Sangiovese

1968 – three years before Sassicaia changed the world – san Felice created Vigorello: the first Chianti Classico wine produced without the white grape varieties that were mandatory at the time, made exclusively from red varieties. A quiet revolution that instilled in the estate a sense of what was possible, which continues to shape its identity to this day. An expression of this identity is the Vitiarium, a research project spanning over twenty years dedicated to the rediscovery and preservation of indigenous Tuscan grape varieties. One of these is the Pugnitello: its name means ‘little fist’, referring to the compact, fist-shaped bunches. Almost extinct, preserved by San Felice, it is now an integral part of the Borgo. Sangiovese and Pugnitello, grown on medium-heavy calcareous-marly soils near the medieval Borgo, are vinified separately in stainless steel and only come together during ageing: twelve months in large Slavonian oak barrels.

Le Potazzine: this is the name given in Montalcino dialect to the little tits that flutter through the vineyards. It was the pet name given by a grandmother to her lively granddaughters: Viola and Sofia. Today, together with their mother Gigliola Giannetti, the two run one of the most purist wineries in the appellation. The vines grow at an altitude of 450 to 530 metres – sites that were once considered too cool and are now considered a blessing. This Sangiovese is the youthful entry: pure stainless steel ageing, twelve months, no oak, just the grape.

Very rarely do even the traditionalists relax their strict rules. Fuligni, synonymous with classic Brunello di Montalcino for over a century, has taken a step with this rosato that surprises and enchants – and enchants. Only around a thousand bottles of this Sangiovese rosé are produced, which grows on the north-eastern slopes of Montalcino, where the family has cultivated its vineyards since the beginning of the 20th century. Maria Flora Fuligni, who has managed the estate with philosophical calm since 1971, was guided by the joy of experimentation. The vinification follows the classic Rosato method: short maceration, gentle pressing, temperature-controlled fermentation in stainless steel.

After the difficult 2023, 2024 presented a different challenge: rainy spring, dry midsummer, then eight days of rain in September just before the harvest. Not a vintage for comfort. Siro Pacenti – with his clearly defined plots, old vines in the Pelagrilli clay loam and the determined craftsmanship of Giancarlo Pacenti – selected more than usual this year in order to preserve what is typical.

Uccelliera's Rosso di Montalcino slowly comes to life with a beguiling blend of mentholated herbs, pine shavings and dried strawberries. It glides over the palate with a texture of pure silk, caressing everything it touches with ripe red fruits and rosy flowers accompanied by a lively acidity. Structured, powerful and long on the final – as always, it far exceeds its weight class and is a top-class Rosso di Montalcino. SUPERIORE.DE

San Filippo is located in the east of Montalcino – the part of the region known for its particular elegance and longevity. Roberto Giannelli, who acquired the winery in 2003 and has consistently favoured organic cultivation and minimal wood intervention ever since, has developed a style with Oenologist Paolo Caciorgna that shows Sangiovese Grosso in its purest form. Lo Scorno is the opening to the first movement – accessible, direct and full of character.

Cristina Geminiani is one of the leading figures behind the revitalisation of Romagna DOC. In 1985, she began making wine on her grandfather's estate, Fattoria Zerbina. Her wines have personality and technical precision. The vineyards are planted as bush vines in the Marzeno subzone. The Pietramora has an elegant, restrained nose of dark plums, black cherries, dried roses, cocoa and tobacco. On the palate, it displays rich and intense fruit with grippy tannins balanced by zesty acidity, with a lingering, savoury finish. SUPERIORE.DE

Six kilometres southwest of Montalcino, on calcareous clay soil at an altitude of around 130 metres, lies the Tenuta Pian delle Vigne – has been owned by the Marchesi Antinori since 1995 and has been their personal interpretation of one of Tuscany's biggest names ever since. The 2023 vintage came with a wet spring and a warm, dry summer – a season that demanded patience and rewarded fruit. Harvested from 11 September, by hand, healthy and aromatic. Pure Sangiovese, fermented in stainless steel, matured for twelve months in large wooden barrels: this is intentional, not a compromise. The wine should remain fresh, mineral and easy to drink. And it succeeds very well.

For Casanova di Neri, Rosso di Montalcino is not a by-product of Brunello – it is a task in its own right. The grapes come from specially designated vineyards around the Podere Fiesole to the east of Montalcino, on soils that receive the same care as the Brunello parcels. Manual harvesting, hand-picking, optical sorter – respect for the material begins in the vineyard. In 2023, Montalcino enjoyed a long, even summer after a mild winter with little rainfall. The bouquet is expressive and floral – small red fruits, tobacco, sweet spices. Spontaneous fermentation in conical steel tanks without added sugar, 18 days of maceration, then 12 months of maturation in wood. A Rosso that knows its place in the programme – and fills it with conviction.

Lamole. Giovanni Manetti has long regarded this zone as one of the most distinctive in Chianti Classico. At an altitude of 620 metres, far from the heart of the region, a few plots of old Sangiovese vines survived the wave of deforestation in the 1970s. Giovanni took cuttings from these Alberello vines from the 1920s to grow his own vines in Panzano: the foundation for Fontodi's quality. This wine is made from seven hectares of Macigno sandstone, whose loose, permeable structure ensures elegance and finesse. Cool nights, long growing season, south-south-west exposure. The sandy soils give the Sangiovese a lightness that is clearly different from the powerful wines from Panzano. Vinification in concrete, certified organic.

Gualtiero Morellino di Scansano Riserva from Morisfarms shows why this traditional family winery is a firm favourite in the Maremma. The cuvée is predominantly based on Sangiovese (Morellino), supplemented by small proportions of international varieties. The vines grow on sun-drenched hills between the Tyrrhenian coast and the cool foothills of Monte Amiata, whose clay and sandy soils lend the wine fruit and structure. Careful manual harvesting was followed by temperature-controlled fermentation, after which the Riserva matured for 12 months in a combination of barriques and large wooden barrels to harmoniously combine elegance and complexity.

In 1966, when the Italian wine world was at a crossroads, Domenico Poggiali took the bold step of acquiring the then neglected lands of Castelnuovo Berardenga. His son-in-law Giuseppe Mazzocolin, the humanist professor and friend of Luigi Veronelli, subsequently turned this adventure into a legend. Together with the young OenologistFranco Bernabei, they created the first Berardenga in 1967 – a Sangiovese that epitomises the true essence of south-eastern Chianti Classico. The vineyards extend over the geologically heterogeneous terraces between 320 and 420 metres above sea level, where quartz-rich sandstone and calcareous Alberese in the upper areas meet sandstone and clay towards the Crete Senesi. This "Terra di Confine" – the borderland between Chianti Classico and the Colli Senesi – characterises the unmistakable character.

Standing in the shadow of great Brunellos is not an easy fate. The San Jacopo knows this fate – and makes the best of it. Fuligni himself calls it a "variation on the theme of Sangiovese", and that is exactly what it is: an elegant deviation from the strict rules, an experiment with freedom. 85% Sangiovese, obtained from younger clones from the various vineyards, meets 15% Merlot from the Bandita estate, where the tuff and clay soils are favourable to the international grape variety. Paolo Vagaggini, Fuligni's Oenologist for decades, vinifies the grapes separately and then blends them into a harmonious whole. Maturation takes place for around seven months in French tonneaux, which give the wine structure without dominating it.

When a winery uses the same label for its Riserva for over sixty years, it is not a lack of imagination – it is an attitude. Castello di Monsanto's Riserva is one of the oldest labels in continuous production in Italy. The label was already there before Chianti Classico was an appellation. It has survived decades and fashions – and it explains what Monsanto stands for: Sangiovese as a conviction. The winery is located in San Donato in Poggio, the westernmost sub-region of Chianti Classico, at an altitude of 280 to 320 metres. Galestro – schistose rock, barren and mineral-rich – is the soil on which the Sangiovese vines from four vineyards take root.

With the acquisition of Tenuta Le Macioche in 2017, the Cotarella family fulfilled a dream: a foothold in prestigious Montalcino. The Sangiovese vines thrive on just 3.5 hectares in the southern quadrant of Sant'Antimo, where Galestro, slate and clay form the subsoil at an altitude of 450 metres. The name of the estate is derived from the Corbezzolo bushes, whose roots are called "macioca" in the Tuscan dialect – a symbol of deep roots in the terroir. The Rosso di Montalcino is the more accessible brother of Brunello, ready to drink earlier: 100 per cent Sangiovese, fermented in stainless steel after selective hand-picking and then matured for twelve months in Liters tonneaux. The Mediterranean climate with continental influences and the strong thermal fluctuations between day and night give the wine its characteristic aromatic precision.

Canalicchio di Sopras Rosso di Montalcino comes mainly from the vineyards of the Cru Canalicchio with soils that have a pronounced clay component and are very rich in intermediate elements such as magnesium, iron and manganese. Depending on the vintage and climate, a small proportion may also come from the Cru Montosoli, where the presence of marl ensures juiciness and minerality.

Giovanni Neri bought the Podere Casanova to the east of Montalcino in 1971 – as a grain merchant from Montevarchi, fascinated by the austerity of the Sangiovese grape, these hills and their unpredictability. What he could not have known was that his son Giacomo, his grandson Gianlorenzo and his family would turn these slopes into one of the most precise addresses in the entire appellation. The Rosso di Montalcino is their first set. 100% Sangiovese, Massale selection from their own stock – not a clone, but a genetic fingerprint of the estate. Spontaneous fermentation, 18 days on the skins, 12 months maturation in wood. 2024 was a fresh, structured vintage in Montalcino with good acidity and clear fruit – the Rosso carries it with ease.

Petra – the name means "stone" and symbolises the solidity with which Vittorio and Francesca Moretti are realising their Tuscan project in the Maremma. The winery was only opened in 2003 and was designed by Swiss star architect Mario Botta as a circular masterpiece. While perlage reigns supreme in Franciacorta (near Bellavista), it is the great red wines of the Val di Cornia that attract international attention here. Alto is Petra's monovarietal answer to the question of what Sangiovese is capable of achieving in this iron-rich, Mediterranean terroir. Experimental research meets Tuscany's oldest grape variety. The grapes are hand-picked and vinified according to the principle of gravity – mechanical stress is consistently avoided. The wine is matured in oak barrels, followed by further ageing in the bottle.

Rossofonte is no ordinary Rosso. It is a rigorous selection from a single vineyard, as close to Brunello as the appellation allows. Since the first vintage (2014), it has shown what Sangiovese can achieve in Castelnuovo dell'Abate if it is given time and attention. Hand-picked grapes, extended ageing in Slavonian oak barrels. Wild cherry, ripe berries, balsamic notes of tobacco, cedar wood, mint and lavender on the nose. On the palate, sweetness and acidity alternate in an elegant interplay, fine, powdery tannins carry the final with nuances of star anise and pink pepper. A convincing and deep Rosso with Brunello ambitions. SUPERIORE.DE

Wine has been produced here since 1051 – initially by monks, and since 1846 by the Stucchi Prinetti family, now in its seventh generation. Badia a Coltibuono, the ‘Abbey of the Good Harvest’, was the first leading winery in Chianti to switch entirely to organic cultivation. The Riserva is made from massalblend of Sangiovese and historic complementary varieties such as Canaiolo and Ciliegiolo, grown on the highest hills near Gaiole. Spontaneous fermentation with wild yeasts, three weeks’ contact with the skins, followed by 24 months in French and Austrian oak barrels. The 2021 vintage benefited from a cool year with late frosts – lower yields, but concentrated quality.

Between the hills of Gaiole and Radda in Chianti, at an altitude of 460 to 525 metres, lies one of the most extraordinary wine estates in Tuscany. Since 1982, Marco Pallanti and Lorenza Sebasti have shaped the fortunes of Castello di Ama – a winemaking couple who have helped Chianti Classico achieve worldwide recognition. "Ama" was created in 2010 with the introduction of the Gran Selezione as an independent line and represents the essence of the estate's younger Sangiovese clones. Made from 96% Sangiovese and 4% Merlot, the wine comes from densely planted vineyards on chalky, clayey soils. The grapes are harvested exclusively by hand, fermented spontaneously with natural yeasts and matured for twelve months in second-use barriques.