We don’t feature many Italian wines, but when we were offered today’s 96 point Chianti, we were intrigued. Today’s Fattroria Lavacchio 2010 “Cedro” Chianti Rufina DOCG Chianti is an old world delight. We just couldn’t resist this budget charmer. If you love rustic Italian wines, this one is for you.

Looks like a Chianti on sight with medium density, a ruby core and slight bricking at the edge. Plenty of lush red fruit character rises out of the glass with a nose containing cranberry, pomegranate, and sour cherry, yet there’s also a curious Chinese five-spice. On the palate, stonefruit enters the picture with apricot and black plum. There’s also red peppercorn, black olive, and fruitcake to round it out. Very light-bodied with little perceptible tannin, if you’re a fan of Italian wines and Chianti in particular, then this will be a home run. Pile your bowl high with linguine coated with spicy olive oil and topped with pancetta and whole cloves of roasted garlic.

A Chianti wine is any wine that is produced in the Chianti region, in central Tuscany, Italy. It was historically associated with a squat bottle enclosed in a straw basket, called a fiasco. Today the fiasco is only used by a few makers of the wine as most Chianti is now bottled in more standard shaped wine bottles. Baron Bettino Ricasoli (later Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Italy) created the Chianti recipe of 70% Sangiovese, 15% Canaiolo and 15% Malvasia Bianca in the middle of the 19th century.

The Chianti region covers a vast area of Tuscany and includes within its boundaries several overlapping Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC) and Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG) regions. Other well known Sangiovese-based Tuscan wines such as Brunello di Montalcino and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano could be bottled and labeled under the most basic designation of “Chianti” if their producers so desire.

Today, most Chianti falls under two major designations of Chianti DOCG, which includes fundamental level Chianti, as well as that from seven designated sub-zones, and the higher-end Chianti Classico DOCG.

Here’s what the wine press has to say:

96 Points - It appears ripe plum in color and has a lot of earthy mineral aromas and flavours. It is medium to full bodied, with firm tannins and a hint of fruity notes and spices on the finish. Its color is a deep ruby red with granite reflections. At the nose it is persistent and has intense perfumes of red berries and spice. It is full bodied with a predominant cherry flavour and a touch of cassis, this wine is dry and harmonic and its slightly tannic resonance softens with age. - Dave M.