Tasting Tuscany- Chianti Classico Wine Region & 3 Top Wineries -

In this video, I'm doing a deep dive into Chianti Classico. Why Chianti Classico? Well, there's several reasons. First, this week I did a poll on my YouTube channel, and viewers expressed a strong preference for Sangiovese. Plus, I already did a video on Brunello earlier this year. In addition, quality levels in Chianti Classico have never been higher, and for reasons I'll discuss later in this video, I expect that to continue in the foreseeable future. It's also very timely, as the consorzio for Chianti Classico just released some new regulations applicable to Grand Selezione. In this video, I'm going to briefly start out by discussing the history of Chianti Classico. After that, I'll discuss Sangiovese, and some of the special growing conditions that make Chianti Classico ideally situated for the production of high-quality wine from Sangiovese. I'll then briefly touch on the different levels of quality of Chianti Classico, and after laying that groundwork, I'm going to reveal some of my favorite producers at Chianti Classico, and some of the outstanding wines that they make. Wine has been produced in the area that's now known as Chianti Classico for centuries, but in this video, I'm going to discuss only that history that's relevant to Chianti Classico. In the 1930s, the Italian government decided that it would be a good idea to greatly expand the production zone for Chianti. This was done so that producers could expand capacity and still use the name Chianti, which had substantial name recognition and prestige, and which would allow those producers to readily sell that wine. At that time, the name Chianti Classico was given to the historic or classic production zone, and the area that was newly created is what is now referred to as Chianti DOCG, and it included a number of subzones at that time as well. Importantly, however, the area that's now known as Chianti DOCG does not share the same soils or elevation as Chianti Classico. In 1996, Chianti Classico became its own autonomous DOCG. In other words, since that time, it has no longer been a subzone of Chianti. Where is Chianti Classico? Well, it's in the hilly area between Florence and Siena. It's also an extremely large area, even in its own right, with more than 17,300 acres, or around 7,000 hectares, planted to vine. Further, just Chianti Classico alone produces close to 4 million cases of wine annually. Sangiovese is the dominant grape used to make Chianti Classico. Sangiovese can be a difficult grape to grow. This is so because it has a very long growing season. It buds early and it ripens late. As such, it's prone to early spring frosts, but it's also vulnerable to early rains in the fall. Sangiovese performs best on south and southeast-facing slopes because there it has ideal sun exposure, and Sangiovese thus has the best chance to ripen. Sangiovese performs especially well in the hills of Chianti Classico, where the elevations range from 200 to 550 meters above sea level. At these elevations, Sangiovese is able to achieve full ripeness over a much longer growing season, and this helps the fruit preserve acidity and freshness. Have you ever had a Sangiovese-based wine and thought this is very very thin and insipid and really very disappointing, but then the next time you'll order a Sangiovese-based wine it could be intensely concentrated and just absolutely fabulous? Well, there's a reason for that. It's because Sangiovese is capable of producing extremely high yields, but unless the producer is a quality-minded producer that makes a conscious decision to restrict the yields and make sure there's a lower harvest in grapes, you're going to end up with an uninspiring and disappointing wine. So you definitely want to be sure to focus on a quality-minded producer such as the ones that I'll be discussing later in this episode. There are at least four reasons why Chianti Classico wines can offer such high quality. First, as mentioned, Sangiovese-based wines are at their best when yields are restricted. And Chianti Classico has much more stringent yield requirements than Chianti DOCG does. In addition, the elevations in Chianti Classico are much higher than for most of Chianti DOCG, and those higher elevations also help to produce higher quality Sangiovese. The soils in Chianti Classico are also ideally situated for the production of high quality Sangiovese. This is so because they combine good drainage with water holding capacity. There's at least three different soil types, including the famous galestro soils. Galestro soils are a mix of schistos crumbly rock with clay and marl. Galestro soils are said to produce some of the most aromatic wine. The second type of soils in Chianti Classico is albarese soils. These produce wines that are a little bit more structured with a more full body. And there's also some sandy or sandstone-based soils. Of course, these first three factors have been in existence for many years and helped to contribute to a baseline level of quality for Chianti Classico. But I've noticed a dramatic increase in the quality of Chianti Classico the past five or ten years or so, and I think it's only going to keep getting better. And what's to explain for that more recent increase in quality? Well, it's the Chianti Classico 2000 project. What was that? Well, that was a study that was done to try to identify some of the best clones to use to produce Sangiovese in Chianti Classico. The ultimate goal was to produce smaller berries with thicker skin and more open bunches so that you would have grapes that had deeper color, more flavor intensity, and better disease resistance. The study identified seven different clones that could be used to accomplish those objectives. And so producers immediately got to work replanting some of their vineyards with these newly identified clones. And that has resulted in substantial improvement in the quality of the fruit that's being produced in Chianti Classico. Indeed, I visited Chianti Classico about a year and a half ago and met with some producers, and they confirmed both that they've been replanting their vineyards with some of these clones and that the fruit has been extremely high quality as a result. And so going forward, I expect Chianti Classico wine to only continue to improve as these newly replanted vineyards gain some additional age and the wines develop additional complexity. There's three different levels of quality for Chianti Classico wines. The first level is Chianti Classico Annata. The second level is Chianti Classico Reserva. And the highest here in terms of quality is Chianti Classico Gran Selezione. At least for the time being, all three categories are subject to the same blending requirements. Namely, they have to have at least 80% Sangiovese in the blend. Although many producers, as a practical matter, will at least use 90% Sangiovese. This compares favorably to Chianti DOCG, which only has a requirement to use 70% Sangiovese in the blend. With respect to the remainder of the blend, producers are free to choose from a very long list of grapes that includes both indigenous grapes as well as international grapes such as Merlot. Unlike in Chianti DOCG, however, in Chianti Classico, it is not permitted to use white grapes in the blend. The first level, the entry level, is Chianti Classico Annata. There's two main requirements for the Annata. Namely, a minimum ABV percentage of 12% and the wine has to age for about a year before it's released. More specifically, the Annata cannot be released until October, the year following harvest. Chianti Classico Reserva is the middle tier of Chianti Classico in terms of quality. Chianti Classico Reserva has a higher minimum ABV percentage requirement than the Annata. So Chianti Classico Reserva has to be 12.5% ABV. There's also a longer maturation requirement for the Reserva. Specifically, for the Reserva, you have to age it two years from the January after harvest. So Chianti Classico Reserva is definitely a step up in terms of both quality and cost. If you're interested in wine recommendations, wine collecting strategies, and learning more about wine, please do subscribe to my channel. I've been collecting wine for more than 15 years and also have a level 4 diploma from the WSET. So I have both formal certification as well as substantial practical knowledge from the School of Hard Knocks. The third and the highest tier of Chianti Classico is called Gran Selezione. Gran Selezione is a designation that was introduced by the Consortio back in 2014 in order to promote the highest tier of Chianti Classico. To be able to use the Gran Selezione designation on the label, a producer must satisfy three requirements. First, there's a minimum alcohol by volume percentage requirement of 13%. Second, the fruit for the wine must come from a state-owned fruit. And third, the wine must be matured for 30 months, including three months in the bottle. There's no requirement for the wine to be matured in oak. The Chianti Classico governing body seems resolved to double down on the Gran Selezione designation. And in fact, they've been active with coming out with new regulations that could apply to Gran Selezione effective with the 2022 vintage. Specifically, they divided up the production zone into eight different geographic areas and effective with the 2022 vintage, producers may be able to use those additional geographic designations on the label. For example, since Castello di Polpaia is in Rada, they could potentially use that Rada designation on their bottlings of Gran Selezione. But the Chianti Classico governing body did not stop there. They also identified three additional geographic units that could be used on labels of Gran Selezione beginning with the 2027 vintage. Perhaps more importantly, however, there's also some restrictions on the blending for Gran Selezione that would take effect with the 2027 vintage. Specifically, as a VAT vintage, Gran Selezione would have to be at least 90% Sangiovese rather than the 80% requirement that's applicable currently. In addition, the remaining portion of the blend would have to be limited to one of eight indigenous grape varieties. So producers would no longer be able to choose from the huge long list that they can select from now, which includes international varieties. The first of my favorite Chianti Classico producers is Castello di Monsanto, which is located in San Donato in Poggio. Castello di Monsanto is a family owned and operated winery that was acquired by this family back in the 1960s. They have around 72 hectares of vineyards that are planted at elevations ranging from 280 to 320 meters above sea level. Castello di Monsanto also has an extraordinary cave network that contains their library collection and it's got to be one of the most vast and expansive collection of library wines that I've ever seen in person. So certainly if you're someone who's interested in getting some older vintages of Chianti Classico, perhaps a special birth year wine from 30 or 40 years ago, you may want to give them a call. Castello di Monsanto's most notable vineyard is called Il Poggio. This is a remarkable vineyard with extremely rocky soils. Castello di Monsanto has been producing wine from this vineyard since 1962. And in fact, this vineyard was the first vineyard name to appear on a label of Chianti Classico. So certainly the top quality Chianti Classico produced by Castello di Monsanto is the Il Poggio Chianti Classico Gran Selezione. This is an extremely age-worthy wine and in fact, when I was at the winery, I tried the 1972, the 1978, the 1998, and then a more recent vintage, the 2017. And all of them were quite impressive. The 72 was a bit unusual, but it definitely was still hanging in there. 2010 and 2016 were certainly outstanding vintages as well. So be sure to keep an eye out for those. One thing I've noticed with this producer's wine though, really at all quality levels, is that there can be a wide range of prices available in the retail market. In fact, I found the current release of this wine selling for anywhere from $80 to $100. So definitely be sure to shop around. Castello di Monsanto's most widely produced wine is the Chianti Classico Reserva. So this is definitely a wine that you should be able to find no matter where you're located. And this is definitely the wine that I buy most frequently from this producer as well. It's an exceptional value and I found it selling for as little as $27 to $30. But definitely shop around, as there's certainly some selling for more than that as well. This is a wine that will show extremely well with 12 to 15 years of age on it, but you can also enjoy it immediately. As soon as I came back from visiting this producer about 18 months ago, I went directly to my local wine store and bought out every single bottle of the 2016 vintage that they had. Castello di Monsanto also makes the Chianti Classico Innata from some of their younger vines, but given the fact that the Chianti Classico Reserva is a huge step up in quality and sells for only around $27, I don't see any reason not to at least buy the Reserva. The next of my favorite producers of Chianti Classico is Castello di Volpaia, which is located in Raio. Volpaia has around 45 hectares of vines in Chianti Classico that are planted at elevations around 400 meters above sea level. These vineyards are also chock full of the famous Galestro soils, so the Chianti Classico produced by Volpaia is known for being elegant with pronounced aromatics. While the Castello di Volpaia winery is located behind the walls of an ancient village and features numerous historic buildings, once you go inside those buildings, you see modern, impressive, state-of-the-art winemaking equipment. Castello di Volpaia uses this modern winemaking equipment along with its estate-grown fruit to produce four different Chianti Classicos, the first of which is the Chianti Classico Innata. This is a wine that's made from predominantly Sangiovese, but it includes a little bit of Merlot as well, and I found this one selling for around $26 or so in the United States. They also make a Chianti Classico Reserva that sells for closer to $45 or so. This one is 100% Sangiovese, so definitely a step up in both price but also quality as well. Volpaia also makes two different Gran Selezione bottlings, the first of which is the Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Portasale. Portasale sells for around $90 a bottle in the United States. This wine is a blend of Sangiovese and Marmola. It comes from the oldest vineyard that Volpaia has in Chianti Classico, and it also has their best clones of old vines. The second Gran Selezione from Volpaia is called Il Puro, so it's the Il Puro Chianti Classico Gran Selezione. It's so named because it's pure Sangiovese, and 100% Sangiovese. Better still, the Sangiovese comes from vines that were planted way back in the 1940s. They were planted on their own rootstock but nevertheless survived phylloxera. They've been farmed organically. The vineyard that contains these special old vines is called the Casanova Vineyard. Like the Portasale, this Gran Selezione is going to cost you at least double the price of a Chianti Classico Reserva from Volpaia. Before we move on to my next favorite producer from Chianti Classico, that leads to an interesting question. Is the Gran Selezione price premium worth it? Or are you better off focusing on the Chianti Classico Reservas? Certainly the Reservas seem to be in a sweet spot where you can get pretty good quality for a much lower price point than the Gran Seleziones. But at the same time, I can see wanting to at least have some bottles of a producer's highest expression of Chianti Classico. I also suspect that the way things are heading, that the price for these Gran Seleziones is going to be much higher in about four or five years than it is currently. So if you're interested in getting some of them, now is probably a pretty good time to do so. But what do you think? Let me know in the comments below. Is it worth paying up for the Gran Seleziones? Or are Chianti Classico Reservas the best way to go? My next favorite producer of Chianti Classico has 70 hectares of vines that they farm organically. These vineyards are strategically located in a terrific area known as the Conca d'Oro or the Golden Shell. This area is near Panzano. I'm talking about Fontodi. In my view, Fontodi makes the very best Chianti Classico Annata in Chianti Classico. It's currently selling for around $40 in the United States. But this is an extremely impressive wine that's 100% Sangiovese. They produce around 170,000 bottles of it each vintage. This is wine that they mature substantially longer than the one-year requirement, oftentimes at least 18 months or so. Better still, Fontodi matures the Chianti Classico Annata in either oak barrels or oak casks. And certainly oak is not required even for maturation for Gran Seleziones, much less Chianti Classico Annata. Fontodi also has two different Gran Seleziones bottlers, both of which are 100% Sangiovese. The first of these comes from the Trace San Leolino vineyard. So it's the Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Trace San Leolino. This one, they have about 5,000 bottles that they produce annually. The second Gran Selezione from Fontodi is the Vina del Sorbo. Both of these wines will sell for around $100 or so in the United States. The Vina del Sorbo is particularly impressive as that one comes from a vineyard with southwest-facing slopes and extremely old vines. They have a larger production of the Vina del Sorbo. That one has around 25,000 bottles of it. And while this next wine is labeled as an IGT wine and not a Chianti Classico, I cannot possibly talk about Fontodi without mentioning the incomparable Flaccionella della Pieve, which is 100% Sangiovese. This incredible wine is one of my favorite all-time wines, not just from Chianti Classico, but period. This wine is up in price now and sells for around $135, but it offers phenomenal quality. It's an absolutely stunning wine. This wine is labeled an IGT wine. However, it's a selection of the winery's best fruit from their multiple vineyards, all of which are in Chianti Classico. It's an extremely age-worthy wine. Even the 2010 is extremely youthful at the moment. If you'd like to learn more about Tuscan wines, be sure to check out my videos on Super Tuscan wines and Brunello di Montalcino, both of which are linked in the pinned comment below.