Antinori Chianti Classico Riserva "Badia A Passignano" DOCG

Badia a Passignano is Chianti Classico's oldest continuously operating wine estate, founded as a Benedictine monastery in 1049. The vineyard sits on the clay-limestone hillsides of Passignano, 300 metres elevation, where morning fog from the Arno valley moderates ripening and preserves acidity in the Sangiovese.

The Riserva designation requires minimum 30 months aging; Antinori's protocol includes fermentation in temperature-controlled stainless steel, followed by 18 months in large Slavonian oak casks (tonneaux), which allows phenolic integration without oak dominance. The wine spends an additional 12 months in bottle before release, building tertiary complexity.

This expression balances the mineral precision of limestone terroir with the structural authority expected of a Riserva-level Sangiovese. The extended oak and bottle aging soften primary fruit into leather, dried cherry, and tobacco leaf.