Castello di Meleto, Poggiarso 2019 – Chianti Classico Gran Selezione

The wine has a pale ruby color. The nose offers concentration, depth and gourmandise. It expresses notes of ripe fruit (wild strawberry, raspberry, wild blackberry, red currant jelly, candied sour bigareau cherry, juicy Morello cherry, wild plum, a touch of crème de cassis), associated with notes of sweet spices (toasted vanilla, ground cumin, a hint of nutmeg, licorice), aromatic herbs (dried peppermint, fresh rosemary, bay leaf, dried basil), flowers (dried rose, lily, a touch of peony). There’s also a resinous note of pine sap, leather and fresh tobacco in the background. On the palate, the attack is ample, gourmand and juicy, yet chiseled and fresh, thanks to a firm tannin structure and the tangy, rather than candied, side of the fruit. It expresses flavors of crisp strawberry, wild plum, cranberry, raspberry and fresh cassis, combined with notes of dried herbs (dried thyme, rosemary and bay leaf, a touch of dried basil and peppermint), a resinous touch of pine sap and dried pine needles, flowers (dried rose petals, a hint of peony and lily) and sweet spices (ground cumin, licorice, nutmeg in the background). The finish is persistent, tight, with salivating acidity balancing young, dry tannins, as well as light mineral notes of limestone and graphite, fresh tobacco and leather in the background. A firm, tight wine, but with complexity that should open up with age.