Wine of the Week

The imposing Castello di Brolio is one the great historic wine estates of Chianti. It was here, in the 1850s, that Bettino Ricasoli (“the Iron Baron”) formulated the Sangiovese-based blend for Chianti Classico. Under his descendant Francesco Ricasoli, who regained control of the family property in 1993, the 900-year-old estate, now known as Barone Ricasoli, has flourished and the wines just keep getting better.

Especially Casalferro, the estate’s flagship. It’s Sangiovese with just a touch of Merlot, making a lush, aristocratic wine that tastes of plums and sweet spices. Its dry, briary tannins mean that the ’98 Casalferro should age nicely. Slip a bottle into a wine lover’s stocking and hope you’ll be around when it comes time to drink it.

About $38. Available at the Wine House, (310) 479-3731, and Wally’s, (310) 475-0606, in West Los Angeles; Beverage Warehouse in Marina del Rey, (310) 306-2822; Manhattan Liquor in Manhattan Beach, (310) 318-0109; Woodland Hills Wine Co. in Woodland Hills, (818) 222-1111; Wine Exchange in Orange, (714) 974-1454; Hi-Time Wine Cellars in Costa Mesa, (949) 650-8463; and Wine Bank in San Diego, (619) 234-7487. If you can’t find this wine, have your local wine shop call the importer, Vias Imports, (212) 629-0200.