beans, fresh kale, along with some spices to include Italian seasonings, kosher salt, a bay leaf and some parmesan rind.  I let this simmer for at least 30 minutes.  Upon serving a slice of toasty bread and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil will add a nice touch to enjoy.   

Enjoy your piece of Tuscany from your own kitchen! 

Join the rest of our Italian food and wine loving friends as they share some of their favorite Italian wines and pairings.

• Deanna of Wineivore talks about Alta Langa: Italy's Sparkling Wine from Piedmont 
• Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm asks A Favorite Italian Wine? How do I begin to choose? 
• Linda My Full Wine Glass suggests we Follow the orange thread: Biodynamic Pecorino from Abruzzo 
• Camilla of Culinary Cam writes about Two of My Favorite Things: Cucina Povera and a Bottle with My Name on It

You can find a more recent vintage of this wine for $32 on Wine.com to try.  I may receive compensation for any wines purchased through the affiliate link in support of Vino Travels. 

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*This wine was provided as a sample, but opinions are always my own. 

 

A Visit to the Tuscan Harvest with Silvia Badii of Il Colle

It’s hard to believe we are already in September and across many regions in the world that means harvest time!  I was contacted by the owner of Il Colle, Silvia Badii, to sample some of her wines and was fortunate to also get to facetime with her during the harvest season and get a one-on-one look into what the harvest season looks like at Il Colle. 

Silvia Badii

Meet & Greet with Silvia Badii 

Unfortunately our video and audio didn't line up on the interview to share, but Silvia shared some great pictures of her winery.  

Il Colle is located in the province of Florence within Tuscany in one of the communes of Chianti Classico known as San Casciano in Val di Pesa.  San Casciano is the northern most commune within the Chianti Classico territory and is the largest UGA, unita geografiche aggiuntive, or site designation within Chianti Classico.  

Sourced from San Casciano Classico

The Il Colle estate was originally owned by the Corsini family until it was purchased in 1983 by Silvia's father.  The house is a 16th century farm house built from stones located within the vineyard.  It's located on Via Cassia, the ancient famous road that connects Florence to Rome.  You can see the farm house on Il Colle's labels.

Silvia’s father, whom I had the chance to meet on our chat, had been making Chianti Classico for 40 years with Sangiovese grapes and other local Tuscan grape varietals.  He had always produced wine and sold it in bulk until 2018 when Silvia took over the estate and started to bottle on her own since her father was aging.  She had originally come from a background in fashion, but had always assisted her father with the grape and olive harvest since she was a child.  Today she is currently on the board of the San Casciano Classico Association that consists of about 31 winemakers that are part of the association with other producers within the commune of San Casciano.  

Silvia walked me through the vineyards consisting of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Sangiovese grapes.  Her biggest vineyard is 4.5 acres with her Gran Selezione single vineyard of Sangiovese covering 6,000 square meters.  She also has 5 hectares of olive groves and 3 hectares of forests totaling 13 hectares of land.  The soil is predominantly made up of albarese, which provides great drainage for the vines that are guyot trained.

Sangiovese grapes at Il Colle

Silvia's first bottlings were released in 2019, the Il Colle Annata DOCG and the 2019 Gran Selezione.  In 2020, after harvest, she decided to uproot some of the vineyards with new plantings except the Sangiovese vines that were planted in 2006 that are used for her single vineyard Chianti Classico Gran Selezione wines. 

Silvia was in hopes to harvest her Merlot grapes this weekend with Sangiovese to follow in the next 7-10 days followed by her Cabernet Sauvignon grapes last.  Typically she will harvest the Gran Selezione Sangiovese grapes first, but it depends on the ripening.  Last year was the first year she produced a Super Tuscan made of 100% Cabernet Sauvignon that she hopes to release in the next year or two as it's currently aging in oak.   

Il Colle vineyards

The Wines

The 2021 Il Colle Chianti Classico DOCG is made from 100% Sangiovese grapes. Silvia ages this wine for 1 year in concrete and 1 year in oak plus at least 6 months in the bottle.  For a Chianti Classico the regulations mandated by the consorzio is to age these wines for a minimum of 12 months, but Silvia ages hers more like a Chianti Classico Riserva with over 24 months of aging.  

Concrete tanks

This wine was ruby red in color with medium translucency.  Dried cherry aromas on the nose with some black licorice and herbal notes.  Medium-bodied with bright acidity and moderate tannin with tobacco and cedar notes leading towards the finish.  ABV 13.5% SRP 23 euro

The 2019 Il Colle Chianti Classico Gran Selezione DOCG 36 Filari is also made from 100% Sangiovese from a single vineyard on Silvia's property that are 17 year old vines.  The wine is named 36 Filari because this single vineyard contain 36 rows of vines.  The wine is aged 18 months in oak and 1 year in concrete with at least 6 months.  She only produced 800 bottles of this wine since it was her 1st vintage of producing wine and therefore her 1st year of making a Gran Selezione.  A typical wine production for her is 5,000 bottles with 2,000 bottles making up the Gran Selezione and 3,000 bottles of the Chianti Classico annata, or vintage, wine.   

This wine was ruby in color with some crimson with a medium translucency.  Beautiful aromas of dried cherry and spice.  Dry and medium-bodied on the palate with good acidity and notes of cherry, olive and tobacco.  Rather silky tannin with a lengthy finish.  ABV 14% 39 Euro.

Wine Pairing with Chianti Classico

I paired both of Silvia's wines with some grilled broccoli rabe and cheese sausage along with some mixed in grilled zucchini alongside a creamy polenta.  Polenta is definitely one of those dishes that I forget about, but that is so easy to make.  

What is polenta?  If you're aren't familiar with polenta, it is an Italian dish made from cornmeal that is prepared by boiling it, but it can be served in a variety of styles.  Here I made it as a creamy version drizzled with Silvia's Il Colle extra virgin olive oil and topped with shredded pecorino.  You can also serve it fried, grilled or baked.  

I find that grilled meats always pair well with Chianti Classico and this particular sausage didn't have too much of a kick or else those nuances can sometimes intensify the heat on the wine. 

Silvia's father mentioned during our conversation "siamo pronti per la vendemmia", we are ready for the harvest!  Best of luck for a great harvest to Silvia and her team and the rest of the wineries during this harvest season.

Silvia currently works with one importer in Georgia, but is looking for other importers.  She does sell direct to consumer though along with her Chianti Classico DOP Tuscan olive oil, which she will be harvesting that green goodness mid to late October.  Silvia has future aspirations to open agritourism and possibly a restaurant.  I look forward to following Silvia on her journey for years to come.

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*These wines were provided as samples, but opinions are always my own.  

A Taste of Castellina in Chianti with Cecchi Wine Estates

Some months ago I had the opportunity to attend a virtual tasting with the renowned Cecchi family showcasing wines from a few of their estates hosted by Andrea Cecchi, owner and winemaker of the Cecchi wine estates, along the Cecchi enologist, Maria Bracali, and PR agency Wellcom.   

The Cecchi Winery 

The Cecchi wines were first established by Luigi Cecchi in 1893 due to his passion for wines and winemaking.  Today the winery is led by Andrea Cecchi, the 4th generation.  The Cecchi headquarters was established in the 70’s in the heart of the Chianti Classico territory, Castellina in Chianti.  This year is their 130th anniversary celebration. 

The Cecchi family first started in Castellina in Chianti, but over the years has expanded to include 6 estates in total.  Five estates are located within the Tuscany wine region with an expansion into Umbria with one of their estates.  Andrea said his mission is to “develop the terroirs, but the different personalities and identities”.  

Map sourced from Famiglia Cecchi

Outside the Cecchi headquarters, their first acquisition was Villa Cerna in the 60’s, which is located in Castellina in Chianti.  They renovated the villa converting it into a winery as well as the almost 200 acres of vineyards.   Following Villa Cerna, they acquired Val delle Rose in 1996 located in the southern part of Tuscany known as the Maremma in the Grosseto province.  This estate occupies 460 acres of vineyards used mostly for the Sangiovese grape in producing Morellino di Scansano DOCG wines along with some Vermentino.  Around the same time in the late 90’s they broke out into the Umbria wine region acquiring Tenuta Alzatura in Montefalco for the production of Montefalco Sagrantino DOCG wines across 3 parcels of land over about 70 acres of land along with some Trebbiano Spoletino. 

The next acquisition for the Cecchi family was another estate in Castellina in Chianti, Villa Rosa, which they purchased in 2015 with about 90 acres.  Lastly, a few years later, they bought about 15 acres of vineyards in Montalcino near the Sant’Antimo Abbey.  This winery has not been named yet, but is planned to be used for the production of Brunello di Montalcino.   

Cecchi’s values are focused on close attention to the environment in which they live and grow their grapes.  Andrea stated that the passion lies in the agriculture. Good land helps to produce good wines. They were the first Tuscan winery to install a wastewater treatment plant in the early 90’s that helped to reduce energy consumption and purified water.  They also put this treatment plant at their Val delle Rose estate in 2012.  In 2021 they also converted the Tenuta Alzatura and Val delle Rose estates to be organic. 

The Cecchi family has always taken an experimental approach to winemaking working with new clones, paying close attention to vineyard management to produce high quality grapes along while investing in new technology within the cellars.  They also have recovered and preserved several native grapes.  

The Cecchi Wines 

I tasted the following wines during the virtual tasting:  

• 2021 Cecchi Storia di Famiglia Chianti Classico DOCG SRP $20-25 
• 2019 Cecchi Riserva di Famiglia Chianti Classico DOCG Riserva $35-40 
• 2018 Cecchi Valore di Famiglia Chianti Classico DOCG Gran Selezione $60 
• 2020 Villa Cerna Primocolle Chianti Classico DOCG $25 
• 2019 Villa Cerna Riserva Chianti Classico DOCG Riserva $35 
• 2020 Villa Rosa Ribaldoni Chianti Classico DOCG $30 
• 2019 Villa Rosa Chianti Classico DOCG Gran Selezione $70  

Andrea shared that their grapes are fermented and aged seperately and blended during the bottling process in order to demonstrate the characteristics of the vintage and the wines elegance.  The wines also spend malolactic fermentation in stainless steel to maintain control during the wine’s delicate phase.  

Gli Scudi Wines 

Let's take a look at the wines by estate starting with the Famiglia Cecchi “Gli Scudi” wines. These wines are grown in Castellina in Chianti, in the heart of the Chianti Classico region. They have a more international taste with use of the barrique versus the large barrel used in the Villa Cerna and+ Villa Rosa wines. 

The 2021 Cecchi Storia di Famiglia Chianti Classico DOCG is the flagship of the Castellina in Chianti estate and their first Chianti Classico wine made. Made from 90% Sangiovese and 10% other local grapes. Fifty percent of this wine is estate grown and 50% is made from growers. It’s crucial that the partners show the distinctive characteristics of the brand which include the expression of the varietal, balanced tannins, freshness and good structure. 

This wine spends 6 months in barriques and 2 months in the bottle. Ruby colored with black cherry aromas and a touch of spice. Dry and medium-bodied on the palate with notes of cherry, tobacco, and a hint of olive towards the lengthy finish where the tannins smooth out. A nicely made, ready to drink Chianti Classico. 13.5% SRP $20-25 

Next from the Cecchi estate is the 2019 Cecchi Riserva di Famiglia Chianti Classico Riserva DOCG. This is their “cru” wine made from 90% Sangiovese and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine spends 12 months in barrique and tonneaux with 3+ months in the bottle. Ruby in color with a brick rim. Heavier on the aromatics than the last with aromas of ripe cherries and spice. Medium-bodied with bright acidity with more tannin present than the last. Cedar notes on the lengthy finish. ABV 14% SRP $35-40  

Last up on the Cecchi Famiglia wines is the 2018 Cecchi Valore di Famiglia Chianti Classico Gran Selezione DOCG. This was my personal pick of the litter from the Gli Scudi wines. Per the requirements of the Gran Selezione, this wine is made from 100% Sangiovese to show the elegance and purity of the grape in the territory where it shines best. The vineyard was planted in 1965 and they made this wine for the first time in 2015. The soil is made of flysch from the Apennine Mountains. The wine is aged 15 months in tonneaux and 3 months in cement vats with 12+ months in the bottle.  

Ruby in color with a tinge of brick. A perfumed nose of cherries, rose petals and a rustic, earthy edge. Lots of sapidity on this wine with tart cherry notes, spices and polished tannins with a toasty finish. An ageworthy wine that I’d love to see evolve in the bottle over the years. ABV 14.5% SRP $55 

Villa Cerna wines 

Next up we have the historical estate of Villa Cerna bought in 1962, but was built in 1011 A.D.   The 2020 Villa Cerna Primocolle Chianti Classico DOCG is grown in soils rich in clay. Primocolle stands for first hill as it was the first hill discovered in Chianti Classico. This wine is made from 95% Sangiovese and 5% Colorino that spends 9 months in barrique and 3+ months in the bottle. Ruby colored with a brick tinge and savory aromas with black cherry, spice, leather and a hint of balsamic. Juicy on the palate with good acidity, deep cherry notes, baking spice and tobacco. An enjoyable, drinkable now Chianti Classico. ABV 13.5% SRP $25 

The 2019 Villa Cerna Chianti Classico Riserva DOCG is 95% Sangiovese with 5% Colorino as well. The wine spends 14 months in barrique and 12+ months in the bottle. Ruby colored with a brick edge. Rich black cherry on the rose with spice and tobacco. Medium-bodied and dry, with darker cherry notes, cocoa, cedar box with a tinge of smokiness. A complex, savory wines with aromas and flavors that may you come back for more taste after taste. My favorite of the Villa Cerna wines! ABV 14% SRP $35 

Villa Rosa wines 

If I really had to lean towards one of these three states it was the wines of Villa Rosa. The Villa Rosa estate is situated on 80 acres at various altitudes with clay soils. These are historical wines with great aging potential. The 2020 Villa Rosa Ribaldoni Chianti Classico DOCG is made from a single vineyard with 100% Sangiovese. The difference between the production of these wines in comparison to the Villa Cerna wines is the use of concrete after maceration. The wine is aged 12 months in tonneaux with 6+ months aging in the bottle. Deep ruby colored with beautiful aromatics of juicy, ripe black cherries. Medium bodied and nicely balanced with juicy cherry notes with great sapidity. ABV 14.5% SRP $30 

The 2019 Villa Rosa Chianti Classico Gran Selezione DOCG is also made from 100% Sangiovese. Maria, the enologist, expressed how this estate is in the middle of cypress woods and how the wildflowers and broom influence the vineyards and the wines. This wine is aged 12 months in oak casks and spends 12 months in cement plus 6+ months in the bottle. Deep ruby colored with a perfumed nose, bright black cherry with spice. Medium-bodied and dry on the palate with sour cherry and silky tannin. My pick from the Villa Rosa selection. ABV 14% SRP $70 

The personality of the Cecchi labels demonstrate a “balance between innovation and tradition, along with the unique characteristics of the vintage”.  Today the Cecchi estates produce 8.5 million bottles grown over 830 acres of vineyards.  

Pairing Chianti Classico with Food

Usually if I'm going to enjoy my favorite grape Sangiovese I'll tend to pair it with a red sauce based pasta dish or with beef.  Since I don't have the access to wild boar, one of my favorite Tuscan specialties, or even the known fiorentina bistecca, I had to settle for some grilled steak tips.  

I also wanted to make something light for these warm days that may also pair well with Chianti Classico and looked into some typical Tuscan dishes.  That's when I realized I had never made panzanella before.  Panzanella, also called panmole, is basically a dish I've pretty closely created a dozen times with a variety of different additions throughout the years.  It's a Tuscan based salad made with dried bread, ripe tomatoes and a oil and vinegar based dressing.  You can add some cucumbers as well like I did and usually top it off with some fresh basil.  Since I grew my garden from seeds this year it's taking my basil a little while to become an herb I can use in cooking, but I had made some homemade basil recently so I decided to add some of that into the dish.  The perfect summertime meal when you just need something light and not too heavy.

To be honest the array of Chianti Classico went well with both dishes.  I can always enjoy a Chianti Classico on it's own, but these wines weren't too heavy or too tannic to not pair well with the panzanella and I couldn't complain about it's natural pairing with the steak tips.  What are some of your favorite Chianti Classico pairings?

You can shop on Wine.com in support of Vino Travels and find a variety of Cecchi wines to try for yourself.

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*These wines were provided as samples, but opinions are always my own.  Importers: Volio Imports and Terlato Wines