Wine of the Week: 2001 Fattoria La Masa Chianti Classico ‘Giorgio Primo’

2001 Giorgio Primo Chianti Classico La Massa

I know wine buffs who have been buying up cases of the 2001 Giorgio Primo Chianti Classico since they found out how cheap it has gotten. Produced by Giampaolo Motta at Fattoria La Massa in Panzano in Chianti, the 2001 Giorgio Primo is a beautiful expression of Sangiovese with notes of dark berries, leather and forest woven together. Elegant and restrained, this is a Chianti that deserves a special meal — a Kurobuta pork roast, a rack of Sonoma lamb or a massive bistecca.

And the price? Hard to believe, because this wine cost more than $50 when it was first released. Overstock or dumping, I don’t know. But whatever the reason, get some before it’s gone. P.S., the 2000 vintage is still around too, at more or less the same price.

--S. Irene Virbila

Region: Tuscany

Price: About $30

Style: Full-bodied and lush

What it goes with: Pork roast, rack of lamb, bistecca

Where to find it: K&L Wine Merchants in Hollywood (323) 464-9463, https://www.klwines.com; Wine House in West Los Angeles (310) 479-3731, https://www.winehouse.com; and Wine Exchange in Orange (714) 974-1454 and (800) 76WINEX, https://www.winex.com.