Badia a Coltibuono Chianti Classico Riserva 2015

The Certified Organic 2015 Badia a Coltibuono Chianti Classico Riserva exudes all the natural flavor and goodness one has come to expect in an excellent vintage from this great estate. It is a formidable blend of indigenous grape varieties (90% Sangiovese and 10% Canaiolo, Ciliegiolo, and Colorino) that aptly reflects the hauntingly beautiful landscape of southern Tuscany, at the same time that it recalls all the auspicious attributes of Chianti Classico: breed, charm, nuance, subtlety, and the timeless beauty of the land, all in a solitary glass. Coltibuono’s 2015 Chianti Classico Riserva sports a bright, moderately deep garnet robe that gives way to a richly flavored wine redolent of the scents and savory flavors of black cherry, currant, and pomegranate mingled with hints of tea, tobacco, and the delicate undertones of fragrant woodlands. Elegant, yet firm and scintillating, the 2015 Badia a Coltibuono Chianti Classico Riserva resonates with class and sophistication. Enjoy this Tuscan classic at cool room temperature (60°-62° F) after 30 minutes or more of aeration. Enjoy!

A fine Chianti Classico Riserva, such as the 2015 Badia a Coltibuono Riserva, exudes sophistication and charm to provide the ideal table companion. Meats and vegetables take on a whole new dimension when paired with the 2015 Badia a Coltibuono Chianti Classico Riserva. Some irresistible favorite accompaniments emanate from Lorenza de’Medeci’s own kitchen. Pheasant stuffed with braised vegetables, porcini mushrooms and a hint of truffle, makes a memorable meal and a marriage that will last forever. If pheasant seems a bit too exotic, substitute game hens or other fowl to enjoy this wonderful combination of food and wine. Fine cuts of beef and pork provide other worthy suitors. Classic Tuscan white bean dishes, served with flat Tuscan onion bread and a few slices of hard cheese, will thrill both carnivores and vegetarians and satisfy the soul as well as the stomach. In an even simpler vein, you may want to pair the 2015 Badia a Coltibuono Chianti Classico Riserva with a thinly shaved grilled chicken breast with grilled onions and peppers, melted Havarti cheese, herbs, and basil aioli on grilled focaccia. Buon Appetito!

Badia a Colitbuono is often referred to as the Abbey of Good Culture, an apt description of this splendid medieval and Renaissance wine estate and a well-deserved tribute to one of the world’s finest cooking schools. Assuredly, Badia a Coltibuono is much more than a fine wine estate, it is way of life in which the past and present merge into living history. The home of Piero Stucchi-Prinetti and his wife Lorenza de’Medeci (of The de’Medeci family) and their children, Badia a Coltibuono has come to define the sophistication and taste of Tuscany.

For centuries the great wines estates of Tuscany were not commercial enterprises in the traditional sense. They were first and foremost the country estates of the Tuscan gentry, and in typical Latin fashion their doors remained closed, even to those in the trade. Certainly, these renowned fattorias sold their wares locally and abroad but the thought of opening their family farm to the public was next to unthinkable. In fact, until Piero Stucchi-Prinetti came on the scene, very few Tuscan estates even had a marketing budget let alone a plan to market or educate the world about the treasures of Tuscany: food, wine, and a centuries old cultural heritage that by the 1970s the world was clamoring to know. Consequently, forty years ago, Piero Stucchi-Prinetti and Lorenza de’Medeci embarked upon a new course that has helped usher in the second Italian Renaissance in Tuscany. They threw open the portals to Badia a Coltibuono.

An astute and forward thinking international businessman, the gregarious Piero Stucchi-Prinetti perceived both the public’s interest in the good life, which was inherent to Badia a Coltibuono, and the economic need on the part of Chianti Classico producers to change with the times. Instinctively, he understood the need for marketing because the paradigms in the world of wine were not standing still; the wine Renaissance in California alone had seen to that. Moreover, he understood the value of marketing the great products his family produced, including their way of life. As a result, his first move was to transform the estate’s old stable into a trattoria or restaurant, replete with the property’s stunning view of the Arno Valley and distant Appenine Mountains. From near and far, the world came to feast on a cultured way of life and some of the finest food and wine in Tuscany.

Piero Stucchi-Prinetti’s next move was even more daring. He hired a full-time director of promotions and public relations – something no other Tuscan estate in the area had done. The result was the invitation of wine importers, distributors, retailers, writers, and a host of adoring aficionados. Overnight guests were brought to Coltibuono and a bona fide hospitality program had begun, but this would be just the beginning.

Lorenza de’Medeci, who was then already well known as the food editor of Vogue Italia and the author of many cookbooks, began cooking for events at Coltibuono, which attracted even greater acclaim for the family’s estate and its outstanding Chianti Classico. Soon, Lorenza’s kitchen became the home of The Villa Table, one of the world’s most revered cooking schools. In the school’s three decades of existence, thousands of international chefs and serious amateur cooks have passed through the portals of Badia a Coltibuono to share the ancient abbey’s renown as the guardian of traditional Tuscan cooking and the purveyor of the allure and mystic of Tuscany. To date, Lorenza Medeci has published more than thirty individual books on regional cuisine.

Today, Piero and Lorenza’s children, Emanuela, Paolo, and Roberto, are the present guardians of their family’s historic Certified Organic estate. They are dedicated to Coltibuono remaining one of the world’s greatest purveyors of hospitality, Chianti Classico, and extra virgin olive oil. Whether it is simple elegance or sophisticated fare you seek, you are sure to find it at Badia a Coltibuono where you can taste of the good life in the Abbey of Good Culture.