Today’s Pour · Tuscany, Italy

A killer closeout on a 93-point Chianti.

Dievole Chianti Classico Petrignano 2021
Castelnuovo Berardenga · 100% Sangiovese · Organic

Wine Spectator

93

Decanter

92

J. Suckling

92

Look what we found, a late-breaking, sensational Chianti Classico from the 2021 vintage! We thought the well had dried up for this once-a-decade harvest but looks like we found one more go-to...at a crazy price.

Talk about a history, it’s hard to fathom this one. From the winery, “Dievole is set in tranquil surroundings, nestled in the beautiful Tuscan hills, long known as a little piece of heaven on Earth. Here the dialogue between Mankind and Nature has never been interrupted, and its very name explains why: In fact, the root of the word Dievole comes from the Italian term “God willing.” or “God willing”. The name Dievole officially appeared for the first time in a contract in which Rodolfino and Vinizio paid two capons, three loaves of bread, and 6 silver Lucca denari for a promise of the divine vineyard. It was on the 10th of May 1090.”

Many generations and over eight centuries later, another contract mentions Dievole. This time it was a wedding gift. Count Giulio Terrosi-Vagnoli gave the Estate, costing 361,632 lire, to his future wife Ildegonda Camaiori, who was to be the last noblewoman of Dievole. She is responsible for an invaluable document that has survived to this day: Dievole’s Ledger of Balances containing all the names of the peasant families at the time, and the name of the holding entrusted to each of them. Many descendants of those families are still here. Since the 1980’s, their age-old wisdom has returned to care for Dievole’s vineyards…all 16 of them.

But just because the property is ancient, the estate was not afraid to go in a new direction. In 2012 they began serious renovation of the estate. The ideal now is to sort of move forward by looking back, in this case creating three single vineyard bottlings from their best sites. All three come from the Monte Morello formation. Monte Morello is the highest peak in the Florentine Valley and each of the three vineyards selected for individual bottling all lie within the range albeit in different soil compositions and microclimates.

Dievole’s vineyards · Chianti Classico, Tuscany

Their Petrignano bottling is from a single parcel in Castelnuovo Berardenga in the far southern reaches of the Chianti Classico zone. The soils here are rich in minerals and consist of a whitish calcareous stone with clay and shale where roots of the vine can touch on limestone bedrock. The deep roots and the low vigor of the vines here yield an expressive and opulent wine that shows the character of an authentic cru. Their 2021, from one of Chianti Classico’s all-time vintages, is their finest version yet.

The 2021 Dievole Chianti Classico Petrignano is, like all Dievole Chiantis, made up of 100% Sangiovese. The vineyard is ICEA Certified Organic, with many farming decisions leaning biodynamic. Everything is done by hand with the fruit going through a strict selection at the cellar door. The grapes are then gently pressed and placed in larger (75hl) concrete eggs. Everything is fermented via native yeasts and these concrete vessels allow the wine to gently churn on its own, negating the need for racking or pump-overs. The goal is gentle extraction and controlled micro-oxygenation.

Speaking of trying new things, the juice then spends 13 months in 41 hl Gamba (same barrel producer as Gaja) casks which are large French oak barrels with extremely tight grain that is only air cured, not fired or toasted. The belief is that without the influence of the toasted wood the wine will express its purest representation of the site. The Petrignano is a lush and silky expression of Chianti Classico. The classic ‘sour cherry’ and red plum fruit is elegant and textured through the midpalate, with ample volume, dusty tannins, hints of sweet earth and tobacco with a finishing aromatic lift. It’s expressive, tender and juicy with a perfectly proportioned lick of fresh acidity elevating at the finish.

Points

93

Wine Spectator says

“Supple and harmonious, this red delivers cherry, raspberry, rose and mineral flavors on an elegant frame. Balanced and fresh, with a lingering aftertaste echoing the fruit and mineral elements.”

Closeout price · While supplies last