Villa Antinori Chianti Classico Riserva 2018

This wine sources its fruit from across the Chianti Classico appellation, as Marchesi Antinori has access to parcels throughout the various comuni represented. The 2018 Chianti Classico Riserva Villa Antinori opens to a sweet note of summer cherry and wild plum that is so characteristic of Sangiovese. The wine is shapely and soft with some distant oak spice, blue flower and potting soil. A small part of Merlot is blended in to add that extra plushness that I have described. Production is an ample 378,000 bottles.

This is tight on the palate with cherries and berries and hints of toasted oak and cedar. It’s medium-bodied and compact, with fine tannins and a fresh finish. Lovely fruit at the end. Drink or hold.

Aromas of ripe dark-skinned fruit, warm spice and blue flower mingle with a balsamic whiff of menthol. The firm, medium-bodied palate offers dried black cherry, licorice and a hint of espresso alongside taut, fine-grained tannins. Drink 2021–2027.