Chianti Classico: More Than Meets The Eye

BY ANTONIO GALLONI | SEPTEMBER 18, 2020

For the first time in many, many years I was not able to make my summer trip to Tuscany to taste the wines of Chianti Classico. That’s 2020 for you. But you know what? There is something to be said for the perspective gained by tasting the wines far away from those stunning hillside vineyards, removed from the charming towns, without any of that amazing food. Would the wines be as impressive as I have long thought?

The answer is a resounding yes. If anything, my biggest takeaway from tasting the wines with a bit (or a lot) of distance is really how diverse Chianti Classico is. The variety is simply breathtaking. Readers will find everything from traditional, classically built Chianti Classicos to wines that are more sumptuous, and, for lack of a better word “modern,” to estates that are pushing the boundaries of what Chianti Classico (the region) and Chianti Classico (the wine) can be through the use of whole clusters, amphoras, minimal SO2 and other techniques that are well outside of the mainstream. The result? One of the most dynamic winemaking scenes in all of Italy.

Like most regions in the world, the public perception of Chianti Classico for most people is defined by a handful of wines and estates. There are plenty of rare, iconic and expensive wines in this report. But what impressed me most this year were the straight Chianti Classicos. To be sure, the best Riservas, single-vineyard bottlings and Gran Seleziones are compelling, but there is something incredibly appealing about the straight Chianti Classicos. Most of these wines are priced in the $25 range, which makes Chianti Classico one of the best regions in the world for transparent wines that capture the essence of site and vintage as expressed by Sangiovese, all at prices the average consumer can still afford. 

Stunning views of Fèlsina and Castelnuovo Berardenga from one of the most striking points in Chianti Classico.

Overachieving Chianti Classicos

This is a short list of a dozen Chianti Classicos that offer outstanding quality, value and pedigree. I would be thrilled to drink them any day of the week.

2018 Castellare Chianti Classico

2018 Castello di Monsanto Chianti Classico

2018 Fèlsina Chianti Colli Senesi

2018 Querciabella Chianti Classico