Cecchi Coevo 2021: Tuscan Excellence Reimagined

Cecchi Coevo 2021 is half Sangiovese, half Merlot, drawn from two different corners of Tuscany. Coevo dates back to the 2006 harvest and was always allowed to change its blend from year to year; with this vintage Cecchi went from four grapes to two.

Miria Bracali, chief technologist and director of production at Cecchi for 26 years, told me on Sparks that Andrea Cecchi wanted Coevo from the start to mark a turning point in the estate’s oenological history. She calls the 2021 a new chapter.

The blend

50% Sangiovese from the Ribaldoni vineyard (Villa Rosa, Castellina in Chianti) and 50% Merlot from Poggio La Mozza (Val delle Rose, Maremma), with neither given priority. Bracali credits the high-altitude Sangiovese at Villa Rosa with freshness, elegance and length. The Merlot grows in a high vineyard that catches the sea breeze, which keeps it round without tipping into jam.

Vinification

Picked in the second half of September 2021. In the cellar Cecchi keeps the skins wet without pushing tannin extraction, because, as Bracali puts it, they have no wish to make a strong, muscled wine. Malolactic fermentation follows to keep the acidity in balance. The wine then spent almost 14 months in large five-hectolitre barrels; the team tastes it every month and decides from that when it comes out and goes into bottle.

In the glass

On the nose, ripe red fruit, plenty of spice and dried herbs, nutmeg above all, with a woody note that never crowds the fruit. Violets and roses as well. On the palate it is round and fruity, the tannins present but restrained. Full-bodied yet light in the mouth and very drinkable, with cinnamon, nutmeg, rosemary, thyme and sage.

At the table

Bracali sees Coevo with food, and also with chocolate at the end of lunch or dinner. I have not tried that second pairing myself.

Verdict

When I asked Bracali whether this is the new sound of Tuscany, she said yes, and after tasting it I agree: a full wine that drinks lightly, with the oak kept in the background. Two reservations. I expected the muscular Sangiovese and the round Merlot to clash; in my glass they did not, but I tasted one bottle, during a conversation with the maker. And price and availability in the Netherlands never came up; all I say in the recording is that the wine will be sold internationally.

Producer

Cecchi

Wine

Coevo 2021

Vintage

2021

Region

Tuscany

Country

Italy

Grape

50% Sangiovese, 50% Merlot

Sources

• Famiglia Cecchi (official, Tuscany / Umbria): cecchi.net
• Consorzio Vino Chianti Classico (DOCG): chianticlassico.com