Castell’in Villa, Chianti Classico Riserva (Tuscany, Italy) 2017

 Do not be put off by the vintage — not a great one for Chianti Classico — nor the late release, which is the current one for this top producer.   Their Riserva, made entirely from Sangiovese, comes from their best vineyards and spends two to three years in barrel aging prior to bottling.  Their 2017 is simply sumptuous, a grand combination of alluring, but not overdone, fruity elements, intertwined with herbal and earthy ones.  Enjoyable now, it has miles to go before it sleeps (apologies to Robert Frost).