Something to Wine About: The 2019 Riserva Ducale Chianti Classico
Red wine fans, take note: The 2019 Riserva Ducale Chianti Classico is not just another Chianti.
Chianti is a wine from the Tuscany region in Italy. It is made predominantly from sangiovese grapes. It is a food wine meant to be able to pair well with a wide variety of dishes. Usually, it is fresh, bright, and on the lighter side for a red wine. So fresh and bright, especially on the finish, that it often times needs food — but not this one.
Cabernet fans, there are certain Chianti wines that might truly surprise you with their fullness, richness, and depth of flavor, and this is one of those wines. You don’t need to have it with food to enjoy the decadent flavors.
The Riserva Ducale has been one of the Ruffino flagship wines since 1927. And though technically we here in the USA weren’t allowed to be drinking it in 1927, it’s easy to see how this wine came to signify excellence in the Chianti region.
For those who love knowing the labor that goes into making a great wine, this Chianti is fermented in stainless steel vats for approximately 16 days. Following that the wine is aged for 24 months; 12 months in large French oak barrels and the rest in concrete tanks. Then it is bottle aged for a minimum of three months. The alcohol content is 14%.
This wine is bold. There are notes of ripe cherry, dark berries, and plums. There are lighter notes of tobacco, clove, and licorice. It does pair well with traditional Italian fare and red meats; it also pairs deliciously with dark chocolate. And it drinks fabulously on its own. You can’t go wrong bringing this wine to a dinner, serving it at a party, or pouring a glass for yourself after a long day. It retails for a respectable $23.99.
