1999 Chianti Classico Riserva Il Poggio

Another five-star-rated vintage, the winter preceding 1999 was mild and wet which proved an advantage because the months of July and August were hot with average day temperatures seldom below 28 °C. September saw a little rainfall, which helped the grapes reach perfect ripeness. The wine was fermented in tronconic temperature-controlled stainless steel, without any addition of sulphides. Maceration time of the skin was almost a month compared to 20 days in the past. The wine was aged for 18 months in new and second passage barrique and three months in bottle. 25,000 bottles produced. Youthful mid ruby with just the beginning of orange. Complex, almost heady but classy Sangiovese nose and unusually rich for Il Poggio with noticeable oak notes. Quite backward on the palate but with vibrancy and well balanced. Juicy lifted fruit and clinging tannin. Massive but supportive tannin and with a seemingly never-ending finish. Wow! (WS)

Made from a blend of 90% Sangioveto, 7% Canaiolo and 3% Colorino, it spent 18 months in used French oak barrels. The single-vineyard 1999 Chianti Classico Riserva Il Poggio is another strong effort from this property. It opens with beautiful aromatics followed by deeply expressive notes of leather, spices, mint, tobacco and sweet dark fruit. Made in a big, muscular style, it will benefit from another few years in the bottle which will allow its full range of tertiary nuances to develop. This blend of 90% Sangioveto, 7% Canaiolo and 3% Colorino was aged in new and used French oak barrels for 18 months.

Made from a blend of 90% Sangioveto, 7% Canaiolo and 3% Colorino, it spent 18 months in used French oak barrels. The single-vineyard 1999 Chianti Classico Riserva Il Poggio is another strong effort from this property. It opens with beautiful aromatics followed by deeply expressive notes of leather, spices, mint, tobacco and sweet dark fruit. Made in a big, muscular style, it will benefit from another few years in the bottle which will allow its full range of tertiary nuances to develop. This blend of 90% Sangioveto, 7% Canaiolo and 3% Colorino was aged in new and used French oak barrels for 18 months. Anticipated maturity: 2009- 2019. This is a lovely set of releases from Castello di Monsanto, one of Chianti Classico's most historically important estates. Proprietor Fabrizio Bianchi was at the forefront of many innovations that later became standard practice. In the early 1960s Monsanto pioneered the concept of the single-vineyard wines, and its Il Poggio is credited as being the first such Chianti Classico. In the years that followed Bianchi removed the traditional white varietals from the Chianti blend, years before other producers followed suit. Today Monsanto makes wines in a slightly more updated style that remains very much connected to the past, and most importantly, to its unique terroir. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2013. Importer: Moet Hennessy USA, New York, NY; tel. (212) 251-8200