2014 Vintage — Chianti Classico Riserva DOCG, Tuscany

Castello di Radda is based in Radda in Chianti, one of the highest and coolest communes of the Chianti Classico zone, with cellars housed within the village’s medieval castle walls. The vineyards are planted predominantly to Sangiovese on a patchwork of galestro and alberese soils at altitudes of 400–500m, producing wines with bright acidity, fine structure and a marked sense of place.

The Riserva is drawn from selected older-vine parcels and aged around 18 months in a combination of French oak barriques and larger tonneaux before further bottle ageing. The 2014 vintage was a cooler and more challenging year in Tuscany — Chianti Classico fared better than further south, and the wines lean toward elegance, freshness and lifted aromatics rather than power. With over a decade in bottle, the 2014 Riserva is drinking in its prime.