Bindi Sergardi I Colli Chianti Classico Riserva 2018

Bindi Sergardi is paramount to royalty in Tuscany – as the family has built villages and governed the republics of central Italy as far back as 1349! That they also make killer wines – including this 94 POINT beauty of a Chianti Classico – seems like a bonus. This is top-notch juice that MUST be tasted!

This powerful expression of Siena is 100% sangiovese, grown on hillside plots that rest a solid 350 meters above sea level. This high-elevation site, which nevertheless rests only about 20 miles from the sea, makes for a place of perfect extremes – warm days that warm the limestone soils in the vineyard, tempered by cool nights where the ocean breeze climbs the undulating slopes throughout the estate. The resulting wine is complex, dark, and layered – showcasing an almost brooding side of Chianti Classico that yet remains harmoniously balanced, with acidity and minerality harnessing the powerfully rich fruits and heady spice notes. Tasted blind, it’d be easy to mistake this for a top-flight Brunello di Montalcino – and with this Riserva seeing additional time in both barrel and bottle prior to release – the demarcation blurs even further.

Anyway you slice it, this is a noble and beautifully structured Chianti Classico – and one that boasts plenty of years of development ahead of it. We love the deep black cherry and plum notes, with an almost Bordeaux-esque graphite note, and plenty of roasted sage, pipe tobacco, and woodsy spice. The intensity is uplifted and integrated with a burst of blood orange, and crisp, clean acidity that cleanses the palate in advance of the next sumptuous sip. This is as powerful a Chianti as you’ll find anywhere, and when you consider the pedigree – this is an absolute steal compared to the Brunellos of similar stature. Without question, this is foundational Chianti at its best!

Back in the mid-1300s, the Bindi Sergardi family led an army that defeated the Aretines and, as such, were installed as governors of the Republic. As they have for 600+ years, they continue to farm grapes, olives, and animals on their landholdings. Their Tenuta I Colli estate has been in the family for 23 generations – as it was the family that built the village surrounding the estate back in the 1400s. Situated on the border of three of Siena's most important denominations, this estate makes wines for Chianti, Chianti Chianti Colli Senesi (in the Monteriggioni area), and here, with this Chianti Classico from the Vagliagli area. This might just be the best Chianti Classico we’ve ever had from this fantastic estate. At our tempting price of over 45% off...this is a good one to go big on...and drink with delight over the next 7-10 years!

PAIRING IDEAS: Alright...no angry letters from my Italians out there...but this wine would be PERFECT with Birria Tacos. Yes, tacos. Beef slowly braised in a richly spiced (but not spicy) broth to fall-apart tender, then fashioned into a taco – in a corn tortilla dipped in the jus and fried, with melty cheese, too. And then, then, dipped in that same jus for each succulent bite? C’mon, you know you want it.