The beautiful 2013 Chianti Classico Riserva Il Poggio is drinking very nicely at the moment. This cool vintage wine opens to a darkly saturated appearance with pretty tones of dark berry, cassis, tar, smoke and crushed river stone. Slightly evolved aromas of licorice and road paving add a whole new level of dimension and complexity. The wine is based on 95% Sangiovese with 5% Colorino, aged in tonneaux. Some 19,000 bottles were made.

The 2012 Chianti Classico Riserva Il Poggio shows evolved and aged characteristics. This wine is darkly concentrated and rich, with soft fruit flavors and lots of dark, fruity richness. You also get barbecue spice and campfire ash with licorice and grilled herb. Riserva Il Poggio's consistency is generous, thick and very characteristic of this warm vintage.

The flagship 2011 Chianti Classico Riserva Il Poggio shows the strain and the overripeness of the vintage. The wine is a little too jammy for my tastes, with heavy blackberry preserves and cooked cherry that take away from the weightlessness and crisp freshness this wine has so effortlessly shown us in the past. The mouthfeel is broad in texture and less dynamic. Riserva Il Poggio is made with 90% Sangiovese, and 10% Canaiolo and Colorino. It is aged in new and neutral tonneaux for 18 months. Given those strong sun-ripened nuances, I would suggest a slightly shorter drinking window as a result.

The 2010 Chianti Classico Riserva Il Poggio is a toned and elegant wine with an enormous sense of inner harmony and grace. The wine is splendent in this classic vintage with clear pulses of forest fruit, spice, toasted almond, balsam herb, cola and dark licorice. Those balsam notes are one of the wine's most elegant features because they are delivered at perfect pitch. Silky tannins and bright acidity keep the wine very much alive in the mouth. Castello di Monsanto offers us a very authentic Chianti Classico.

Subtle elegance is also the theme of the 2009 Chianti Classico Riserva Il Poggio. This wine sees some new oak and offers more density and aromatic richness as a result. Black fruit and spice are enhanced by tobacco and leather. Those characteristic herbal tones appear on the finish and ground this wine to a sense of territory. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2025. Castello di Monsanto makes wines that I buy and drink often. They offer great value and few producers reproduce the beautiful aromas and perfumes of Tuscany as well as Laura Bianchi and her family. Importer: Mionetto US; www.mionettousa.com