Contessa Ilaria Branca, proprietor of Villa Branca says that "love for the vine is love for the earth. It means getting to know it, listening to it and taking care of it. All our products originate from the lands near Mercatale Val di Pesa, a small town situated in the world famous land of the Black Rooster."

Alef Chianti Classico is a D.O.C.G. (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita) wine - the highest level of Chianti with stringent vineyard management regulations including how the vines are cultivated, the yield of the vines (a maximum of 3 kg. of fruit per vine) and the composition of the wine - stipulating that the overwhelming majority of a Chianti Classico be comprised of Sangiovese . Alef is 85 percent Sangiovese, Tuscany's noble grape varietal blended with 10 percent Cabernet Sauvignon and five percent Merlot to add suppleness and complexity. Chianti Classico is the heartland of Italy's Chianti appellation - a geographical delimitation dating back to 1716 by edict of the Medici Grand Duke Cosimo III and later confirmed by the DOC regulations of 1966 and the DOCG regulations of 1984. All Chianti Classicos sport a "Black Rooster" on the neck of each bottle as a guarantor of origin and quality.

We are proud to offer the 2003 vintage of Alef Chianti Classico for September 2007 – Alef is the first kosher wine produced by Villa Branca. Only 6,000 bottles were made of for this vintage - we managed to secure a nice percentage of these bottles, but it is very limited so we recommend not waiting around long to add this wine to your collection.

The 2003 vintage enjoyed a very warm, long summer, which shaped a full and early matured grape. During the harvest Villa Branca had only a few rainy days which caused little trouble. The grapes were of excellent quality. The 2003 vintage has an aristocratic elegance and is considered an exceptional vintage throughout Chianti Classico. Color: Ruby red with granite shades. Bouquet: Full, complex and spicy. Elegant scents of ripe fruit. Soft on the palate with round tannins. Food pairing recommendations - poultry first and foremost, followed by sea bass, striped bass, red snapper and grouper in the fish category. Can be enjoyed with baked ziti or eggplant parmigana. Would be excellent also with capellini with a tomato basil or puttanesca sauce.

Everything at Villa Branca's vineyards are tended by hand and the grapes are hand harvested. Contessa Branca says that "the passion for the vines and for its fruit has always guided me and directs me to looks for the best quality."

Alef Chianti Classico is in a class by itself in the world of Italian kosher wines. Aged for three years prior to bottling, this is the personification of Tuscan elegance. Non-Mevushal. Packed in boxes of six. Under the Orthodox supervision of the Chief Rabbinate of Florence, Rav Yosef Yuval Halevi, Chief Rabbi (or, as they say in Italian, Rabbino Capo di Firenze). At Abarbanel, we've waited a long time to bring you an Italian wine that measured up to or exceeded the quality of the other wines in our portfolio. This was important to us because our ancestor, Don Isaac Abarbanel, spent his last days in Venice. If we were to import any Italian wine it would have to live up to the Abarbanel heritage of uncompromising excellence. Alef Chianti Classico is that wine. Welcome to Italy!

89 RATING

SILVER MEDAL "Highly Recommended" Alef 2003 Chianti Classico Mature deep ruby color with a fading brick rim. Baked berry, tomato, cedar, and anise aromas. A soft, buoyant entry leads to a dry-yet-fruity medium body of cranberry, sour cherry, cedar, and spice flavors. Finishes with a crisp, lightly tannic cranberry and mineral fade. A mature and seriously structured Chianti to enjoy with fine braised beef dishes or Italian cheeses. Drinking very well now. World Wine Championships’ Kosher Competition, November 2007

85 RATING

Alef Chianti Classico Villa Branca 2001 “Not a great Chianti, but it’s certainly true to the DOCG, with lean, tart cherry fruit and nuances of cedar, leather and dry, dusty earth. Doesn’t have the depth to age further, so drink now.” The Wine Enthusiast, April 2006