This August, the BC Liquor (BCL) stores will celebrate Tuscany with displays of Chianti Classico wines in 30 BCL locations, as well as a consumer tasting at the 39th & Cambie Signature Liquor Store on Thursday, August 17th, 2023. In the meantime, I received a few Chianti Classico wines to taste and review for you. Today I opened two wines from Rocca delle Macie. I tried their Rocca delle Macie Chianti Classico DOCG 2020 and their Rocca delle Macie Tenuta Sant’Alfonso Single Vineyard Chianti Classico 2019.
Rocca delle Macie is a certified VIVA winery by the Ministry of the Environment for VIVA Sustainable Wine. It is the Ministry of Environment’s project to measure and improve the sustainability performance of the vine and wine supply chain.
Many people will automatically think of enjoying Chianti Classico wines with pizza or pasta, but you can also have a grilled steak. In Florence and other Italian cities, it is called Bistecca alla Fiorentina. I don’t have a Porterhouse steak to grill but did grill a striploin to enjoy with these two wines and imagine I am in Italy. Ciao.
My Wine Tasting Notes
Rocca delle Macie Chianti Classico DOCG 2020 (BC $20.99)
Made from 95% Sangiovese and 5% Merlot grapes.
Appearance: A clear, translucent to the core, medium-plus intensity garnet colour.
Nose: Medium-intensity aromas of smoke, toast, red fruits, and oak. You can add a touch of sweet spices to the aromas after decanting.
Palate: Dry and lean with a light mouthfeel. Smoke, red fruit, red berries and red cherries plus earthiness and minerality. Also a touch of floral, leather, and toast with air. Fine tannins and lighter acidity. The wine gets rounder and now has a medium-intensity mouthfeel with decanting. You can add a touch of oak and nutmeg flavours, but the berry fruit and cherry flavours are not as bright.
Finish: A medium length with medium tannins and a touch of pepperiness. Light red fruit flavour. Some oak and bitterness on the finish with decanting.
Rating: 
A wine to open and enjoy with its brighter red fruit flavours. I like the smoky / toasty aromas and flavours as well. Medium-plus length. I prefer the undecanted version.
Rocca delle Macie Tenuta Sant’Alfonso Single Vineyard Chianti Classico DOCG 2019 (BC $37.98)
Produced with 100% Sangiovese grapes cultivated exclusively on the Sant’Alfonso estate.
Appearance: Medium intensity, translucent, almost tawny in colour, showing its age.
Nose: Lighter intensity aromas of earth, forest floor, oak, and touches of smokiness, red fruits and red cherries. The aromas are there but even lighter in intensity.
Palate: This wine is dry, with medium-plus body and flavour intensity. It has a firmer, semi-round mouthfeel to start, but gets softer and rounder with air. Lighter flavours of smokiness, dried cherries and red fruits, and plums. Medium oak, tannins, and acidity. The wine is rounder and more mouth-filling after decanting. You can add touches of floral and raspberries to the palate.
Finish: Medium-plus length with a drying finish, light pepperiness and dried red fruit flavours. The wine has a bit of bitterness after decanting.
Rating: 
The wine is showing its age with the tawny (brickish) colour, plus the lower-intensity red fruit aromas and flavours. Drink now. Don’t decant.
Steak Pairing
The steak was simply grilled with coarse salt and pepper, then drizzled with EVOO and the steak was then left to rest for a few minutes. I cooked the steak to medium-well done. I usually marinate a steak, but this time I didn’t and was pleasantly surprised at how tasty the steak was with this simple seasoning on the grill. The Rocca delle Macie Chianti Classico DOCG 2020 was my favourite pairing with the steak as the fruit flavours complemented the grilled notes and the salt & pepper seasoning. The steak and grilled flavour overpowered the Rocca delle Macie Tenuta Sant’Alfonso Single Vineyard Chianti Classico DOCG 2019 with its more subtle fruit flavours.
Where Can I Buy These Wines?
The Rocca delle Macie Chianti Classico DOCG 2020 is available at BC Liquor stores. Both wines are available at select Everything Wine stores:
