Notes of ripe berries, plum skins, ground spices and moist earth, following through to a medium body with ripe and supple tannins and vivid fruit character. Crunchy finish. Drink or hold.

The Castello di Meleto 2019 Chianti Classico Riserva (made with 95% Sangiovese and 5% Merlot aged in equal parts French and Slavonian oak) boasts sleek new packaging. With 80,000 bottles produced, this delicate wine shows an easy and transparent quality of fruit with fresh cherry, cassis, earth and spice. This Riserva also shows elegant floral tones over a mid-weight close.

This firm, dense red is smoky and spicy, with a core of cherry and strawberry fruit. As it plays out, the Eastern spices echo on the long finish. Drink now through 2030. 1,700 cases made, 400 cases imported.??–BS??Region: Italy / Chianti Classico Select to Add

From a challenging vintage, the 1998 Chianti Classico Riserva possesses sweet and sour cherry characteristics along with bitter chocolate and underbrush in the background. Made in a medium-bodied, concentrated style with excellent texture and a long finish, it needs to be drunk over the next 4-5 years. Importer: Vias Imports, New York, NY; tel. (212) 629-0200

Simple Chianti Classico, with dried cherry, bark and tobacco character. Medium to light body. Fresh, tart finish. Drink now. 3,850 cases made.??–JS??Region: Italy / Chianti Classico Select to Add