Chianti Classico is the historical centre in the heart of the Chianti region of Tuscany. Chianti itself is an enormous and diverse region, so the styles of wine made from the Sangiovese grape tend to vary considerably. Heading to Chianti Classico we find ourselves at slightly higher altitude, enclosed by woodland and mountains… so in some way you could say it’s a genuine, ‘Italian’ cool climate region.
Monte Bernadi is a family wine producer from the village of Panzano. The vineyards are farmed both organically and bio-dynamically and winemaking is carried out in a very traditional way… so no new oak barrels, instead the wines are given a good amount of time to mature in large format casks before they are released – allowing the structure, flavour and components of the wines to slowly blend/knit beautifully.
Generosity and approachability are the favourite qualities of the Sangiovese grape for owner Michael Schmelzer, and he believes that by going ‘in reverse – Retromarcia,’ from a wine-making perspective, you can produce beautifully expressive wines that best represent the region of Chianti and showcase these qualities of Sangiovese.
‘The wine leads with fragrant notes of cherries and red fruits with enticing herbal aromas of rosemary and thyme. On the palate it is soft, juicy, bursting to gorgeous red fruits. It’s charming, elegant and immediately enjoyable.