Monsanto’s 1982 Chianti Classico Riserva Il Poggio is wine I could spend an entire day contemplating. The aromas and flavors meld together seamlessly as this powerful yet graceful wine flows from the glass. Vibrant red cherries, tobacco and spices come to life in a beautiful expression of the Il Poggio vineyard. This wine spent two and half years in cask. The tannins remain firm, and suggest at least another decade of glorious drinking lies ahead. The 1982 Il Poggio is a re-release directly from the estate. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2018.My recent visit to Castello di Monsanto was memorable. In addition to the current releases, I had a chance to taste a few older vintages of the estate’s benchmark Chianti Classico Riserva Il Poggio. Monsanto is one of the small handful of estates to have kept a vast library of its past vintages, a few of which it re-releases every year to select customers. Needless to say, in today’s world of highly suspect collectible wines, the chance to buy impeccably stored older vintages of unquestioned provenance is a huge service to consumers. Kudos to proprietor Laura Bianchi and oenologist Andrea Giovannini. These are simply beautiful wines. Although Monsanto’s Chiantis are impressive, readers should not overlook the Nemo (Cabernet Sauvignon) which is stunning in both 2003 and 2004. Here the use of French oak seems to be much better suited to the grape, and the wines are breathtaking. Nemo is made from the Il Mulino vineyard, which was planted in 1976.Importer: Moet Hennessy USA, New York, NY; tel. (212) 251-8200