Santa Margherita Chianti Classico 2016

Molly Amoli Shinhat reviewed this wine as follows:

A medium ruby, it boasts a heady nose. This Chianti gives smoke, tar, violets, and spice, notably vanilla. On the palate, it's a dark, complex ensemble of dark chocolate, dark cherries, currants, charred wood, and earth, all wrapped in high tannin and food-friendly acidity. This wine blends Sangiovese (85%) with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot (15%). At 13.5% a.b.v., it's bone dry at 4 g/l residual sugar, and finishes long.

The ripeness, further developed by aging and balanced by robust acidity, comes from being able to leave the grapes longer on the vine for flavours to develop and ripen. That's because the vineyards are high altitude. They're 1,150 – 1,800 ft above sea level in the Tuscan hills.

Under Italian wine law, the quintessential black rooster label certifies the wine comes from the original region where Chianti was produced, and the DOCG certification indicates this wine stands at the highest quality level produced in Italy.

In the 1930s, Count Gaetano Marzottofell breathed life into a dilapidated, abandoned piece of land. It was used by Ancient Romans who cultivated vines there. When he searched for a name for his winery, brushing the soil from his hands, he closed his eyes against the Tuscan sun. He found the name where it'd been all along - in his heart.

His true love and his wife, Margherita.

Pairs beautifully with Tuscan cuisine, BBQ, and vegetarian lasagna.