The Story
The Cafaggio Single Estate Chianti Classico DOCG 2015 is a $9.89 Costco wine. That is a Chianti Classico with five years of age from one of the original Chianti villages in Tuscany.
In Chianti there are three main subdivisions, Chianti Classico is the original and is centered around 5 villages, the Cafaggio is located near the village of Panzano. Then there is Chianti, which is also DOCG designated, for the most part, it is a newer region and has less strict rules and regulations. Then there is Chianti Superiore which is taken from select sections of Chianti Classico.
You can tell a Chianti Classico wine by the black rooster on the next of the bottle. The Chianti Classico region has been around since the early 1700s. Villa Cafaggio is a very good producer, virtually their entire line-up of Chianti wines have received at least 90 points by one of the better wine magazines.
The Cafaggio Single Estate Chianti Classico 2015 is 100% Sangiovese and was aged in Slavonian oak barrels for 12 months. Slavonian oak is the same species as French oak and gives off similar oak influence. American oak and French oak are two different oak species.
After the one year in oak barrels, this Chianti needed an additional 4 years of bottle age to find its balance. This tells you that the winemaking process is going to be very different from $10 Red wines from California where the wine is produced to come together quicker. The alcohol content is 13%.
Cafaggio Single Estate Chianti Classico Tasting Notes
The color is a dark, barely see-thru raspberry jam red with black highlights. This does not have the aroma of a ten buck wine, it is not all ripe fruit and spice, it is dark and brooding. There is cola mixed with spice, blackberry, chocolate, pepper, sautéed mushroom, chocolate mint patty candy.
This is an easy-going Chianti, smooth upfront with a lot of action on the mid-palate. It tastes of ripe blackberry, black pepper, slightly sharp spice, and plum.
The mid-palate offers soft and sweet blueberry, exotic spice, orange zest, rounded black cherry, and a brush of dusty tannins. The five years of age did its job, this is a well-integrated Chianti Classico, the flavors are very distinct.
The Summary
- Should you buy the Cafaggio Single Estate Chianti Classico 2015?
- This is the kind of wine the Cheapwinefinder lives for, a Chianti Classico from the original villages with 5 years of age and it sells for under $10, of course, you want to give this wine a try.
- It does not matter if you love Sangiovese or Chianti or not, this is a wine that anyone who is on a wine journey should give try.
