2018 Castello di Volpaia Chianti Classico Casanova Il Puro
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This is 100% Sangiovese made in a limited release of 1,900 bottles. The Volpaia 2018 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Casanova Il Puro is an organic wine in a pretty bottle with a red wax seal. The fruit is soft and round in this vintage with plenty of cherry, dried raspberry, spice and sweet leather. With fruit from sandstone soils, the finished wine undergoes 18 months in Allier French barrique. It boasts a full-bodied texture but ends on a silky note.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
From 60-year-old Sangiovese vines at 1,470 feet of elevation in Radda, the 2018 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Il Puro is profound and potent with kirsch, crushed roses, and fresh leather. Full-bodied, with a fresh lift of acidity and ripe and structured tannins, it reveals a long and warming spice that is lasting, with notes of cedar, blackberry, and toast. Allow a few years for this to integrate and open and drink 2025-2045. Located just to the north of Radda, Volpaia is a walled village dating back to the 12th century. The estate owns 46 hectares of vines, at elevations between 450 and 600 meters above sea level. As a founding member of the Chianti League (Lega del Chianti) in 1250, they have been associated and included in the territory of Radda. The ownership and operations are run today by Carlo Mascheroni and Giovannella Stianti Mascheroni along with their children, Nicolo and Federica. Lorenzo Regoli has held the position as winemaker and vineyard manager since 2000, having previously worked at Livia Felluga in Friuli in the northeast.
The 2018 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Il Puro comes across as dried out and lacking in freshness, fruit and overall complexity. This can’t be a Gran Selezione. The pedigree and quality just aren’t there.