Wines from Tuscany | Chianti

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.

As early as 1716, Grand Duke Cosimo III included Valdarno di Sopra in his edict, alongside Chianti Classico, Carmignano and Pomino; the appellation itself was not established until 2011. Il Borro lies on the right bank of the Arno between Florence and Arezzo, and it is here that the Sangiovese matures in an ancient form of ageing: clay amphorae. The vines are organically cultivated on the estate, and the grapes are harvested by hand into 10-kilo crates. Fermentation takes place in the amphorae, where the cap of pomace is stirred by hand five to six times a day; the wine remains on the skins for eleven months. It is then aged for twelve months in the bottle. In the 2021 vintage, rain at the end of August ensured full ripeness, following a mild winter, a cool spring and an average summer.

The vineyard is called Racciano. Armando Castagno, Italy's leading Vernaccia expert, has carried out thorough research: the name can be traced back to "Fundus Rasianus" – land of the Rasini, a people of Etruscan origin. 2.5 hectares, east-facing, planted exclusively with Vernaccia. The Racciano plot is the sole source of L'Albereta – gran Riserva, the highest expression permitted by the Vernaccia di San Gimignano DOCG. The brothers Giampiero and Stefano, together with their father Mario, who still oversees the work in the vineyard today, have nevertheless decided to treat this wine differently from all the others there. And there aren't many of them.

In 1716, Grand Duke Cosimo III de' Medici designated Pomino as one of only four Tuscan regions for so-called "quality wine", alongside Chianti, Carmignano and the Val d'Arno di Sopra – an early precursor to today's DOC classification. On the cool slopes, 700 metres above sea level amongst giant sequoias and chestnut trees, this led to the creation in 1973 of the Benefizio, the very first Italian white wine ever to be fermented and matured in barriques.

When Brigitte and Bruno Widmer bought the abandoned Brancaia estate near Castellina in Chianti in 1981, nobody could have guessed that this would become one of the defining wineries of modern Tuscany. The very first vintage in 1983 took first place in a blind tasting – the beginning of a success story that daughter Barbara Widmer is continuing today as a qualified Oenologist. The entire winery has been certified organic since 2019, a consistent development of the philosophy that has always applied here: no compromises. The Riserva combines the best Sangiovese lots from both Chianti Classico estates – brancaia in Castellina and Poppi in Radda – supplemented by twenty per cent Merlot. The sites between 230 and 400 metres above sea level bring together different soil structures: Clay in Castellina, sandy loam with a stony skeleton in Radda.

Swiss precision meets Tuscan elegance in this characterful Super Tuscan, which has embodied the Widmer family's DNA for over four decades. The name carries a dual meaning: three grape varieties and three terroirs, which Barbara Widmer blends into a harmonious cuvée with inimitable finesse. This blend, comprising 70% Sangiovese, is sourced from the vineyards of Castellina in Chianti, Radda in Chianti and the Maremma, and is refined with 15% each of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. The continental Chianti vineyards, situated at altitudes of 230–400 metres with their soils interlaced with clay and galestro, meet the Mediterranean Maremma terroir with its sandy loam soils, which lend the wine its characteristic depth. 

Since 1995, Le Cupole has been the accessible gateway to the world of the legendary Tenuta di Trinoro, yet at this visionary winery, "accessible" never means compromise. In the Val d'Orcia, where southern Tuscany reveals its wild and unspoilt side, near Sarteano on the border with Umbria and Lazio, the eccentric scion of the Cinzano empire and nephew of the American painter Cy Twombly created a wine paradise at an altitude of 500 to 700 metres, an idea that was initially considered madness. Le Cupole is made from the same Bordeaux blend as the great Tenuta di Trinoro – Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot – but comes from younger vines on deeper, less extreme soils. The proportions vary depending on the vintage in order to best reflect the characteristics of the harvest.

The latest wine from Manetti – and yet one that bears the Montevertine hallmark like a second skin. Pian del Ciampolo is more than just an entry-level wine: it represents the accessible side of that uncompromising philosophy for which Sergio Manetti abandoned the Chianti Classico DOCG in 1981, because he refused to blend white Trebbiano into his Sangiovese. This wine is made from a blend of the two main cuvées – Le Pergole Torte and Montevertine – as well as grapes from younger vines. What elsewhere might be called a second or third wine is, here, pure Sangiovese character in its freshest form.

From the highest corner of the Vigna Istine (the name 550 refers to the metres above sea level), surrounded by cool woodland, this well-balanced Merlot is vinified in concrete before spending around 15 months in lightly toasted tonnels. Due to the cool location, it is – unusually – harvested after the Sangiovese, allowing it more time to ripen on the vine. The result is a wine with a fine tannin structure and juicy, ripe blue fruits, with a hint of red fruits and some coffee notes, leading to a long, graceful finish. Production amounts to 2,600 bottles per vintage. SUPERIORE.DE

Anagallis arvensis – is the correct botanical name for the small, inconspicuous flower with bright orange petals that grows between the rows of vines in the vineyard plots around Lilliano. When the Ruspoli family decided to give their Bordeaux-inspired cuvée a name, they chose this humble wildflower – a symbol of its roots in the terroir, even though the grape varieties themselves originate from France. While Chianti Classico embodies the soul of Lillliano, Anagallis represents the Tuscan courage to embrace modernity that revolutionised the wine world in the 1970s and 1980s: international varieties on Tuscan soil, vinified with respect for origin and craftsmanship. The blend of 50 per cent Cabernet Sauvignon, 40 per cent Merlot and ten per cent Petit Verdot comes from the Tenuta's best plots, selectively harvested by hand and fermented separately in small stainless steel tanks. Each grape variety undergoes its own cycle before being transferred to French barriques after malolactic fermentation, where it matures for 14 months – not in new barrels, but in used ones, which give the wine structure without dominating it.

Sangioveto, made from 100% organic Sangiovese, is grown in cool vineyards at altitudes of between 260 and 370 metres, facing south-west. In the past, Sangiovese was known as "Sangioveto" or "San Zoveto". It represents a refined expression of this particular part of the appellation and a very faithful interpretation of the Tuscan grape. Radiant ruby red in colour, the Sangiovese's broad aromatic spectrum ranges from lovely vanilla notes to hints of raspberries and blackberries. Dense and creamy-smooth on the palate, it offers a harmonious blend of tannins, spice and power, with a precisely balanced acidity. It leaves a lasting and impressive finish. SUPERIORE.DE

It was at the Omino vineyard that Monica Raspi took her first steps as a winemaker after closing her veterinary practice. The vines were planted in the 1990s; they face west, are situated at an altitude of 360 metres and are organically farmed. The soil is poor, consisting of limestone and clay, but primarily Alberese, a limestone from the Eocene epoch, and the roots reach deep into the ground. The harvest begins by hand at the end of September; the must remains in contact with the skins for 21 days at 25 degrees. Ageing takes place partly in large oak barrels – 15 months in Slavonian oak – and partly in concrete tanks for 12 months. Just 2,500 bottles are produced, made from 100% Sangiovese.

When French noble vines were planted in the Tuscan soil of Felsina's Podere Molinuzzo in 1998, a visionary experiment of extraordinary boldness began. Pinot Nero in Tuscany? A seemingly impossible endeavour in a region dominated by Sangiovese. But Giuseppe Mazzocolin and Franco Bernabei, who had already initiated the Sangiovese revolution with the legendary Fontalloro, once again dared to do the impossible: to cultivate the Burgundian king grape variety under the Tuscan sun. The vineyard, which covers just 2.5 hectares, is strategically located on the border between Felsina and Castello di Farnetella, on soils of sand and clay with a significant stony and calcareous component. This geological peculiarity, combined with the cooler microzone of Podere Molinuzzo, creates ideal conditions for a grape variety that elsewhere in Italy only thrives in the foothills of the Alps.

The Conca d'Oro – the golden basin. This is what the winegrowers of Panzano call the natural depression in the terrain south of Greve, where the sun arrives earlier and stays longer than elsewhere in Chianti Classico. The slope, the Galestro-Alberese soil, the air circulation between the hills: everything comes together to create a microclimate that gives the Sangiovese the depth and fruit ripeness that is exceptional elsewhere, year after year. Gagliole lies at the centre of it all – a small, carefully managed winery that has been showing what Panzano can achieve in this price range since the Riserva première in the 2018 vintage. 100% Sangiovese from vines over twenty years old, organically farmed, hand-picked, fermented in steel. What follows is a well thought-out ageing process: ten months in small used oak barrels, then five months in cement tanks – a combination that gives the wine structure without over-moulding it. Only 11,000 bottles.

Just like the famous I Sistri, the “Collezione Privata” is a single-varietal Chardonnay. Since the early 1980s, the former LitersGiovanni Mazzocolin had sourced some of his Chardonnay vines from Burgundy, and so a micro-site was cultivated here right up until the 2000s; the grapes from this site are used to produce the gently vinified “I Sistri Collezione Privata” is made. A bright, intense straw-yellow colour with golden highlights. A delicately reductive nose of spices, peach and exotic fruits, with subtle hints of vanilla. Creamy and full-bodied on the palate; the perfectly balanced acidity lends it structure, whilst the fresh juice, combined with a mineral-salty note, carries this complex white wine into an exciting and spicy finish of quince and orange. The clearly recognisable Burgundian style of this great Chardonnay will continue to develop with further bottle ageing, not least due to the subtle barrique ageing. Very attractive at an even more attractive price! SUPERIORE.DE

The vines of the Vigna del Termine face east, surrounded by woodland, with downy oaks, broom and juniper growing amongst the vines. Zoe the dog accompanies Monica Raspi, who has been running the estate since 2007, through the vineyard here, provided it isn't raining. The plot is situated in the Vagliagli sub-zone of Chianti Classico, at an altitude of 360 metres. The soil is calcareous marl with some sand, and the vineyard is cultivated organically. Only 2,000 bottles are produced from the Sangiovese grown here: the harvest are harvest by hand in the fourth week of September; the must remains on the skins for 21 days at 25 degrees, followed by two years' ageing, half in large Slavonian oak barrels and half in concrete tanks.

The name embodies three thousand years of history: the Etruscans called this land "Fèlsina", long before it came to be known as Tuscany. When shipowner Domenico Poggiali acquired the estate in Castelnuovo Berardenga in 1966, it was known primarily for its olive oil – there were just two and a half hectares of vines on the 400-hectare estate. The Vin Santo embodies the estate’s philosophy: respect for tradition, but no fear of the unconventional. Unlike most producers, Felsina uses not only Trebbiano and Malvasia, but also adds a proportion of Sangiovese – the grape variety that has made the estate world-famous with its Rancia and Fontalloro wines. The Sangiovese lends the sweet wine structure and colour, a hint of tannin and that elegance which characterises Felsina's wines.

"Querciabella" – beautiful oak. The name suits an estate that has ranked among the defining producers of Chianti Classico since 1974. Sebastiano Cossia Castiglioni was one of the first in the region to convert to organic viticulture – as early as 1988, when the very idea of "organic" winegrowing still raised eyebrows. Today, Querciabella follows a rigorously organic approach, shaped both in the vineyard and in the cellar by a particularly mindful use of natural resources and clear ethical principles. That Daniele Cernilli (Dr. Wine) named the estate "Cantina dell'Anno" in 2024 came as little surprise to anyone familiar with these wines.

1172 – the year in which Volpaia is first mentioned in documents. A small, fortified borgo on a hill north of Radda in Chianti, built as a border fortress between Florence and Siena. Today it is a jewel of peace and beauty and one of the most historic wine villages in Tuscany. Here, where soldiers once stood guard, the Stianti-Mascheroni families now press their grapes within the medieval walls. The bottles mature in the vaults of old churches and almost every cellar contains a tank of organic wine. An entire village dedicated to viticulture. So complete that it becomes poetic again. The Riserva is made from 100% Sangiovese from vineyards between 400 and 600 metres above sea level. One of the highest wineries in the region. Up here, where the air is thin and the nights are cool, Sangiovese develops the elegance and minerality that makes Volpaia so distinctive. Sandstone, clay and sandy-loamy soils with a high proportion of skeleton. Manual harvest in the second half of September, temperature-controlled vinification, then 24 months in French and Slovenian oak barrels.

This Sangiovese rarity, bottled without the addition of sulphites, is only produced in the best vintages and matures for 16 months in cocciopesto, a container made from ground brick, fine stone, sand and natural fibre binder. This mixture can then be moulded into containers that are watertight but still allow micro-oxygenation. The real peculiarity of Cocciopesto wine containers lies in the material itself, which is characterised by a high thermal inertia and a certain permeability that makes it ideal for all phases, from vinification to ageing.