Chianti Classico

Chianti Classico Annata and Riserva: the everyday and the dinner-party red.

Sangiovese-led reds from the hills between Florence and Siena. Annata is the fresh, cherry-and-herb bottle for weeknights; Riserva spends longer in cellar and is fuller, more savoury and ready for roast meat.

Sangiovese-led reds from the hills between Florence and Siena. Annata is the fresh, cherry-and-herb bottle for weeknights; Riserva spends longer in cellar and is fuller, more savoury and ready for roast meat.

A Chianti Classico annata from a top family estate - the everyday star.

Fontodi, Fèlsina's Berardenga or Isole e Olena: the entry wine of a great house is the best-value bottle in the region.

Fontodi, Fèlsina's Berardenga or Isole e Olena: the entry wine of a great house is the best-value bottle in the region.

Crostini di fegatini + a young Chianti Classico.

Toasted bread with chicken-liver pâté, the classic Tuscan starter. A fresh annata's acidity cuts the richness.

Toasted bread with chicken-liver pâté, the classic Tuscan starter. A fresh annata's acidity cuts the richness.

Bistecca alla fiorentina + Chianti Classico Riserva or Gran Selezione.

A thick T-bone from Chianina cattle, served rare. The wine's tannin and acidity cut the char and fat; the steak's protein softens the tannin.

A thick T-bone from Chianina cattle, served rare. The wine's tannin and acidity cut the char and fat; the steak's protein softens the tannin.

A Riserva to keep - San Giusto's Le Baròncole is the model.

A well-made Riserva is the classic gift and ages ten years or more.

A well-made Riserva is the classic gift and ages ten years or more.

Altitude decides the style: high Radda is taut, warm Berardenga is round.

The zone climbs from low, warm hills in the south-east to cool sites above 500 metres around Radda and Lamole. Higher vineyards ripen Sangiovese slowly and keep acidity and perfume; warmer, lower ones give riper, darker fruit.

The zone climbs from low, warm hills in the south-east to cool sites above 500 metres around Radda and Lamole. Higher vineyards ripen Sangiovese slowly and keep acidity and perfume; warmer, lower ones give riper, darker fruit.

Concrete and unoaked wines: the fresh, juicy side of Chianti.

A growing number of producers age their annata in concrete or steel instead of wood, keeping Sangiovese bright and crunchy - often the best-value bottles.

A growing number of producers age their annata in concrete or steel instead of wood, keeping Sangiovese bright and crunchy - often the best-value bottles.

Vin Santo del Chianti Classico: the sweet dried-grape finish to a Tuscan dinner.

Made from white grapes dried for months and aged for years in small barrels, so it tastes of dried apricot, nuts and caramel. Dip cantucci, or sip it with aged pecorino.

Made from white grapes dried for months and aged for years in small barrels, so it tastes of dried apricot, nuts and caramel. Dip cantucci, or sip it with aged pecorino.

Chianti Classico Gran Selezione: single-estate flagships, often single vineyards.

The top tier of the same DOCG. Producers use it for their best plots, increasingly naming a village unit on the label. Expect more concentration and tannin - best opened after five years or more.

The top tier of the same DOCG. Producers use it for their best plots, increasingly naming a village unit on the label. Expect more concentration and tannin - best opened after five years or more.

Gran Selezione: the top tier - the estate's best Sangiovese.

Above Annata and Riserva sits Gran Selezione, made only from the producer's own vineyards and released last. Treat it as the house flagship: deeper and more structured, priced for occasions.

Above Annata and Riserva sits Gran Selezione, made only from the producer's own vineyards and released last. Treat it as the house flagship: deeper and more structured, priced for occasions.

Celebration bottle: a single-vineyard Gran Selezione.

Fèlsina's Rancia, Fontodi's Vigna del Sorbo or Castello di Ama's San Lorenzo - the region at its most serious.

Fèlsina's Rancia, Fontodi's Vigna del Sorbo or Castello di Ama's San Lorenzo - the region at its most serious.

Local find: a Radda grower's single vineyard - Istine or Monteraponi.

Bright, perfumed, high-altitude Sangiovese from artisan estates, still priced below the castles.

Bright, perfumed, high-altitude Sangiovese from artisan estates, still priced below the castles.

Concrete and unoaked wines: the fresh, juicy side of Chianti.

A growing number of producers age their annata in concrete or steel instead of wood, keeping Sangiovese bright and crunchy - often the best-value bottles.

A growing number of producers age their annata in concrete or steel instead of wood, keeping Sangiovese bright and crunchy - often the best-value bottles.

A village name on a Gran Selezione points to where the vines grow.

Gran Selezione labels may now carry one of the appellation's village units (UGA) - Radda, Gaiole, Panzano, Castellina and others. It's the quickest way to guess the style before you pull the cork.

Chianti Classico has split its territory into village units, the UGAs: San Casciano, Greve, Lamole, Montefioralle, Panzano, Radda, Gaiole, Castelnuovo Berardenga, Vagliagli, Castellina and San Donato in Poggio. For now the name appears only on Gran Selezione, and only when the grapes come from that unit, so you'll see 'Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Radda' or 'Panzano' on a growing number of bottles. Use it as a style hint. Radda and Lamole sit high and cool, giving taut, perfumed wines with bright acidity; Panzano's sun-trap slopes give fuller fruit; Castelnuovo Berardenga in the warm south-east gives the ripest, roundest wines. The names don't rank quality - a great grower in a 'lesser' village beats a careless one in a famous one - but they let you compare two producers' sites side by side, Burgundy-style, which is the most fun way to taste the region.

San Giusto a Rentennano: Gaiole family estate; Le Baròncole is a model Riserva.

A family estate in the far south of Gaiole, near the Siena border. Its Riserva Le Baròncole is the model of the category, Percarlo is a long-lived pure Sangiovese, and the Vin Santo is famous.

San Giusto a Rentennano sits at the southern tip of the Gaiole commune, where the hills start to fall towards Siena and the climate warms. The family's Chianti Classico Riserva Le Baròncole is regularly held up as the reference point for what a Riserva should be: ripe but fresh cherry, firm tannin, savoury depth and the energy to age for well over a decade. Percarlo, a pure Sangiovese bottled as Toscana IGT, is the estate's long-haul wine. The house also makes a highly regarded Vin Santo from dried grapes, produced in tiny quantities. For drinking during a trip, the straight Chianti Classico or the Riserva are the realistic targets; Percarlo and the Vin Santo are the bottles to hunt in enoteche if you want a special gift.

Monteraponi: high Radda hamlet; traditional, perfumed Sangiovese with local grapes.

A small estate around a hamlet near Radda. Its wines blend Sangiovese with the old local partners Canaiolo and Colorino for a pale, fragrant, old-school style.

Monteraponi sits around a restored medieval hamlet a short drive from Radda, with vineyards reaching some of the higher altitudes in the zone; its top wine, Baron'Ugo, comes from a south-facing plot at about 570 metres and is made only in good years. The house style is traditional and transparent: Il Campitello Riserva keeps Canaiolo and Colorino alongside Sangiovese, as Chianti did historically, giving a paler, more aromatic and savoury wine than the dark modern style. Il Bragantino is the estate's newer Gran Selezione. Monteraponi is part of the Radda group pushing for village identity, and its wines are a favourite of drinkers who like elegance over power. The Chianti Classico annata is the affordable way in and is excellent in restaurants.

Fontodi: Panzano's organic leader - Flaccianello is its pure-Sangiovese icon.

The Manetti family's organic estate in Panzano's Conca d'Oro. Flaccianello della Pieve (IGT) is one of Tuscany's great Sangioveses; Vigna del Sorbo is the Gran Selezione; the annata is a top-value classic.

Fontodi is the estate most people mean when they talk about Panzano. The Manetti family farms over 100 hectares of vines in the Conca d'Oro amphitheatre, almost all Sangiovese, certified organic since 1998, and even raises Chianina cattle for compost. Flaccianello della Pieve, first made in 1981, is a pure Sangiovese aged in French barrels and bottled as IGT; it's one of Tuscany's benchmark reds and ages for decades. Vigna del Sorbo, from a vineyard planted in the 1960s, is the Chianti Classico Gran Selezione and has been pure Sangiovese since 2012; a newer Gran Selezione, Terrazze San Leolino, comes from terraced vines. The straight Chianti Classico is made in volume and is one of the best-value reliable bottles on any Tuscan list. Buy Flaccianello for the cellar, drink the annata now.

Castello di Ama: Gaiole hamlet estate famed for single-vineyard Gran Selezione.

A hilltop estate in Gaiole known for structured, polished Sangiovese. San Lorenzo is the core Gran Selezione; Bellavista and La Casuccia are the single-vineyard peaks.

Castello di Ama occupies a whole medieval hamlet in the Gaiole commune and has long been one of the region's most ambitious estates. Its Gran Selezione range shows how the tier works at the top: San Lorenzo blends the estate's best plots into a structured, elegant flagship, while Vigneto Bellavista and Vigneto La Casuccia are single-vineyard wines that rank among the most sought-after bottles of the appellation. The estate also makes L'Apparita, a Merlot sold as Toscana IGT and one of Tuscany's famous international-style reds. Style-wise, expect dark cherry, fine tannin and plenty of polish - modern in precision rather than heavy in oak. Prices for the single vineyards are high, so the realistic choice is San Lorenzo for a celebration or the Chianti Classico annata for dinner.

Fèlsina: Castelnuovo Berardenga reference - Rancia and Fontalloro are the icons.

A family estate at the warm south-eastern edge of the zone, all Sangiovese. Rancia (now a Gran Selezione) and the IGT Fontalloro are its famous single-site wines; the Berardenga annata is excellent value.

Fèlsina, in Castelnuovo Berardenga, is the classic reference for the south-east of the appellation, where the warmer climate gives riper, rounder Sangiovese. Everything here is pure Sangiovese. The Chianti Classico Berardenga is the estate's cornerstone and a strong-value everyday bottle; Rancia, from the Poggio a Rancia vineyard, was long the house Riserva and now appears as a Gran Selezione, with mineral, spicy depth and firm but supple tannin. Fontalloro comes from vineyards that straddle the Chianti Classico border and is sold as Toscana IGT; it's darker and more brooding. There's also a tiny-production Gran Selezione, Colonia, aged in new French oak. The estate farms organically and makes Vin Santo and traditional-method sparkling too. Buy Rancia as a celebration bottle, the Berardenga to drink now.

Istine: young Radda grower bottling single-vineyard, high-altitude Gran Selezione.

Angela Fronti's small, organic Radda estate bottles each vineyard separately - a newer, site-by-site approach to Chianti with bright, perfumed wines.

Istine is one of the names that define the new Radda. Angela Fronti took over her family's vineyards and began bottling them separately, so the range reads like a map: Vigna Istine and Vigna Casanova dell'Aia are single-vineyard Gran Selezioni labelled with the Radda village unit, and LeVigne is a Riserva blended from her plots. The estate is certified organic. Radda's altitude shows in the glass - red fruit, floral lift, crunchy acidity and fine tannin rather than weight. The approach and the prices still sit below the famous castles, which makes Istine a smart find for anyone who likes Burgundy or Barbaresco. Taste two of the single vineyards together if you can; the differences are the lesson.

Le Boncie: tiny organic estate; Le Trame is Chianti in spirit, IGT on paper.

Giovanna Morganti's tiny organic farm near Castelnuovo Berardenga. Le Trame, mostly Sangiovese with a little of the old local grapes, is aged in neutral casks and labelled IGT by choice.

Podere Le Boncie is small even by Chianti standards: a few organic hectares outside Castelnuovo Berardenga, densely planted with Sangiovese and a few rows of ancient Tuscan varieties such as Foglia Tonda, Colorino and Mammolo, with a tiny cellar. Giovanna Morganti, whose father was an influential Tuscan winemaker, made her first vintage in 1990. Her main wine, Le Trame, is aged in neutral casks rather than small new barrels, so it's all about perfumed red fruit, earth and fine tannin. Although the vineyards lie inside the Chianti Classico zone, she labels it Toscana IGT on principle. It's the bottle to seek if you want the region's artisan, low-intervention side - small production, so look for it on serious wine lists in Florence and Siena rather than in supermarkets.

Why some of Chianti's best wines don't say Chianti.

Several leading estates bottle their top Sangiovese as Toscana IGT, a habit born when the old rules forced white grapes into the blend. The name on the label is the producer's choice, not a quality grade.

In the 1970s and 80s the Chianti rules still required white grapes and allowed high yields, so ambitious estates began bottling their best Sangiovese outside the appellation as table wine, later Toscana IGT. Montevertine's Le Pergole Torte, Isole e Olena's Cepparello, Fontodi's Flaccianello and Fèlsina's Fontalloro all come from this movement. The rules have since changed - Chianti Classico can now be pure Sangiovese, and Gran Selezione sits at the top - and some producers have moved flagship wines into the appellation. Others stayed out on principle or for brand reasons, and a few, like Montevertine and Le Boncie, label everything IGT. For the drinker, the practical lessons are simple: an IGT from a famous Chianti estate can be its best and most expensive wine, a cheap IGT is usually just a basic blend, and the producer's name tells you which.

Altitude decides the style: high Radda is taut, warm Berardenga is round.

The zone climbs from low, warm hills in the south-east to cool sites above 500 metres around Radda and Lamole. Higher vineyards ripen Sangiovese slowly and keep acidity and perfume; warmer, lower ones give riper, darker fruit.

The zone climbs from low, warm hills in the south-east to cool sites above 500 metres around Radda and Lamole. Higher vineyards ripen Sangiovese slowly and keep acidity and perfume; warmer, lower ones give riper, darker fruit.

In the glass: High and cool: red cherry, violets, crisp acid. Low and warm: darker fruit, softer edges.

Stony galestro and alberese soils give Chianti its savoury grip.

The best slopes are on crumbly galestro (flaky marl) and pale alberese limestone. Poor, stony ground keeps yields low and gives Sangiovese a firm, savoury, slightly dusty texture rather than plush fruit.

The best slopes are on crumbly galestro (flaky marl) and pale alberese limestone. Poor, stony ground keeps yields low and gives Sangiovese a firm, savoury, slightly dusty texture rather than plush fruit.

In the glass: Firm tannin, savoury and mineral notes, good aging.

Even one village varies: Panzano's two slopes taste different.

Within Panzano, the eastern slope towards the Greve valley is cooler and gives fruitier wines, while the western side, including the Conca d'Oro, gives earthier, more austere ones.

Panzano shows how fine-grained Chianti Classico has become. The village sits on a ridge in the south-west of the Greve commune with two opposite faces. The eastern slope drains towards the Greve river and is the cooler of the two; its wines tend to show more open, fruity character. The western side looks over the Pesa valley and includes the famous Conca d'Oro amphitheatre plus parallel ridges running down towards the river; wines from here have similar structure but lean earthier and more austere. Producers like Fontodi farm the Conca d'Oro, and several of the village's estates farm organically. For a traveler, it's a reminder to ask not just 'which village?' but 'which side of the hill?' - and a good reason to taste two Panzano producers back to back.

In the glass: East-facing: fruitier. West-facing Conca d'Oro: earthier, more austere.

Big old casks keep Chianti savoury; small barrels make it darker and spicier.

Traditional houses age in large neutral casks for a paler, more fragrant wine; others use small French barrels for darker fruit and sweet spice. Many mix the two.

Traditional houses age in large neutral casks for a paler, more fragrant wine; others use small French barrels for darker fruit and sweet spice. Many mix the two.

In the glass: Botte: red fruit, herbs, earth. Barrique: darker fruit, vanilla, rounder texture.

Concrete and unoaked wines: the fresh, juicy side of Chianti.

A growing number of producers age their annata in concrete or steel instead of wood, keeping Sangiovese bright and crunchy - often the best-value bottles.

A growing number of producers age their annata in concrete or steel instead of wood, keeping Sangiovese bright and crunchy - often the best-value bottles.

In the glass: Fresh red cherry, crisp acidity, no vanilla - great slightly chilled.

The move to pure Sangiovese changed the wine.

White grapes were once required in Chianti. Today they're gone from Chianti Classico and most top producers make pure or near-pure Sangiovese, so wines are more structured and longer-lived than the Chianti of old.

White grapes were once required in Chianti. Today they're gone from Chianti Classico and most top producers make pure or near-pure Sangiovese, so wines are more structured and longer-lived than the Chianti of old.

In the glass: Firmer, more aromatic, age-worthy wines.

Why some of Chianti's best wines don't say Chianti.

Several leading estates bottle their top Sangiovese as Toscana IGT, a habit born when the old rules forced white grapes into the blend. The name on the label is the producer's choice, not a quality grade.

In the 1970s and 80s the Chianti rules still required white grapes and allowed high yields, so ambitious estates began bottling their best Sangiovese outside the appellation as table wine, later Toscana IGT. Montevertine's Le Pergole Torte, Isole e Olena's Cepparello, Fontodi's Flaccianello and Fèlsina's Fontalloro all come from this movement. The rules have since changed - Chianti Classico can now be pure Sangiovese, and Gran Selezione sits at the top - and some producers have moved flagship wines into the appellation. Others stayed out on principle or for brand reasons, and a few, like Montevertine and Le Boncie, label everything IGT. For the drinker, the practical lessons are simple: an IGT from a famous Chianti estate can be its best and most expensive wine, a cheap IGT is usually just a basic blend, and the producer's name tells you which.

In the glass: No single style: from pure, savoury Sangiovese to oaky international blends.

Organic farming is widespread among the leading estates.

Many reference producers - Fontodi, Fèlsina, Montevertine, Istine, Le Boncie - farm organically, and Panzano in particular has a strong organic culture.

Many reference producers - Fontodi, Fèlsina, Montevertine, Istine, Le Boncie - farm organically, and Panzano in particular has a strong organic culture.

In the glass: No single taste signature, but often linked to lower yields and site expression.