Chianti Classico Riservas – worth the premium?

This year’s en primeur tastings described in Chianti Classico 2012 – climate-change wines also saw the release of the 2011 Riservas, which clearly showed that they were the result of a hot vintage in which many producers had begun to pick the grapes before optimal ripeness. In 2011 it was a case of picking or seeing your grapes dry up in the sun. It was also the year in which the sorting table made its debut in many Chianti Classico estates.

Acidity is also a striking feature of this vintage, resulting in, at times, almost tart wines. Some producers managed...