An excellent Costco find that goes excellently with Volpi Foods Wine Salame, the Cafaggio Chianti Classico Riserva.
100% Sangiovese from vineyards located in Cafaggio, Conca d'Oro, Panzano in Chianti, Tuscany, Italy. The wine is aged for 18 months in 65 hl Slavonian oak barrels. The grapes are organically grown and the wine is vegan friendly.
Typically retailing for closer to $30, we found this one at Costco for $19.99. Only 500 cases were made. It is imported by Ethica Wines.
The big brother to the Basilica Cafaggio Chianti Classico, this Riserva received 95 points from Wine Spectator. It is also made by the same winery that makes the Kirkland Signature Chianti Classico Riserva.
The Wine Salami that we paired this with is made by Volpi Foods. It is available widely including many Trader Joe's locations.
We tried all three flavors, the Chianti, Rosé and Pinot Grigio and found each one added a nice touch of wine flavor to the already quite yummy salami. Minimally processed and made in small batches from all-natural ingredients, there are no added nitrates or nitrites. The Rosé was probably our favorite, but we enjoyed all three.
From the bottle:
Chianti Classico Riserva is produced exclusively from grapes of the Sangiovese variety cultivated in the vineyards of the estate, located in the picturesque hills and highly renowned wine making area of "Conca d'Oro", Panzano in Chianti. Before being introduced onto the market, the wine is aged for 18 months in large Slavonian oak barrels and for minimum 3 months on bottle.
14% Alcohol
The 2018 Cafaggio Chianti Classico Riserva opens with a very enticing aroma of black cherry, raspberry and some beautiful floral notes plus hints of licorice, leather and mint.
The wine tastes super smooth and is medium bodied with fine, slightly chewy tannins. It features similar flavors to the nose with a bit of spice in the mouth as well and it gets even better as it has time to breathe.
It ends dry and long and was just as good on day 2. This is a really nice example of Chianti Classico Riserva and as we noted above, it went wonderfully with our charcuterie and cheese board featuring all three of the Volpi Foods Wine Salami!
2018 Cafaggio Chianti Classico Riserva
Looking for more of our favorite picks from Costco? Click the pic below to browse our multi-page listing of recommended wines along with more information on how to best shop the store!
You can also find more of our favorite red blends here.