Delaware Store
Bolgheri Rosso Felciaino Azienda Agricola Chiappini 2022 DE
Tasting Notes: The blend of grapes is pure Left Bank Bordeaux, but the wine is remarkably, insistently Tuscan, with black currants, amarena cherries, incense, and rosemary moving in and out of t... he foreground, sometimes alternating with fresh white tobacco, balsam fir, black licorice, and a beautifully integrated component of oak that comes from the mix of new and used barriques, as the nose evolves in the glass.On the palate, the wine is spectacular: juicy and opulent, with a dense sweet core of brambly black fruit seasoned with crushed peppercorns, eucalyptus, and mint, all perfectly framed in sleek, graceful, micro fine-grained tannins. Read More
-
Giovanni Chiappini’s parents came to this region from Le Marche in the 1950s. At the time, there were very few wineries in Bolgheri—most families were polyculture farmers, who had vegetable gardens, orchards, pasture land and vineyards (so the family had a little wine to drink). Giovanni grew up in this farming tradition, and over the past four decades has built his estate into one of Bolgheri’s top producers of fine wines.There are fifteen hectares of vines at Chiappini, which have been farmed organically since 2010. The farm has a privileged location in the heart of the northern part of the Bolgheri DOC, butting up against the Boschi di Bolgheri to the east, where you’ll find the vineyards of its famous neighbor, Ornellaia.
-
Tuscany's influence on viticulture has been profound and indelible. Etruscan artifacts and the fossilized remains of indigenous vinifera rootstock indicate an advanced wine culture as far back as 800 BC. Their methods profoundly influenced the Romans, whose tenacity spread them throughout most of the Mediterranean and as far north as the Rhine. Rome's penchant for agricultural inventiveness refined the Etruscan techniques (mostly how vines were best pruned and trained) and set the stage for succeeding developments in the wine trade. This small DOC in coastal Tuscany is relatively new, having been first declared in 1983. This initially covered only white and rosé wines, but was modified in 1994 to recognize that the internationally famous red wines produced in the area (sold, at the time under “Vini da Tavola,” but known in the market as “Super Tuscan”) should be recognized by their geographic origin. White wines are produced from Vermentino, Sauvignon Blanc, and Viognier in varying proportions. Red wines are produced from Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Syrah, and Sangiovese. They may be “mono-varietal” from the Cabernets and Merlot, or blends of all in varying proportion.
-
A "Left Bank Bordeaux Blend" can be comprised of varying percentages of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and (though more rare) Petit Verdot. The blend can vary, depending on where the wine is produced, and the quantity of each variety grown in a producer's vineyard. Also, the exact amount of a variety used can be adjusted to develop the best blend in any given vintage, so there is not a standard recipe.
-
