95pts James Suckling

A polished and very refined Rancia with sweet berries, cedar and hints of chocolate. Medium body. Fresh and focused. A little reserved at the end. It needs two or three years to come around. Best in 2025.

95pts Wine Spectator

Intense, with complex flavors of cherry, blackberry, violet, mineral and leafy underbrush, this red is silky and verges on racy. Harmonious and persistent, with a long, resonant aftertaste that echoes red fruit, mineral and savory elements. Best from 2025 through 2045. 4,100 cases made, 1,800 cases imported.

95pts Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

Intense, with complex flavors of cherry, blackberry, violet, mineral and leafy underbrush, this red is silky and verges on racy. Harmonious and persistent, with a long, resonant aftertaste that echoes red fruit, mineral and savory elements. Best from 2025 through 2045. 4,100 cases made, 1,800 cases imported.

92pts Wine Enthusiast

The nose is a garden, with aromas of potting soil, herbs, roses and violet, but also has undertones of flint and pepper that provide an edge. Cherries and tart blackberries headline the palate, but a chalky, iron-rich earthiness carries over from the nose and dominates the finish.

Vinous

The 2020 Chianti Classico Riserva Rancia is a powerful, incisive wine. Red cherry/plum fruit, herbs, leather, cedar, incense and licorice all develop in the glass. For the second consecutive year, I find Rancia marked by a strong and unmistakable vegetal quality that is not present in the other wines. The tannins here are also searing, even within the context of young Rancia. Both bottles I tasted were awkward. There are obviously some things that need to be addressed here.

Tasting Notes

Ruby red appearance with rich, intense tones. Spicy nose with floral notes and hints of wild berry (red and black), accompanied by mineral impressions and light toasted notes. Spice re-appears on the palate, which displays firm but supple tannins, and the finale is vigorous and taut. Overall, the wine is compelling for its flavour-rich mid-palate and supporting acidity.

Vineyard Notes

The Rancia vineyard takes its name from the historic Rancia farmhouse, once a Benedictine monastery. Located in Castelnuovo Berardenga at elevations ranging between 400 and 420 metres it has a fine southwest-facing exposure. The more recent plantings utilize genetic material from massal selections gathered from the old Rancia vineyard. The soil is composed of limestone-derived alberese classic to the Castelnuovo Berardenga area and of galestro marl in some areas. First vintage was 1983.

About the Winery

It was 1966 when Domenico Poggiali Fèlsina took the courageous leap and bought the estate at a time when Italian viticultore was struggling. He chose to invest in the quality of the wine and the expertise of a young team.
Their passion for wine united with the skills of businessmen, and under their guidance, they injected modernity into their business plan, without however, abandoning the spirit of tradition. In the space of a few years, the vineyards grew to more than forty hectares, and the soul and organization of the company changed, as well.

In the second half of the 1970s Giuseppe Mazzocolin entered the family business with the task of commercial development.
His studies in the Humanities, his wealth of contacts, his elevated work ethic and his respect for Tuscan and Italian culture constitute the foundation for the growth of the Fèlsina winery, paving the way for the beginnings of their international recognition.

Their friendship with Luigi Veronelli and collaboration with oenologist Franco Bernabei shaped a developmental strategy that has proven itself extremely coherent starting with the wines of 1983, the first year of Fontalloro and of Rancia, up to the present day. With Domenico and Giuseppe Poggiali at the helm, an extraordinary development began which, since 1990, also includes Giovanni Poggiali, the oldest of Giuseppe’s three sons.

Grape Varietal: 100% Sangiovese.