Il Palagio di Panzano, Chianti Classico Riserva

Today we have what I’d call a “proper” Chianti Classico Riserva, one that reinforces my long-held belief that, in the right hands, these wines are as distinguished and age-worthy as anything from Montalcino—or, for that matter, Barolo and Barbaresco. Because Chianti Classico is so touristy, and because it has its fair share of uninspiring, industrial-scale “brands,” it’s often lost on people that this is hallowed ground.The hill on which Il Palagio di Panzano sits, the famed “Conca d’Oro,” is one of the greatest examples I could cite. This is unquestionably one of Chianti’s ‘grand crus,’ a large amphitheater of vines that spills down a curved, south-facing slope outside the village of Panzano. The name translates to “golden shell,” a reference to the all-day sunlight its vines bathe in, but it could just as easily refer to the dense concentration of elite producers that call it home: Castello dei Rampolla, La Massa, Fontodi, Le Cinciole…it’s a long list, to which I’d enthusiastically a