Wenlock Cellars
San Felice Il Grigio Riserva, Chianti Classico DOCG 2021
San Felice Il Grigio Riserva, Chianti Classico DOCG 2021
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A classic style of Chianti Riserva which sets the standard for San Felice's estate wines - seemlessly combining plush generous fruit with a traditional style and structure.
Production
Il Grigio is made from a selection of the best Sangiovese grapes from the Chianti Classico vineyards on the San Felice estate near Siena. The vineyards are at 350/400m altitude, with mostly limestone and loam soils. The must is fermented on the skins for 18-20 days at 28-30 degrees C. This is followed by malolactic fermentation in stainless steel vats. 80% of the wine is matured in Slavonian oak botte (60/90 Hl) for 18-24 months, while the remaining 20% is aged in French oak barriques. The wine then spends 6 months in bottle.
Tasting notes
A nose of redcurrants and blackberries with savoury tobacco notes. The textured palate has dense rich fruit with layers of black cherry, bramble and spice. A fine and complex red with juicy acidity balancing supple tannins, and well-integrated oak giving a long and savoury finish.
Food match
Excellent with grilled lamb, or roast duck or goose.
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ABV
13.5%
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Bottle Size
75cl
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Region/Country
Toscana, Italy
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Grape
Sangiovese 100%
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Features
Sustainable
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Closure
Cork
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Winemaker
Leonardo Bellaccini
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Appellation
Chianti Classico DOCG
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Allergen info
Contains sulphites and no other allergens
Meet the Producer
An outstanding Tuscan winery that has pioneered key developments in the Chianti Classico region for the last 40 years.
Based in Castelnuovo Berardenga, around 30 miles south-east of Florence and at the southern end of the Chianti Classico zone, this reputable estate includes 140 hectares of vineyard, a cellar, around 17,000 olive trees, and a village with a prestigious hotel complex. Winemaker Leonardo Bellaccini crafts a portfolio of wines which is highly regarded and multi award-winning - classic expressions of high quality Sangiovese.
This is a pioneering winery - producing the fore-runner to the Supertuscans, Vigorello (the first wine in the Chianti Classico region produced using solely red grapes) in the late 1960s. This was followed by the introduction of Poggio Rosso in the 1970s (the first example of a Chianti Classico 'Cru'), and then by its partnership with the Universities of Florence and Pisa in the 1980s. At a time when other estates were focusing on international varieties, this partnership led to the development of its Vitiarium, or experimental vineyard, where it has cultivated and studied indigenous grape varieties (such as Pugnitello) for over 30 years. San Felice was also amongst the first Chianti Classico estates to produce a 'Gran Selezione' wine - a new classification introduced as the top quality tier for wines in the region - with the inaugural 2010 vintage.
San Felice lies adjacent to its sister property, Villa la Pagliaia - and has an additional estate, Campogiovanni, in Montalcino.
A Note on Sustainability
In 2022, San Felice obtained an Equalitas ‘Sustainable Organisation’ accreditation for their vineyards, winery/cellar and bottling facility. This is an Italian scheme that promotes sustainability across the wine supply chain, creating a globally recognised sustainable quality model that is based on three fundamental pillars: environmental, social and economic.
As part of this, San Felice undertake various initiatives, which include terracing and the constant analysis of the flora and microfauna in the vineyards which help preserve the soil by limiting its erosion; sustainable management of the vineyards thanks to “precision viticulture” allowing ad hoc treatments and pruning for each plant, leading to a lower environmental impact and a higher quality of the product; the construction of a new purification plant serving the cellar and all other buildings on the site which has allowed sustainable water management, through a very sophisticated and automated purification process; and the investment in photovoltaics which has allowed them to generate 100% of their electricity requirements.
San Felice have always paid great attention to the biodiversity of grape varieties: with the experimentation started in the Vitiarium, hundreds of varieties have been planted and studied for over thirty years, to avoid the loss of their genetic heritage and for the precious contribution they can give to the diversity of our vineyards.
