What do you call the entry-level category of Chianti Classico wines released every year? Officially, it is Chianti Classico, but to avoid confusion (since that’s the name of this place, and since Riserva and Gran Selezione include the term as well) we refer to them as the annata wines, meaning annual.
And since it is already June, we may as well declare this a Chianti Classico summer. Fresh, exuberant, savory and quenching, they are a great match for summer occasions and cuisines. Many of the best annata wines tasted at this year’s Chianti Classico Collection are from estates covered in my Tasting Reports for Chianti Classico Riserva and Chianti Classico Gran Selezione, so be sure to check out those reports for more as well.
Top Wine: 2023 Istine Chianti Classico
The 2023 Istine Chianti Classico (★★★★★) is more meaty and hearty of the nose than either Istine’s Gran Selezione or Riserva. Tremendous herbal quality, too, with a rich cherry background. So ample and generous on the palate. As always: there is a lot to love with Istine’s wines.
2022 Monte Bernardi “Sangio” Chianti Classico
The 2022 Chianti Classico (★★★★★) from Monte Bernardi is the current release. Tobacco leaf, cocoa and smoked game aromas are beautiful and unexpected, yet also typical of fresh, proper Chianti Classico. Lively fruit, some sense of citrus, and smoke and herbs. You really want to drink this out in the countryside somewhere. Coarse cotton tannins have just the right amount of energy.
2020 Castell’in Villa Chianti Classico
As noted with my new profile on this estate’s Riserva, the 2020 Castell’in Villa Chianti Classico (★★★★★) has a singular aroma set. Here it is a bit more leathery and evocative of sandalwood. Shy and reserved; a wine that whispers. Yet despite this gentle approach, its beautiful acidity, classic details, and the interplay of savory and herbal flavors is second to none. Wild finish lingers for seemingly forever.
2023 Tregole Chianti Classico
The first thing one notices with the 2023 Tregole Chianti Classico (★★★★ 3/4) is the vibrant red color: this wine seems so alive and eager. Lively and expressive, with beautiful aromas of black raspberry, dried mint and light savory. Elegant, playful and well balanced.
2022 Rocca di Montegrossi Chianti Classico
What gorgeous aromas the 2022 Rocca di Montegrossi Chianti Classico (★★★★ 3/4) has. Beautiful sense of cherries and raspberries, merging with orange peel and soft leather. Second whiff gives a lot more leather than before. Subtle with its beauty and juicy. Generous amounts of fruit, tingly sour acidity, very flavorful with a good sense of minerality and fine-grained, active tannins.
2022 Castellinuzza e Piuca Chianti Classico
The 2022 Castellinuzza e Piuca Chianti Classico (★★★★ 3/4) is quite elegant, lean and bright. Radiant amounts of cherry, raspberry, violets, sweet mint and minerality show well with this expressive wine.
2023 Ricasoli “Brolio” Chianti Classico
Ricasoli always makes impressive, technically exact wines that are widely available; no easy feat. The 2023 Ricasoli “Brolio” Chianti Classico (★★★★ 3/4) is dialed in and possesses some serious verve. Cherries, strawberries and incense show up on the nose, while the palate is expansive yet elegant. Really a nice wine, with light but lively tannins.
2021 Cascina di Cornia Chianti Classico
The 2021 Cascina di Cornia Chianti Classico (★★★★ 3/4) offers freshness paired with and a leathery sense of place. Supple, juicy and gracious, this wine has a wonderful balance between tart-sour and sweet elements, with a good tannic backbone giving it ample framework. Very fresh, very easy, but with depth, too.
2021 Vecchie Terre di Montefili Chianti Classico
One of my favorite estates in Chianti Classico. The 2021 Vecchie Terre di Montefili Chianti Classico (★★★★ 3/4) is the perfect card-carrying wine for this estate. It’s a bit brooding, hinting at power on the nose, and remaining tightly wound up and coiled on the palate. Let this one breathe a bit. But the reward with patience is an encounter with this estate’s excellent sense of minerality. Dark fruited, thyme-like herbs, robust tannins and ample structure.
2022 Losi Querciavalle Chianti Classico
From a historic farm in Castelnuovo Berardenga. The 2022 Losi Querciavalle Chianti Classico (★★★★ 3/4) is fresh, with a firm sense of cherries and citrus on the nose, hint of bay leaf. Sharp, angular, and more robust than many annata wines. That said, there is a tidiness to the finish here which feels very polished and complete. Ten percent Canaiolo is used in this wine.
2021 I Fabbri “Terra di Lamole” Chianti Classico
Classic Lamole, as one would expect from I Fabbri. The 2021 “Terre di Lamole” (★★★★ 3/4) has tart berry, pomegrante fruit aromas countered by floral and faintly leathery notes. Superb energy and a lot of dimension, giving those lean lines from the mountain terroir a brightness and suppleness. Fine-grained tannins lend structure. The most ideal “summer wine” from this year’s Chianti Classico tastings.
2023 Carpineta Fontalpino Chianti Classico
The 2023 Carpineta Fontalpino Chianti Classico (★★★★ 3/4) carries an absolutely beautiful set of aromas with broad appeal: cherry and strawberry fruit, cigar box. Surpassingly soft and gentle, with a silkiness that feels refined for this category.
Note: I was invited to attend the Chianti Classico Collection as a member of the media as part of the annual Anteprima di Toscana. My travel and accommodations to and from Florence were covered. Learn more about our editorial policy.
