This is King of theChiantis.Made with 100% sangiovese grapes from a single vineyard located in Panzano,planted inancient soils within the famed Chianti Classico wine district, just south of Florence. The Rignana familycombine thousands of years oftraditional vinification methods with modern techniques to give this wine great depth and elegance.

These grapes are hand-picked in October, spend 21 days in stainless steel vats, and are then transferred to large barrels for 30 months. They only produce 5,300 bottles per year of this special and rare wine. This wine deserves respect! So, be prepared todecant and let the wine sit for severalhoursprior to drinking.

It is a very full bodied wine,not like your typical mid weight Chianti. When youpour thiswine, from thatfirst drop the intense red colour is like seeing a rainbow for the first time. You just cannot take your eyes off it. This is an outstanding example of Chianti and is a visceral tasting experience. Imagine the smells as you walk through an Italian grocery store: at the entrance theres a bowl of preserved sour cherries. You walk under bunches of dried oregano, past a wall of dark, aromatic balsamic vinegar, then past a counter where dry salami is being sliced. At the bar, dark espresso is dripping into a cup. A whisper of sweet tobacco wafts in the door from the pipe of the old man outside. This Chianti smells and tastes like Italy.

The food matching we did with this was just spot on! Venison with a cranberry red wine sauce (click for recipe). Venison is not a commonly eaten meat in Australia but is very popular in Italy and the gaminess of this meat and the sweetness of the cranberry red wine sauce was out of this world. This wine already has some age to it, but you could cellar for another 20years if you can keep your hands off it!