County Business Clubs’ Wine of the Month May 2023

Frescobaldi Chianti Nipozzano Rufina Riserva DOCG Vintage 2019, chosen by wine expert Michael Yeoman.

This month’s wine of the month comes from one of my favourite wine regions in Italy. It’s called Chianti and is in the region of Tuscany in the mid North West of Italy. The area is stunning with signature Cypress Ttees lining many hillsides. Chianti, as a region, overlaps the DOCG regions of two of my other favourite areas which are widely recognised as some of the finest Italian wines, Brunello di Montalcino and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano.

Frescobaldi’s Chianti Reserva comes from Nipozzano in Rufina, which is a historic wine producing area – one of the most important in Tuscany – located to the north-east of the city of Florence. The first historical evidence of wine production in the Rufina area dates back to the early fifteenth century. Any Chianti to be released as Riserva must be aged for two years before release giving more complexity to the wine.

Wine maker’s tasting notes

Nipozzano 2019 has a vibrant ruby-red colour. The nose presents fruity hints of berries and black cherry, as well as elegant floral notes. The fresh quality provided by the balsamic notes is simply wonderful. These are followed by roasted and spiced notes of pepper, nutmeg and coffee. On the palate, the wine is rich, characterised by the elegant density of the grapes and the mineral freshness of the finish that make it balanced and persistent. The tannins are dense but not abrasive. The taste and smell correspond beautifully.

Michael’s tasting notes and food pairing

For me, four to five years’ aging is ideal for a Chianti Reserva, in terms of balance between fruit and bottle aging. It has lovely taste of characteristic cherries, while other notes such as blackberries and oak come through. It has a light body, medium alcohol at 13% and fresh acidity. Very moorish. It works very well with Trenchmore Sussex Wagyu steak. I will often serve a Chianti well into the summer and ideally have it below room temperature served around 18 degrees with the smokiness from the BBQ. It works equally well with other beef, veal, poultry, haloumi and mushrooms.

Where to buy

This wine is widely available from various supermarkets such as Tesco’s at £15 a bottle, especially well worth a try with your bolognaise!

Written for County Business Clubs Sussex by Michael Yeoman, English Wine Specialist and producer of Spirit of the Downs, artisan award winning local spirits.