In the glass
Aroma: black plum, blackberry, sweet spice, polished oak
Palate: blackberry, dark cherry, tobacco, cedar
Ricasoli's Merlot expression. Dark-fruit volume and sweet oak with a Sangiovese-trained acid spine that keeps the wine taut.
What it pairs with
-
Braised short ribs
Long-cooked beef brings out the wine's dark-fruit volume; the cedar matches braising aromatics. -
Duck breast with cherry sauce
Cherry sauce mirrors the wine's dark cherry; duck fat finds a partner in Merlot's polished oak. -
Hard sheep's-milk cheese with quince
Quince pairs with the wine's plum richness while pecorino salt sharpens the finish.
History
Ricasoli launched Casalferro in the early 1990s as the estate's varietal-international counterpoint to its Sangiovese flagships. Originally a Sangiovese-Merlot blend, the wine has been bottled as 100 percent Merlot since the 2000s.
- 1993 — First Casalferro vintage
- 2005 — Casalferro evolves to 100 percent Merlot
Facts
- Producer
- Barone Ricasoli Castello di Brolio
- Grapes
- Merlot (100%)
- Classification
- Toscana IGT
- Oak
- Around 18 months in French oak tonneaux and barriques
- ABV
- 14.5%
- Price
- EUR 45 to 70 at retail
- Drinking window
- 4 to 15 from vintage
- First vintage
- 1993
Scores
- Wine Advocate 94 (2019 vintage, reviewed 2022)
- James Suckling 94 (2019 vintage, reviewed 2022)