Il Molino di Grace Gratius Rosso Toscana 2021
Super Tuscan Blends | Italy
An organically farmed 95 point stunner from one of our favorite wineries to visit in Italy! We have Il Molino di Grace’s fiercely fabulous Gratius Toscano Rosso.
Il Molino di Grace is a jewel in the heart of Chianti’s Conca d’Oro, where the vineyards have been continuously farmed for over 350 years. The twist on this "Super Tuscan" is that instead of rounding out the Sangiovese with French grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon, this wine adds 5% each of traditional, local Chianti grapes Canaiolo and Colorino. Sourced from a single hillside parcel at 580 meters in elevation, it aged for a full year mostly in large, neutral casks to let the pure voice of the classic galestro soils shine through. Our team has tasted and stayed at the estate a couple of times, and it remains one of our absolute favorite properties in Italy (they have a treehouse! for adults!).
In the glass, the wine delivers a core of classic Italian character: tart cherries and wild blackberries framed by an iron ore intensity and a zippy orange peel freshness. It is salty, minerally, and beautifully structured by firm tannins. Only 300 cases of this vintage were made for the entire world, and it is firing on all cylinders right now.
Falstaff awarded this 95 points, praising the "appealing, open nose, aromas of raspberry and black cherry," and noting that it "opens with grippy, firm tannins, pithy, firm drive on the finish, rich tobacco notes." Decanter backed it up with a 94 point score, calling it "a beautifully balanced and expressive wine with depth and energy" where "fragrant black cherry and black currant fruit intertwine with sandalwood aromatics."
Pop it into a decanter for an hour and run with it through the hills at night. And/or have it with the best simple pizza you can make or buy, and study the gorgeous label art. A real find.
About the Producer
The winery of Il Molino di Grace – the ‘windmill of grace’ – stands upon 100+ acres of vineyards that have been producing traditional Chianti Classico wines for over 350 years…that’s a mighty long time. But in fact, this is one of the newer entries into the world of Chianti Classico, the Grace family, transplanted from America, having purchased the property in the mid-1990’s. Frank Grace was the CEO of a major company and decided to use this property as his ‘step back’, though, of course, he ended up tackling the estate with the same vim and vigor and passion that got him pretty damn far in the business world. The property's vines (many of them older) are planted on the classic galestro soils of the area, that local combination of marl and limestone - very friable calcareous rocks, soft and permeable to heat and water, which ensures superb drainage and maturation; perfect for Sangiovese.
- BlendSangiovese, Canaiolo, Colorino
- WinemakerTim Grace
- CountryItaly
- RegionTuscany
- AppellationTuscany
- VineyardEstate
- Farming MethodSustainable
- Alcohol14.5%
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