2011 Podere Il Palazzino Chianti Classico Grosso Sanese Riserva 750 ml

A Chianti in the Vanguard  

Antonio Galloni hit the nail on the head when he called the Sderci family’s 2011 Podere Il Palazzino Grosso Sanese Chianti Classico Riserva “one of Italy’s under the radar gems.” But he didn’t stop there. The world’s foremost Italian wine expert added a 92- to 94-point score to the 2011, along with a few choice descriptors, calling it “extraordinarily finessed,” “ripe and powerful,” with “striking freshness.” After all the press we feared our allocation would get cut in half, but the Sdercis held true to their word.

In the 19th century, the Sderci family purchased a 50-acre farm outside of Monti in Chianti. Nearly a century later, Alessandro and Andrea Sderci took control of Podere il Palazzino, and began an incredible renaissance.

Over the course of the last two decades, as their neighbors continued to cultivate Cabernet Sauvignon, Andrea and Alessandro grafted their Cabernet vines back to Sangiovese, a decision that raised more than a few eyebrows at first. But as the years passed, and the critics — led by the world’s most revered Italian wine expert, Antonio Galloni — discovered the Burgundian richness and floral elegance of Il Palazzino Grosso Sanese, few questioned the family’s direction any more.

The 2011 Podere Il Palazzino Chianti Classico Grosso Sanese Riserva is what world-class Chianti is all about — but rarely is. Far more akin to Premier Cru red Burgundy than anything Tuscan not made by Isole e Olena, Fontodi, or Felsina, we decanted the bottle 45 minutes before serving. Only then did the fireworks really begin.