Wines from Tuscany | Chianti

A white rarity from the heart of Chianti Classico: Il Bianco 30 anni by Gagliole is a remarkable exception in a terroir dominated by red wine. The white grape varieties of this exceptional cuvée have thrived for over 45 years on the historic dry-stone terraces of Castellina in Chianti, which were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2019. The blend of 60 per cent Procanico (a local Trebbiano clone), 30 per cent Viognier and 10 per cent Malvasia Bianca embodies the visionary signature of the Swiss Bär-Bettschart family. These grapes ripen particularly slowly on the Galestro-rich soils at an altitude of 420 metres, between fragrant roses and centuries-old olive trees – they are among the last to be harvested and develop exceptionally thick skins, which give the wine its intense flavour. Vinification is carried out separately for each grape variety: Procanico and Malvasia mature for seven months sur lies in French oak barrels, while the Viognier retains its fresh fruitiness in steel tanks. After blending, a further three months of ageing in the bottle follows in a climate-controlled cellar.

A wine that breaks all conventions. Tramonto d'Oca (Goose Dawn) is Poggio Bonelli's most extraordinary creation and at the same time an oenological venture of rare audacity. As one of the few single-varietal Petit Verdot wines in Italy, it embodies the courage to innovate that characterised the historic noble families of Castelnuovo Berardenga. Petit Verdot, the mysterious "little green grape variety" from the French south-west, has found a new home in the warm, sun-kissed hills of southern Tuscany. Here, at an altitude of 280 metres with perfect southern exposure, this late-ripening, capricious variety thrives under ideal conditions. The strictly limited yield of just 50 centners per hectare and meticulous hand-picking guarantee grapes of exceptional concentration and ripeness.

While the Chianti Classico Ruspoli Annata shows the accessible, fresh side of Lilliano, the Riserva reveals the depth and maturity that lie dormant in the estate's best parcels. Selected only in outstanding years and from the Tenuta's best vineyards, it represents the potential of the Sangiovese grape on the chalky Alberese soils of Castellina in Chianti. The 2020 vintage is considered exceptional in Tuscany: balanced temperatures, moderate rainfall and a long, warm autumn allowed the grapes to ripen perfectly. The cuvée of 95 per cent Sangiovese and five per cent Merlot is fermented in small stainless steel and cement tanks after selective hand-picking before the wine matures for 14 to 15 months in large French oak barrels – a conscious decision in favour of traditional ageing, which gives the Sangiovese structure without dominating it. A further six months of bottle ageing round off the development.

Cellole Gran Selezione impresses with its usual elegance and sophistication. Its masterfully balanced flavour profile of wild berry and blackberry with cassis, blueberry and candied rose is fantastic. On closer inspection, the wine reveals orange peel, rosemary and iron ore. It is a silky and elegant wine with some firm tannin, lots of bright fruit and a hint of crisp acidity. Undoubtedly a great wine with great potential! SUPERIORE.DE

In the Middle Ages, Arezzo and Florence fought over this area. In 1254, it passed to the Dal Borro family, who regained the castle and the title of Marquis in 1644; in 1903, Prince Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy acquired the estate, and in the mid-1950s it was inherited by Duke Amedeo of Aosta. Today, a light sparkling wine is produced here from Sangiovese, made from red grapes: harvested by hand into 10-kilo crates, fermented in steel tanks, aged on the lees for 18 months following bottle fermentation, and released as an Extra Brut with 5.2 grams of residual sugar per Liters. The vineyards are organically farmed. The year 2023 began mild and dry; spring brought rain, summer saw heatwaves, August was cool, and autumn was warm.

A commitment, not a compromise: whilst other Chianti producers have long since turned to international grape varieties, Castellare di Castellina remains true to the authentic formula. No Cabernet, no Merlot – just Sangioveto and Canaiolo, as tradition dictates. The grapes for this Riserva ripen in a natural amphitheatre near Castellina, on limestone and galestro at an altitude of between 350 and 400 metres. Fifteen months in French oak, followed by a further fifteen in the bottle – enough time to develop character without obscuring the wine's origins.

Carmignano is Italy's best-kept secret: a DOCG of just 110 hectares – smaller than some Bordeaux châteaux. It was here, just outside Florence, that Caterina de' Medici brought Cabernet vines from France in the 16th century. While the rest of Tuscany invented the Super Tuscans centuries later, Carmignano had long since reached its goal. Il Sasso comes from the cru of the same name in Santa Cristina a Mezzana: two and a half hectares, thirty-year-old vines, clay and galestro at an altitude of 250 metres. Seventy per cent Sangiovese, plus Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and a touch of Cabernet Franc – the classic Carmignano formula in Silvia Vannucci's signature style. Fermented with natural yeasts, almost three weeks on the skins, then twelve months in used French barriques – no new wood, nothing should distract from the terroir. Bottled unfiltered and matured in the bottle for a further six months.

What Felsina has achieved with Sangiovese in Chianti Classico has been transferred to the olive grove since 2002: uncompromising quality, respect for the terroir, traceability from the harvest to the bottle. The idea behind this has a famous name: "Olio secondo Veronelli", named after Luigi Veronelli, the legendary wine critic and close friend of the estate, who elevated the connection between oil and origin to a philosophy. The olive groves extend over three areas of the 400-hectare estate: Fèlsina, Pagliarese and Boschi – each with its own microclimate and soils. Four varieties grow here: Leccino, Pendolino, Moraiolo and Raggiolo (also known as Correggiolo in Chianti). All four are combined for the cuvée – a reflection of the territory in an extra virgin. The olives are harvested by hand in October and November, when they are still green to purple and their polyphenol content is at its highest. They are pitted in the company's own mill – this method is called "denocciolato" and only the flesh is pressed, not the bitter stone. The result is an oil of remarkable purity.

A small part of the olive groves around Podere Albereto is reserved exclusively for the production of this very special oil, which is only bottled in very limited quantities (5,000 bottles). The colour of Albereto extra virgin olive oil is an intense emerald green. It has an intense, herbaceous fragrance with notes of asparagus and aromatic herbs such as tarragon and sage. The flavour is intense and strong with a characteristic aftertaste reminiscent of the vegetables perceived by the nose. SUPERIORE.DE

A declaration of love for Tuscany – that is how the Ferragamos describe their purest expression of the variety. The Vigna Polissena vineyard lies on schist soils with perfect drainage, a terroir tailor-made for Sangiovese. James Suckling once compared the wine produced here to the finest Brunellos. The must rests on the skins for twenty-two days before being transferred to Allier barriques – a third of which are new. For eighteen months, the wood shapes the structure without overshadowing the wine's character. A further six months in steel give the wine time to find its feet.

Bright ruby red colour. Warm, balsamic bouquet of black cherry, some plum and blackcurrant syrup, then firm, complex and spicy on the palate, the fruit beautifully present and with a wonderfully long finish with notes of leather and sweet tobacco. The well-structured tannins perfectly round off the overall picture of a serious red with personality and character. The 20/24-month ageing in French oak barrels (25-35 hl), followed by a further year in the bottle, enriches the aromatic complexity of the wine with a clear focus on balance and elegance. SUPERIORE.DE

At the dizzying heights of Lamole, one of the highest-altitude appellations in Chianti Classico, the Sangiovese grapes for this exceptional Riserva thrive at altitudes of between 470 and 655 metres. The historic terraces, built from local Macigno del Chianti – that characteristic sandstone which stores the sun's heat during the day and releases it again at night – create a unique microclimate for this certified organic wine. Lareale brings together grapes from two of Lamole's finest vineyards: "Il Prato" and "Le Masse". 95% Sangiovese, complemented by five% Canaiolo Nero, results – following visual berry selection and a two-week maceration – in a Chianti Classico of remarkable elegance and austerity. Over two years' ageing in oak barrels lends the wine additional complexity and structure.

In 1984, on an unnamed podere in the hills between Gaiole and Radda, a quiet act of rebellion against convention took place. Marco Pallanti, the visionary Oenologist at Castello di Ama, dared to do the impossible: he planted Pinot Noir clones from Morey-Saint-Denis, the heart of Burgundy, in the chalky soils of Tuscany. What began as a bold experiment became a legend – Il Chiuso, named after that secluded, mysterious place where Burgundy's finest grape variety found its Tuscan soul. Five hundred metres above sea level, on soils with a high limestone content reminiscent of the Grands Crus of the Cote d'Or, the descendants of those Burgundian pioneers now thrive. Clones 111, 114 and 115 from Morey-Saint-Denis have found a new identity in this exceptional terroir – Tuscan in its sunny warmth, Burgundian in its finesse. The cool microclimate of this high-altitude site, tempered by the winds of Chianti, preserves the elegance and acidity that allow Pinot Nero to express itself in its purest form.

Chardonnay Al Poggio benefits from high altitude vineyards (from around 500 metres above sea level) and the cool limestone soils of the Chianti Classico region to produce this fresh, crisp and delightfully approachable white wine. The unmistakable regional elements are reminiscent of apricot and peach, with light sprinklings of Italian herbs such as fresh oregano and sprigs of rosemary. Fine mineral notes and fresh hints of citrus fruit make this incredibly flavoursome and thoroughly complex Chardonnay an ideal accompaniment to Mediterranean summer dishes. SUPERIORE.DE

Leonia is named after a woman who was a century ahead of her time in Tuscany: Leonia, Lamberto Frescobaldi's great-great-grandmother, planted French grape varieties in Pomino in the 19th century and pressed them in Italy's first gravity-fed cellar – a pioneering feat that was honoured with a gold medal in Paris in 1878. Today, her name stands for the estate's first Metodo Classico, made from Chardonnay and Pinot Nero. The grapes come from the high-altitude vineyards of Pomino, reaching up to around 700 metres above sea level. Harvested by hand, gently pressed and cold-settled for twelve hours, the must ferments in stainless steel tanks, with part of it in wood, before the classic bottle fermentation – involving a long period of ageing on the lees, riddling and disgorging – completes the wine.

The olives used to make this Dievole extra virgin olive oil come from three different areas within the Chianti Classico region: Castelnuovo Berardenga, Castellina and Gaiole. The Frantoio, Leccino and Moraiolo varieties form the basis of this distinctive, medium-bodied extra virgin olive oil. The olives are gently mechanically pressed just a few hours after harvesting. The result is an intensely fragrant oil with a complex range of aromas and a grassy, piquant finish. SUPERIORE.DE

The eleven hectares of olive groves at San Giusto a Rentennano are located in the middle of the same hills that give the estate's wines their identity. Organically cultivated, harvested by hand – the same care that the estate has applied to its wines for decades is applied here to the olives. The result: an extra virgin with a clear character. Freshly pressed, unfiltered in the style of the house – intense, with the bite of an early harvested Tuscan olive and a grassy freshness that reveals its origins.

In 1988, Lucia Bazzocchi Sanjust, together with the OenologistGiulio Gambelli, set the course for Petrolos' modern era with the "Torrione" – the estate's first wine produced without regard to volume. Almost forty years later, the family has given the name to a second wine: a single-varietal Trebbiano, the grape variety that was delivered from the Valdarno to the popes in Rome as far back as the 14th century. Torrione Trebbiano deliberately eschews a vintage: each bottling bears a batch number and combines base wines from several years (in this case: 2023/2024), selected with the precision of the benchmark Trebbiano, Bòggina B. Hand-harvested and fermented spontaneously in tonneaux, it matures on the fine lees for over 15 months, with bâtonnage carried out regularly at first and then gradually reduced, and without racking prior to bottling.

As always, the Cerviolo is excellent: concentrated, with the aroma of red cherry, sweet tobacco, walnut and wild mushroom. Silky and multi-layered on the palate, with balsamic and spicy notes, dense and soft, with absolutely harmonious tannins. A marvellous wine! SUPERIORE.DE

In the treasure troves of time, where ancient wisdom meets modern vision, Petruna Anfora is born – a tribute to the origins of viticulture and at the same time a revolutionary expression of pure Sangiovese. The hand-picked grapes for this extraordinary experiment in clay and time come from the unique single vineyard Casa al Coltro, where slate soils at an altitude of 350 metres force the vines to achieve the utmost concentration.

Federico Giuntini-Antinori runs the area's most traditional estate, whose family tree can be traced back to the 15th century. Rufina is the northernmost district in Chianti, where the vineyards grow around the Villa di Selvapiana and in the vineyards of San Martino a Quona, Pian de' Marroni and Cerbognole. Mainly Sangiovese with small additions of Canaiolo, Colorino and Malvasia Nera are harvested between the end of September and the beginning of October, partly by hand. Spontaneous fermentation takes place in steel tanks at 28-30°C with a 25-day maceration period. Maturation lasts 12 months in 25-litre French oak barrels and concrete vats.

Cultus is Latin for "cultivation, care and veneration". The name says it all: this wine honours tradition by reinterpreting it. Where the house's classic Riserva relies on tried and tested structures, Cultus dares to take a longer breath. Forty days of maceration instead of the usual three weeks, Sangiovese supplemented by the historical companions Colorino, Canaiolo and Ciliegiolo – all from massalselection of the estate's oldest vines. The vineyards are located at an altitude of 250 to 330 metres, on clayey loam over limestone, organically farmed since 1995 and certified since 2003. The 2019 vintage brought ideal conditions: early budding in the warm spring, balancing rainfall into the summer, then perfect ripeness.

1976 was Paolo De Marchis's first year at Isole e Olena. He was 25; at that time, Chianti Classico was a wine that hardly anyone thought had a future, and the two medieval hamlets – Isole and Olena – were what his father Francesco had bought in 1956: two dilapidated farmsteads in the hills west of Castellina. Paolo stayed. For almost fifty years. What he made of this estate changed the history of Chianti Classico. He was one of the first to vinify Sangiovese separately, one of the first to bring the hillside terraces back into cultivation, and one of the first to take Sangiovese seriously as a single-varietal wine. His Cepparello – first bottled in 1980 – became one of Italy's benchmark wines. Emanuele Reolon, the new technical director at Isole e Olena, sums it up as follows: "Paolo brought the Piedmontese style to Tuscany. He treated Sangiovese like Nebbiolo." At the time, that was revolutionary. Today, it is dogma.