Tolaini Valdisanti Toscana 2016
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Youthful, rich dark fruit, berry and cassis aromas meld with notable French oak spice. On the palate, Valdisanti is full-bodied with deep but reserved fruit flavors framed by rich oak. The excellent balance of fruit intensity with fine tannins indicates a cellar-worthy wine.
Blend: 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Sangiovese, 5% Cabernet Franc
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Tolaini makes some of the best wines in Chianti Classico and specifically in the sun-kissed Castelnuovo Berardenga appellation. From a classic vintage, the 2016 Valdisanti is made from Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese and Cabernet Franc grapes all sourced from the estate's Tenuta San Giovanni vineyard. The wine is absolutely fantastic on all fronts, with rich and soft fruit that hits all those sensorial pleasure points. It offers ample dark fruit, cherry, spice and dried blackberry.
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James Suckling
A beautiful, juicy young red with currants, berries and hints of walnuts and dried herbs. Full-bodied and chewy. Polished and attractive. Needs time to soften. Better after 2022.
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Wine Spectator
Lean and taut, this red reveals robust tannins wrapped around black cherry, blueberry, earth and tobacco flavors. The tannins have the upper hand now, but time should restore the equilibrium. Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2023 through 2037.
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Pierluigi Tolaini, a native of Tuscany, immigrated to Canada in 1956. He planned to work a few years, make some money, then go back home, buy a farm, marry his high school sweetheart and make some good wine... and not with his feet this time! It took Pierluigi 45 years before he returned with a clear vision of the high quality wine he wanted to make: one of Italy's best, no less. In 1998 he returned to his native land and purchased some of the best land in the region of Chianti Classico in the noted commune of Castelnuovo Berardenga. He constructed, from the roots up, this state-of-the-art winery and brought together the best technology and winemakers to bring to light wines that would be a true expression of this significant region. Pierluigi hired famed enologist Michel Rolland and Tuscan agronomist Andrea Paoletti, who put together a team that share Pierluigi's vision - to make the best wines possible with one vitally unique ingredient - the terroir of Chianti Classico's southern most commune: Castelnuovo Berardenga . A true marriage of tradition and modern technology. The belief in the "best fruit produces the best wine" is the fundamental principal of the Tolaini estate. High density planting per hectare and low yield per plant is a proven strategy worldwide in producing excellent quality fruit. With up to 11,500 plants per hectare in the less hilly vineyards, drip irrigation for each plant, and two green harvests to pre-select the healthiest and most promising bunches on the vine, the Tolaini property produces fruit of unsurpassable quality. This fruit is evident in every mouthful of the estate's four incredible red wines.
Ruggero Mazzilli is Tolaini's consulting agronomist and is based in Gaiole in Chianti where he is the owner and founder of SPEVIS (The Experimental Station for Sustainable Viticulture). Under Ruggero's supervision Panzano in Chianti became the first Bio-Distretto (Organic District) in the world, immediately followed by San Gimignano and Gaiole in Chianti. SPEVIS works with the best scientific research institutes to find new solutions to practical vineyard issues by following the principles of organic agriculture and respectful environmental practices. With Ruggero as part of the team, Tolaini will continue to cultivate the maximum expression of Chianti Classico terroir while farming organically and sustainably.
Like the vineyards surrounding it, the winery at Tolaini Estate is an expression of both old and new. An optical sorter guarantees that only the healthy whole grapes make it into the fermentation vats. The best grapes from each harvest are fermented in open-top fermenters made of French Allier oak (12 units of 4500 liter capacity), a time-proven touch that increases the complexity in the wines. The generous array of tank sizes allows for individual parcels of grapes to be fermented and stored separately. These batches are kept apart through subsequent barrel aging in new French oak before blending. Today Luca D'Attoma is the consulting oenologist and his hand is apparent starting with the 2015 vintage of Tolaini.
Tolaini wines are known internationally for their impeccable quality and incredible taste. With each new vintage they continue to innovate and impress.
Legendary in Italy for its Renaissance art and striking landscape, Tuscany is also home to many of the country’s best red wines. Sangiovese reigns supreme here, as either the single varietal, or a dominant player, in almost all of Tuscany’s best.
A remarkable Chianti, named for its region of origin, will have a bright acidity, supple tannins and plenty of cherry fruit character. From the hills and valleys surrounding the medieval village of Montalcino, come the distinguished and age-worthy wines based on Brunello (Sangiovese). Earning global acclaim since the 1970s, the Tuscan Blends are composed solely of international grape varieties or a mix of international and Sangiovese. The wine called Vine Nobile di Montepulciano, composed of Prognolo Gentile (Sangiovese) and is recognized both for finesse and power.