Chianti Classico Riserva (1966)

About this wine

This is a Sangiovese based Chianti Classico Riserva with a small component of Canaiolo Nero, reflecting the estate tradition at Badia a Coltibuono. The wine opens with aromas of cherry liqueur, wild berries, and flower petals, followed by herbal and balsamic hints. On the palate it shows medium to full body with lively acidity, firm but ripe tannins, and flavors of black cherry, dried plum, liquorice and a touch of dark chocolate. Fermentation is carried out with indigenous yeasts and the must typically spends around three weeks on the skins before aging for about 24 months in large casks of French and Austrian oak. The estate is historic and practices organic viticulture, and the Riserva is made from selected parcels and further bottle aged before release, which gives the wine its concentration and structure.

About the grape

Sangiovese is the backbone of this Chianti Classico, a Tuscan grape with roots in the region for centuries and planted at Badia a Coltibuono on hillside soils of calcareous clay and at about 260 to 370 meters above sea level using old local clones that the estate tends organically. Canaiolo Nero is the traditional supporting red in Chianti blends, historically added in small percentages to soften tannin and add fruit and floral lift, and Badia a Coltibuono keeps it in the vineyard to preserve those classic roles. At this estate both varieties are hand tended with careful pruning and site specific management, vines farmed organically since the 1990s and harvested by hand to select ripeness for long maceration and ageing regimes employed for the Riserva. The continued use of native Sangiovese clones together with historic varieties like Canaiolo Nero reflects the winerys focus on local continuity and traditional Chianti Classico blending practices.

Quick facts

• ⛪ Badia a Coltibuono was a medieval abbey founded by Vallombrosan monks in 1051, so your bottle comes from a site with nearly a thousand years of winemaking history
• 👑 The estate has been in the Stucchi Prinetti family since 1846, so a 1966 Riserva sits inside a long family story that preserved old vintages
• 🛢️ Many Coltibuono Riserva bottles from the 1950s to 1970s spent extra decades in large chestnut and oak casks before release, so a 1966 could have been bottled years after the harvest
• 🔒 Coltibuono historically used wax and lead seals on some bottles, a closure practice that helped extraordinary preservation in very old vintages like 1966
• 🌞 The estate sources grapes from warm Monti in Chianti sites that in the 1960s reliably ripened Sangiovese and Canaiolo, giving vintages like 1966 notable ripeness and balsamic notes even in cooler eras

Palate profile

Producer

Badia a Coltibuono, meaning 'Abbey of the Good Harvest,' was founded in 1051 by Vallombrosan monks in Tuscany, Italy. The monks cultivated vineyards and olive groves, continuing agricultural practices dating back to the Etruscans and Romans. After the monastery's suppression in 1810, the estate was acquired in 1846 by the Giuntini family, ancestors of the current owners, the Stucchi Prinetti family. Today, the estate is renowned for its organic wines and olive oils, produced with a commitment to sustainability and tradition.