The 2015 Chianti Classico Riserva is rich and powerful in the glass. A rush of blue/purplish berry fruit, lavender, menthol and sage show the darker side of Sangiovese. This virile, imposing Riserva could use another year or two to be at its best. Readers should expect a virile, imposing wine.

The 2015 Chianti Classico Riserva opens to warm vintage aromas of ripe cherry, dried blackberry, spice, leather and crushed gravel or stone. The wine is smooth and loose in texture, with attractive seamlessness that caresses the palate. Drink this luscious Sangiovese-based wine within the next few years while that primary fruit is still intact. The finish is a bit flat and one-dimensional, and that's why I wouldn't wait too long.