Pagliarese Chianti Classico Riserva 2018

Perfectly nestled in Chianti between the two now-famous wineries Felsina and Castell’in Villa, it was Pagliarese who drew all the talk in Chianti throughout the 1960’s and 70’s. The historic estate was widely considered the best producer in all of Chianti – before some ill-timed investments and money problems in the late 80’s caused the winery to fall off and eventually forced the family to sell.

But according to Italian wine expert Antonio Galloni, tasting the 2018 CC Riserva “is like stepping back in time thirty years.” I guess that means they’re back.

Felsina had always pined after the unique wines crafted right next door – always failing to live up to their neighbor’s opulent expression of Sangiovese. So when Pagliarese came up for sale, they swooped in. It was then that they discovered the secret.

Even though it was just a stone’s throw away, the two soils couldn’t have been further apart. The rich sandy, volcanic soil deep beneath the vineyards of Pagliarese is the secret weapon in crafting rich, age-worthy Sangiovese. But Felsina didn’t become the toast of Chianti by sitting on their laurels.

For the last two decades, Pagliarese’s fruit was the unsung hero in Felsina’s wine program– their Chianti Classico helping propel the famous winery to even greater heights. But that changed in 2015, when the Poggialis decided to resurrect their neighbors’ signature wine under the Pagliarese name.

Pagliarese is firmly on the radar of all the top critics once again. Italian wine critic, Antonio Galloni bestowed a 93-point score on the wine, a full 3 points higher than he gave the Chianti Classico, raving that the wine is “dense, super expressive with tons of character.” Wine Spectator’s former Italian Chief Editor, James Suckling chimed in with a huge 93-pt score of his own.