Toscolo Chianti Classico
Founded in 1988 by Neil and Maria Empson, Toscolo was a labor of love for the Empsons who wanted to express their longtime passion for the Chianti region. They called on friend and world-renowned winemaker, Franco Bernabei to help style the wines, combining fruit and finesse. Neil and Maria Empson have always had a passion for the Chianti region in Tuscany. In 1988, they decided to act on that passion and founded their own winery, Toscolo, to make Chianti. Even the winery’s name is a homage to Tuscany; Toscolo is an old Italian Renaissance word for “Tuscan Boy.”
The Empsons chose their friend and star enologist Franco Bernabei to style the wines with Neil himself, and they worked tirelessly to make sure that Toscolo truly represented the region they loved so much. The finest vineyards were chosen from the region’s major Chianti terroirs and the Empson’s made sure to find and use only state-of-the-art facilities and a great team. Neil and Franco chose to craft the wines using traditional vinification with a well-balanced use of wood. The entire Chianti range was aimed at combining fruit and finesse with that essential “bite” that makes these wines particularly food-friendly and versatile.
The Terroir - Toscolo’s vineyards include some of the finest sites in Chianti’s major regions as well as intriguingly diverse terrains and microclimates. The soil types include a very fine-textured limestone, a classic, clayey/calcareous, rocky galestro, and a clayey/siliceous/calcareous soil varying from 820-1476 feet above sea level. From these select sites, the grapes are picked according to harvest conditions in the individual terroirs and microclimates. This balanced management of geological diversity makes for the wine’s consistent excellence. Attentive vineyard management, a high density of vines per acre, and correspondingly low crop yields also help Toscolo achieve consistent vintage-to-vintage quality.
The Chianti Classico is a full ruby colour with garnet hues; an ample, classic bouquet of berry fruit, violets, iris and vanilla, followed by chewy, abundant fruit, a silky texture, good body, balance and extract.
A very food-friendly red that can be enjoyed both with pasta, risotto and first courses, and with meat-based dishes.
