This is a pre-arrival offering that is expected fall 2026. Please order these Innocenti wines separately from the wines of other producers. The minimum order is 3 bottles - mix or match.
Our tasting impressions
Damn, this is gorgeous and uber tasty! Leave it to the Innocentis to produce such a concentrated and deep Chianti in such a difficult vintage. Their unwavering commitment to quality meant accepting that production would be miniscule. It's a structured yet refined wine with ripe tannins and great underlying freshness. The biggest challenge is not plowing through cases of this with hedonistic abandon. As we have cautioned you in the past, take the time to smell roses (or Chianti) to discover the latent charms of this QPR gem.
About this wine
Chianti dei Colli Senesi is one of the 7 sub-regions of Chianti. The name is a derivative of Siena, the biggest city in its region. It is a very large sub-region, overlapping Montalcino, Montepulciano and San Gimignano. Whereas a Rosso from one of those appellations might be from declassified grapes from prime vineyards, Chianti Colli Senesi are generally next best sites.
Innocenti's Colli Senesi is 80% Sangiovese blended with Canaiolo Toscano. The age of the vines 8-23 years planted in medium clay soil near the Innocenti farm in Montepulciano. Fermentation and maceration is on the skins for about 10-12 days. Aging is 1 year in barrel before bottling with a wide-grain filter and additional rest in the cellar prior to release.
About the grape blend
Sangiovese is the most planted grape in Italy and is the dominant grape throughout the central part of the country. There are many variants and even different names like Prugnolo Gentile, Brunello, Sangioveto and Morellino.
The grapes are dark and thick skinned, slow-ripening, acidic and tannic. Like Pinot Noir, Sangiovese is heavily influenced by its terroir and similarly can be quite transparent in its differences from place to place.
Traditionally, Sangiovese-based wines (except in Montalcino) have other grapes mixed in, but in recent history there have been many successful wines produced from 100% Sangiovese. So, today, they are quite common.
Canaiolo is a traditional blending grape with Sangiovese. It adds softness and elegance as well as herbal flavors.
Innocenti's vintage report
2021 was, without question, one of the toughest years we've faced. A cold winter gave way to severe spring frost, which cut our yields sharply. But the vines that survived went on to enjoy a largely dry season, with warm summer days and cool nights that pushed for slow ripening and remarkable phenolic development.
Despite everything, the harvest was done entirely by hand, bunch by bunch, with an even stricter selection than usual. Between the naturally low yields and that extra care, what came through the cellar door was exceptional.
Production was well down because of the frost, but the vintage gave us something special in return: wines with real character and complexity, true to who we are as an estate.
Vittorio Innocenti, a former philosophy teacher, started producing wine from his family's vineyards with the 1978 vintage from his 13th century cellar in Montefollonico. There are 32 hectares of vines in Montepulciano and Montefollonico but only 12 are planted with vineyards of up to 80 years old. The vista views from the back patio are incredible.
Today, Vittorio's son Tommaso and his partner Vincenza (aka Nancy) handle most of the work. But Vittorio is the keeper of the intellectual capital for all seven wines - in particular both versions of Vin Santo. In total, they produce about 35,000 bottles annually.
The Innocentis are a gracious, wonderful family. The Guru has known them longer than any other wine producer. He admires their intense commitment to producing the highest quality wines - taking as much pride in their most modest offering as they do in their top bottling.
VDLT is the only North American source for these extraordinary wines that are released much later than most top estates in the appellation. The Vino Nobile, Riserva and Acerone are capable of long and magnificent aging. In the photo to the right, we enjoyed a 1985, 1988 and 1993 at a recent lunch. Their freshness and vibrancy belied their age.
