Here's another very interesting wine from Volpaia that has since been moved up to Grand Selezione status. The 2018 Chianti Classico Riserva Coltassala (with 9,000 bottles made) is 95% Sangiovese and 5% Mammolo. Initially, the wine puts forward an elegant and streamlined personality, but it quickly takes on volume with dark fruit layering and sweet spice. This vintage offers an especially focused or sharp personality that bodes well for its future bottle evolution.

The 2013 Chianti Classico Riserva Coltassala is a tame and polished wine that shows an elegant and streamlined disposition. The wine glides cleanly over the palate with bright berry tones followed by wet earth, pressed rose and balsam herb. You get a good sense of the quality of Sangiovese (blended with 5% Mammolo) produced in this vintage. The fruit delivers balanced acidity and great depth. Only 12,000 bottles were produced.

The 2010 Chianti Classico Riserva Coltassala shows a dark and sophisticated side with aromas of dark spice, leather and sweet tobacco leaf. This expression is fragrant and grand (especially in terms of its aromatic delivery) and the mouthfeel is plush and chewy.

The 2009 Chianti Classico Riserva Coltassala delivers a long array of berry tones wrapped within firm tannins and fresh acidity. It shows enormous persistency and an impressive finish that is silky and fresh. Five percent Mammolo is added to Sangiovese. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2022. Castello di Volpaia is one of the banner estates of the Radda in Chianti subzone of Chianti Classico in Siena province. It is managed by the Mascheroni Stianti family: Giovannella, Carlo, Nicolo and Federica. Thanks to high-elevation vineyards, Volpaia’s wines are celebrated for their freshness and finesse. Importer: Wilson Daniels Ltd.; www.wilsondaniels.com

The 2008 Chianti Classico Riserva Coltassala is made from the estate’s best Sangiovese. It possesses gorgeous mid-palate juiciness and lovely overall harmony in a softer, slightly more approachable style than the Riserva. Sweet red cherries, spices, flowers and French oak are some of the notes that wrap around the sweet, polished finish. The Coltassala is 95% Sangiovese and 5% Mammolo that spent 18 months in new French oak. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2023. Volpaia is one of those estates that can only exist in Tuscany. This medieval hamlet is worth a visit from a cultural and historical perspective alone. The wines can be excellent but are also inconsistent. In recent years, the Stianti family has expanded their production with holdings in Maremma. Those wines are still clearly works in progress. Call me a purist, but I would rather see them focus on making the wines from Volpaia great first. The potential is clearly there, it just needs to be realized. Importer: Wilson Daniels Ltd, St. Helena, CA; tel. (707) 963-9661