Pagliarese Chianti Classico Riserva 2018

Pagliarese Chianti Classico Riserva 2018

Regular price$ 35.95
/
  • Buy any 12 bottles or Build a Case® and save!
Your Purchase Option

Pagliarese: "Modernisation of the traditional style.”

Having put aside any older formula for Chianti Classico, Pagliarese wines are eloquent expressions of the earth and of the terroir to which they belong, the fruit of focusing on and developing native local grape varieties. According to the tradition, Sangiovese, which remains the unchallengeable champion, is carefully complemented with small amounts of Canaiolo and Mammolo. Where Canaiolo somewhat softens Sangiovese, the now-rare Mammolo adds a delicate touch of spice and violets.

This distinctive house style is heightened by a classic vinification regime, which calls for privileging elegance over structure, for fairly light macerations, and for maturations in medium-large Slavonian oak ovals. The wine that emerges is a Chianti Classico of true breed and finesse.

The influential Pagliaresi family emerged in Siena beginning in the first half of the 1200s and provided Siena with magistrates and administrators loyal to the Ghibelline standard up until 1277, when the city’s aristocrats were forced to cede power to its merchants, who belonged to the Guelf faction. Although the Pagliaresi continued to play a prominent role in Siena’s academic and political circles, the family retired to the countryside, in the area of Berardenga, between the Fattoria di Fèlsina and Castell’in Villa, still known today as Pagliarese or Fattoria dei Pagliaresi.

Between the 1970s and the mid-1980s, Fattoria dei Pagliaresi was one of the best-known producers in Chianti Classico, thanks in part to the great maestro of Sangiovese, Giulio Gambelli, autodidact and palate extraordinaire. In fact, those were the years that saw the birth of the historic Pagliarese Chianti Classico.

Changing conditions led to the closure of the winery in the following decade. In 1995, the Poggiali family acquired ownership of the fields, vineyards, and winemaking facility, and integrated them into their operations, with the idea of re-launching the Pagliarese brand in the future.

Then began the long, hard work of recovering the genetic heritage of the ancient vineyards and re-planting a large part of them with massal selections from the oldest estate vineyards, which dated back to 1966-1974.

The project bore fruit with the harvest of 2015, the year that Giovanni Poggiali decided to restore lustre to the historic brand, revive the venerable wines, and arouse once again the fascination which that wine and that name had always enjoyed.

After various harvests and trial vinifications aimed at finding the perfect expression of the grapes now grown in new vineyards, the first vintage was finally released of the modern era’s Pagliarese, which displayed all the pleasure quintessential to a Chianti Classico of that growing area, a wine which the new owners further developed and refined, but with full respect for its classic characteristics.

The return of Pagliarese is, then, a true Renaissance for one of the Tuscany’s unforgettable winegrowing treasures. Fully respectful of this heritage, the Poggiali family intends to restore Pagliarese to its many aficionados and to pass on its history to new generations.

2015 vintage notes

92 points Vinous, Antonio Galloni: "The 2015 Chianti Classico is a new wine from Fèlsina's Pagliarese property. For what seems like forever, Giuseppe Mazzocolin has been the ultimate champion of Sangiovese, long before it was fashionable. With Pagliarese, Mazzocolin and Fèlsina return to a super-classic Chianti Classico based on Sangiovese, of course, but with dollops of Canaiolo, Mammolo and Colorino aged in cask. The debut 2015 is fabulous. Bright, red-toned fruit and an array of floral/savory notes are nicely delineated, but the wine's purity and extraordinary balance elevate it into the realm of the sublime. What a gorgeous wine this is!"

Make sure you always get a discount by using our Build a Case® program. 

How it works:

If you haven't found a full case (12 bottles) to buy today, start your Build a Case® order now by purchasing a few bottles online, by phone or email. If you order online, select the Build a Case® option. If by phone or email, just ask us to add the bottles to a Build a Case® order for you. You'll receive order confirmation and we'll cellar the wines for you at no charge.

Add to your case whenever you see wines you can't resist. Each time you add to your Build a Case® order you'll be charged the discounted price.

When you complete your case, we'll apply a shipping rate and contact you to schedule your case for shipment.

Because of finite space in our warehouse, we kindly ask that you complete your Build a Case® order within six months. Please email or call us with any questions. 

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Build a Case® 

Make sure you always get a discount by using Build a Case® How it works:

If you haven't found a full case (12 bottles) to buy today, start your Build a Case®  now by purchasing a few bottles online, by phone or email. If you order online, select the Build a Case®  option. If by phone or email, just ask us to add the bottles to a Build a Case®  for you. You'll receive order confirmation and we'll cellar the wines for you until you reach a full case.

Our Wine Advice

Life's too short to drink bad wine.

We taste as much or more Oregon wine in a given year than anyone on the planet. We look for the needles in the haystacks, the wines you won't find in your local wine store. Wineries have long sought our help to sell their most limited, unique bottlings.

We are picky. We like to sell wines that we like to drink. We refer to taste the wines sell over several days; we want to know how a wine will evolve, how it pairs with food. We want to know if it truly belongs in your cellar, in your glass, and we want to provide you with guidance on how and when it'll be its best.

Our goal is to describe wines in ways that you can actually relate to. We battle against overly flowery tasting notes. You know the kind. The ones that mention things that no one has ever smelled or tasted. They're mostly B.S. and they perpetuate snobbery that we don't like.

We give you the unfiltered truth about a wine.We believe wine isn't one-size-fits-all. We get to know your tastes and preferences so that we can recommend the right wines for you.

Testimonials

★★★★★

Avalon is a gem. The wine selection is both excellent and expertly curated. Better yet, Marcus and Andy invest the time to get to know their customers personally. So their recommendations fit you like a well-tailored suit (just more reasonably priced!).

Sam P.
★★★★★

Marcus and Andy's knowledge of the wines, wineries and winemakers of the area is encyclopedic and, in my experience, second to none. They have a comprehensive understanding of the inner workings of the industry and a knack for recommending wines that are 'in my wheelhouse,' but also the insight to direct me toward new discoveries. I wholeheartedly recommend them to both those in the know and those who would
like to be.

Bob S.
★★★★★

Andy and Marcus only sell wines they would drink themselves, they sell them at reasonable prices, and they take exceptionally good care of their customers. Ethics, value, service…the reasons we buy all our wine from Avalon.

Lynne M.
★★★★★

These guys do an outstanding job of sourcing great wines at terrific prices. Their reviews are fun to read and quite on point without all of the nonsense. Whose ever tasted squirrel dung or asphalt anyway? Get on their email list and savor the experience; then tell a friend. That's how I became a dedicated customer of Avalon Wine.

Karl K.