Fixing Chianti Classico

Marco Ricasoli Firidolfi, Rocca di Montegrossi (Photo ©Tom Hyland)

Let's face it - Chianti Classico is one of the world's most beloved red wines. It may also be the most purchased, if you think about the availability of this wine in America, Europe and Asia. But at the same time, Chianti Classico has lost some of its luster. The wines are still well made in most cases, but it's not as easy to get consumers, sommeliers and retail wine buyers as excited about these wines as it was even just a few years ago. So to some degree, Chianti Classico needs to be fixed.

I've just returned from Florence, where I attended a special anteprima tasting for journalists from around the world; this event was aimed at previewing new releases of Chianti Classico, especially the soon-to-be released 2009s, but also Riserva bottlings from 2007 as well as new bottlings from the 2008 vintage. 

First, the wonderful news - 2009 is an excellent, perhaps even outstanding vintage for Chianti Classico. I tasted a few dozen examples and again and again, found that these wines offer excellent concentration and ripeness along with very good acidity. The wines are well-structured and are very tasty- in other words, for those looking for a special bottle of wine tonight, there are many examples of 2009 Chianti Classico that will fit the bill. For others looking to lay the wines down for a few years, there are many fine bottlings that will be at their best in 3-5 years, with a few even drinking well for as long as seven to ten years. 

So the first order of fixing Chianti Classico is to make better wines and in that regard, the producers were given a wonderful growing season in 2009 and took advantage. 

Not every wine is a classic, if you'll pardon the pun. There are some wines that offer ripeness and are very forward and while they are appealing, they too often taste like a modern wine that could come from any number of regions in Italy or even from other countries. Yet, I have to admit that even with these wines, the enologists have lightened up on the oak, so the result is that you taste the Sangiovese fruit. This is a very positive sign and I for one, am happy to report this situation.

As for the best examples of Chianti Classico normale from 2009, a few of my favorites include: the deeply concentrated Monsanto; the elegant and beautifully crafted Isole e Olena; the terroir-driven Castellare di Castellina; the deeply fruity Querciabella; the charming, varietally pure Villa Calcinaia and the marvelously crafted, sublime bottling from Rocca di Montegrossi.

Briefly, I also want to note two wines from the 2008 vintage, a year that is lighter than 2009, but one that yielded some charming wines. The two finest I tasted at this event were the Castello di Brolio and the Fontodi. The former is the top wine of the estate owned by Francesco Ricasoli, who prefers to label this wine as Chianti Classico, even though it meets the necessary regulations to be identified as a Riserva. The wine has such lovely varietal purity and length in the finish; it is a polished, delicious wine. The Fontodi is likewise delicious with velvety tannins and a wonderful sense of place. This estate, under the leadership of Giovanni Manetti is at the top of its game and is clearly one of the very best houses in Chianti Classico. This 2008 normale can age well for another 5-7 years, but it is so appealing and tasty now - bravo Signore Manetti (and also to his enologist, Franco Bernabei)!


So there will certainly be renewed excitement with these new wines on the market. But more needs to be done. While I was in Florence, I enjoyed a glass of wine with Sebastiano Capponi, proprietor of Villa Cacinaia, located in Greve in Chianti. Capponi confirmed to me that discussions are finally underway among the producers in the consorzio about putting the names of subzones (such as Panzano, Greve, Radda, et al) on the labels. The thinking here is that there needs to be more information on the label than just the words "Chianti Classico."

According to Capponi: "We have Chianti Classico that sell between 3 Euro a bottle and 30 Euro a bottle in Europe. All of them are labeled as Chianti Classico, yet the wines are very different. There needs to be a better system." (Editor's note: prices for Chianti Classico in the US as confirmed by Capponi doing a search of various websites are between $7 and $30 a bottle).

For Capponi and others, labeling the wines with a subzone will create a "quality pyramid", which will no doubt create more interest and excitement in the wines of Chianti Classico. Capponi also told me that Giovanni Manetti at Fontodi has reportedly said that if the subzones are allowed on the labels, he will once again label his top wine, Flaccianello dell Pieve, as Chianti Classico. This would certainly be a wonderful realization for Chianti Classico as a wine type, as this wine is currently labeled as an IGT Toscana Rosso, even though it could legally be identified as a Chianti Classico, given that it is 100% Sangiovese from estate vineyards. "If he decides to do it," notes Capponi, "other producers with Sangiovese-based IGT Super Tuscans might follow."

So the stars are aligning for Chianti Classico. The wines from 2009 (and some of the finest from 2008) are first-rate and should be purchased by sommeliers, retail wine buyers and consumers everywhere. If the subzone labeling can indeed become a reality, it will mean a new era of excitement for this iconic red wine.


P.S. One final note. At this event, producers were allowed to bring one Super Tuscan with them. Some producers as well as journalists who attended the tastings were against this, as this has been an event that focuses on Chianti Classico. I can understand their thoughts and respect them.

However for myself and many other journalists (as well as vintners), this was a nice opportunity to experience the latest Super Tuscans. As producers were only allowed to pour one Super Tuscan and it had to be from their own zone (in other words, they could not show a wine from the Maremma or Bolgheri), this category did not steal the show, as most producers had three of four examples of Chianti Classico to pour from various vintages (2006-2009) and various types (normale, riserva).

Now that one realizes that the subzone plan may become a reality, it made sense to see what some of these wines were about. For myself, it was certainly a nice treat to sample the 2007 Flaccianello - what a gorgeous wine! Imagine in the near future - this may be Chianti Classico again. Isn't that a nice thought?

Chianti Classico - The Latest

Alessando Cellai, winemaker, Castellare di Castellina (Photo ©Tom Hyland)


I recently sampled dozens of examples of the 2007 Chianti Classicos at the Anteprima tasting in Florence held over two days in mid-February. This year, the focus was on 2007 normale bottlings and 2006 riserva wines. As some producers hold back their releases, there were also wines from other vintages, even as far back as a 2004 from one estate that counts this wine as a current release.

I had been looking forward to the 2007 vintage from Tuscany, as it followed a very nice 2005 and a powerful, if not subtle 2006 vintage. 2007 was cool, unlike many recent vintages, so the wines have beautiful acidity, but also excellent fruit concentration, given the long growing season. All ingredients for some beautiful wines.

And I am happy to report that there were many excellent Classico bottlings from 2007, brimming with fruit and displaying beautiful structure. Unfortunately, some vintners took a good thing and tried to make it better, as too many 2007s are very big with rich oak; these are powerful wines that often lack finesse. My guess here is that some producers want to make more than a Classico, as they aim for a Super Tuscan style. Perhaps they are feeling the decrease in sales for Chianti Classico, as more consumers these days turn to wines that sell for $12-15 instead of the $16-24 that most bottlings of Chianti Classico warrant. Maybe they believe they will give consumers more bang for the buck. Or it could be that they are in search of a high score (mid 90s) for their wine, thus enabling their chances at greater sales.

I personally don’t like the idea of making a bigger wine than is necessary. For me, Chianti Classico is a mid-weight wine and one that has many charming qualities about it. There’s nothing wrong with a Chianti Classico being drinkable when young and I look for most examples to be at their best in 3-5 years. This is what makes 2007 so special, as I believe the best wines (in terms of quality as well as balance) will be at their best in 5-7 years. That’s a nice bonus and a big positive for Chianti Classico, so why should producers try and change that? My wishes are that more producers make Chianti Classico and not something else.

That said, here are some of my favorite bottlings of 2007 Chianti Classico with a few notes:

Castello di Volpaia – beautiful strawberry fruit and lively acidity with excellent structure.
Querciabella – plenty of fresh red cherry fruit; nicely balanced with firm tannins.
Castello di Bossi – a more modern style wine that recalls the heritage of traditional wines; nicely structured wine.
Castellare di Castellina – big, rich red fruit and a powerful finish; excellent complexity
Badia a Coltibuono – always a favorite, this is a charming wine with tasty red cherry fruit and subtle spice.
Bibbiano – another supple wine much like the Badia; beautifully balanced.

As for the 2006 Riservas, I was less impressed, as the wines seem a bit heavy with lower than normal acidity. These are of course, more powerful wines than the regular bottlings, but that doesn’t mean the wines need to lack proper structure.

There were successes, though especially from Lilliano and Monsanto. The former 2006 Riserva offers notes of cedar and dried cherry with very good acidity, while the Monsanto has similar flavors and structure, but takes things up a notch. There is plenty of bright fruit while the tannins are silky and the finsih is quite long and complexy. Both wines should be at their best in 5-7 years, with the Monsanto drinking well for perhaps another year or two beyond that.

Laura Bianchi of Monsanto also showed her 2004 “Il Poggio” Riserva, which continues the great tradition of this wine. From an outstanding vintage, the wine offers excellent fruit concentration with gorgeous aromas of dried orange peel and truffles and beautiful fruit persistence throughout. This is a superb wine, one that should drink well for 10-12 years and one that shows that a producer can make a great Chianti Classico while adhering to a style that focuses on harmony and structure instead of tannin and power.




Giovanni Ricasoli Firidolfi, owner, Castello di Cacchiano (Photo ©Tom Hyland)


Finally I would like to single out the wines of Castello di Cacchiano, located in Monti (Gaiole) in the southern reaches of the Chianti Classico zone. Giovanni Ricasoli Firidolfi runs this property and has been producing some of the area’s best balanced and most complex wines in recent years. Giovanni poured his 2006 normale and his 2005 Riserva. Both wines display beautiful cherry and currant fruit with notes of truffle and cedar and offer excellent structure. The finishes are nicely balanced and offer spice and subtle earthiness. These are wines made with respect for the land and are beautiful food wines. How nice to taste impeccably made Chianti Classicos such as these which are clearly not made with an eye for big scores, but rather are fashioned with elegance and charm while displaying a specific sense of place.

Giovanni also showed his 2001 Vin Santo, a wonderfully lush and remarkably delicious treatment of this wine type. There are beautiful aromas of caramel, maple syup amd almond with great fruit concentration and a long, medium-sweet finish with cleansing acidity. As powerful a wine as this is, his style used to be much bigger with this wine; in fact vintages of this wine in the mid 1980s were so rich, you would be tempted to pour the wine on ice cream- not a bad idea, but not really what Vin Santo is all about. Thankfully, Firidolfi has lightened up a bit on this wine and the resulting 2001 is a classic Vin Santo. And if that wasn’t enough, Castello di Cacchiano also produces one of the best extra virgin olive oils each year in Chianti Classico. Quite a lineup!