Chianti Classico Granaio
Chianti Classico Granaio, produced since 1969, is an authentic expression of the freshness and elegance of wines from the heart of Tuscany. This wine combines the centuries-old tradition of the region’s wine production with modern winemaking techniques.
Situated on one of the highest hills, at 360m, Podere Granaio stretches between Castellina in Chianti and San Donato in Poggio. Due to its height, the village of Granaio has always been the point of reference for the surrounding estates.
Granaio is a true Chianti village whose first records date back to the end of the 1500s, when it appears in a Florentine document ‘Piante di popoli e strade’ (Maps of peoples and streets). Its origin is certainly older, as it served as a defensive tower.
Vineyards are 300-400 metres above sea level with well exposed soils. Podere Granaio is characterised by very rocky, skeletal soil. Alberese, which is its main composition, is a calcareous marl that is very difficult to cultivate. The parcels of vineyards alternate with forest formed by cypresses, holm oaks and arbutus trees.
The vines here, in order to obtain the necessary nourishment, are forced to sink their roots deep into the rock, giving balanced wines with a tasty tannic texture. It means that even in difficult, drought years the Sangiovese Grosso grapes do not to suffer.
Sangiovese Grosso is a natural mutation of the more common Sangiovese grape, its name, “Grosso,” refers to the larger size of its berries than standard Sangiovese. Considered to be superior to the other Sangiovese grapes ,and late to ripen, it is used for traditionally powerful,long lived and slow maturing wines, the most important of all is Brunello di Montalcino.
The grapes are carefully harvested as whole clusters at the right degree of ripeness with a few days of pre-fermentative cold maceration on the skins. Traditional red wine vinification partly in steel tanks and partly in concrete tanks. Fermentation takes place with native yeasts with frequent pumping over to enhance the floral bouquet and elegance. A part of the wine remains in contact with the skins for several months.
After racking, the wine undergoes malolactic fermentation in 20 and 40 hl barrels. Subsequent ageing continues in barrels, which provide harmony and softness.
Deep ruby colour; an intense, complex nose of cherry, bramble and hedgerow fruits with discrete notes of vanilla and spice from the oak ageing. A medium light body and attractive palate is smooth, creamy and persistent; with well-defined and dry tannins evident on the chewy leather and tobacco finish.
Recommended cellaring: 6 years.
Food pairing: Ideal to accompany traditional dishes of Tuscan and Italian cuisine, such as pasta with ragù, roast and grilled meats, mature cheeses.
About the Producer
Poderi Melini
Dating from its foundation in 1705 Melini has a long tradition; deeply rooted in Tuscan culture, focused on promotion of Chianti.
Today Melini own 556ha in the Chianti and Chianti Classico district. Within their estate, farms with famous names such as Granaio, San Lorenzo, Bonorli, Coltri and Poggio a’ Rosi can be found.
In 1705, about three decades before the end of Medici rule and 11 years before Grand Duke Cosimo III’s 1716 notice defining the boundaries of the Chianti production area, the Florentine Melini family, wealthy Val di Sieve entrepreneurs, decided to begin winegrowing – producing Vermiglio, a classic red Tuscan table wine. In order to trade, Melini strove to solve the problems of preservation and transport:
- From the outset Melini was at the forefront in the use of technology. As early as 1830 the wine was heated for a few minutes at 50 °C. In other words, it was pasteurized using an innovative stabilization process of the time, which Louis Pasteur described in his Etudes sur les vins of 1866
- In 1860 Adolfo Laborel Melini adopted for their bottles the “fiasco strapeso” – the ubiquitous straw flask. Soon joined by the neighbouring house of Ruffino, this allowed Chianti wine to reach Italian and foreign markets more safely and easily.
Melini’s Gaggiano winery is based in the Chianti Classico hills, at 300m. Next to the original ancient block, a modern four-floor cellar was built on the hillside between 1970 and 1974. It was designed to put in place separate production for each vineyard, an apply the cru technique. All winemaking processes, from the drying rooms to barrel ageing and bottling, are undertaken using specific techniques that pursue the quality philosophy.
Winemaker Alessandro Zanette was born in 1983 in Sacile (Pordenone), graduating with top marks in Oenology from the University of Padua in 2006. He arrived at the Gaggiano winery in 2007.
