96pts Wine Advocate
The Castello di Monsanto 2019 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Vigneto Il Poggio (with the San Donato in Poggio location listed on the front label) offers a twofold approach with plenty of fresh cherry fruit and blueberry on the one hand, countered by light age and spice from balanced winemaking on the other. There are subtle hints of clove and toasted spice on the mid-weight close. Drink Date:: 2024 - 2035

96 pts Decanter
Il Poggio has grown beyond its original two hectares planted in 1962 and now extends over 5.2ha – but its DNA remains the same. A smidgin of Canaiolo Nero is interplanted with 40-year-old Sangiovese, and the two are co-fermented, while the Colorino is picked and vinified separately. A beautiful showing in 2019, this emerges steadily from the glass with flinty minerals and white pepper first, then arbutus bush and cherry followed by orange and hyacinth. It is elegantly weighted with a generosity of tangy cranberry and ripe strawberry seeping across the palate in a steady textural flow. Stony tannins and steely acidity lend tension. Tarragon lingers.

96 pts Wine Spectator
Earth and wild herb aromas segue to cherry, strawberry and pomegranate flavors in this muscular version. Tar, earth, iron and sanguine elements chime in, adding depth as well as a toughness that will require some years to refine. The core of ripe fruit reveals this red's future promise. Sangiovese, Canaiolo and Colorino. Best from 2027 through 2045.

95 pts Vinous
The 2019 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Vigna il Poggio is a powerful, tightly coiled wine that is going to need a number of years to be at its best. I would not dream of touching a bottle anytime soon. Crushed flowers, herbs, mint, orange peel and spice are suggestive of a savory, vibrant Il Poggio built for the cellar. Today, the 2019 is deceptive, but there is a lot of wine here. It’s a super-classic expression.

Producer Notes:
It was Il Poggio vineyard, way back in 1962, that heralded the start of Castello di Monsanto’s journey in wine production, with the first harvest overseen by founder Fabrizio Bianchi. Still to this day, the company’s most iconic bottle, Il Poggio, is the first Chianti Classico to feature the name of the specific vineyard from which it comes. White grapes were removed from the recipe in 1968. Il Poggio is the source – thanks to massal selection – of all the Sangiovese, Colorino and Canaiolo vines in the winery’s other vineyards. Over 100,00 bottles have been produced and all of them spend time aging in the castle’s historic cellar, showcasing the wine’s stunning capacity for aging.