2019 Rodano - Chianti Classico DOCG Vigna Viacosta

Fattoria Rodano sits atop a high hill in Castellina in Chianti, along an unpaved stretch of the old Via Chiantigiana that pilgrims once followed on their way to Rome. The property has produced wine since the sixteenth century and today farms its vineyards organically under the stewardship of the Pozzesi family, whose traditional approach to Sangiovese has been shaped in part by the legacy of famed Tuscan winemaker Giulio Gambelli.

Vigna Viacosta is a single-vineyard Riserva made entirely from Sangiovese grown in the amphitheater-shaped Viacosta parcel, hand harvested and fermented with native yeasts. The wine is aged for roughly three years in large neutral botte before a further year settling in cement, a long, patient regimen intended to build depth and complexity while keeping the fruit's character intact.

The 2019 is dark and expansive, delivering masses of black cherry, gravel, scorched earth, licorice, and baking spice, with a persistent, tertiary-leaning nose that keeps unfolding in the glass. Tannins are still firm and demanding, framed by fresh acidity that promises a long life ahead. Serve it with Florentine steak or a plate of lamb chops.