Gabbiano Cavaliere d'Oro Chianti Classico Riserva 2015
-
Panel
Tasting -
Spectator
Wine - Decanter
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
The Chianti Classico Riserva has a deep, ruby red color, opening with lovely red fruity notes and hints of strawberries, citrus and tobacco. These same flavors extend to the fruit-filled palate, with additionally earthy and spicy notes. A classic and elegant expression of our Chianti Classico terrior, the wine is supported by firm tannins and balanced by fresh acidity with good complexity.
Pair this Chianti Classico Riserva with roasted red meats, game with rich sauces, aged cheeses and more.
Blend: 95% Sangiovese and 5% Merlot.
Professional Ratings
-
Tasting Panel
Ripe and bright roses and cherries unite on the nose. White-peppered cranberries arrive on the first sip, with red tea and cinnamon surging forth on a lengthy flow. Juicy cherry and dried floral tones enter mid-palate, where they’re lit up with gorgeous acidity and intriguing savory qualities—dried oranges plus an echo of new leather—that persist.
-
Wine Spectator
An alluring young Chianti Classico, with all the components in the right proportions. Features ample cherry, plum and berry fruit, with iron, earth and tobacco flavors and a firm, dense structure. Excellent length. Sangiovese and Merlot. Best from 2022 through 2036.
-
Decanter
The third-largest estate in Chianti Classico after Castello di Brolio and Antinori, Castello di Gabbiano assembles this Riserva from its oldest vineyards. Aged predominantly in large oak casks with a small portion of new French barriques, this shows some upfront mint and chocolate then makes room for plum and savoury dried tomato. It has great density on the palate without being too heavy, and the tannins are supple and polished.
Other Vintages
2018-
Spectator
Wine - Vinous
-
Suckling
James
-
Suckling
James -
Enthusiast
Wine
Among Italy's elite red grape varieties, Sangiovese has the perfect intersection of bright red fruit and savory earthiness and is responsible for the best red wines of Tuscany. While it is best known as the chief component of Chianti, it is also the main grape in Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and reaches the height of its power and intensity in the complex, long-lived Brunello di Montalcino. Somm Secret—Sangiovese doubles under the alias, Nielluccio, on the French island of Corsica where it produces distinctly floral and refreshing reds and rosés.
One of the first wine regions anywhere to be officially recognized and delimited, Chianti Classico is today what was originally defined simply as Chianti. Already identified by the early 18th century as a superior zone, the official name of Chianti was proclaimed upon the area surrounding the townships of Castellina, Radda and Gaiole, just north of Siena, by Cosimo III, Grand Duke of Tuscany in an official decree in 1716.
However, by the 1930s the Italian government had appended this historic zone with additonal land in order to capitalize on the Chianti name. It wasn’t until 1996 that Chianti Classico became autonomous once again when the government granted a separate DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita) to its borders. Ever since, Chianti Classico considers itself no longer a subzone of Chianti.
Many Classicos are today made of 100% Sangiovese but can include up to 20% of other approved varieties grown within the Classico borders. The best Classicos will have a bright acidity, supple tannins and be full-bodied with plenty of ripe fruit (plums, black cherry, blackberry). Also common among the best Classicos are expressive notes of cedar, dried herbs, fennel, balsamic or tobacco.