Chianti Classico deserves more respect

Elin McCoy

Italy’s “wine map man” Alessandro Masnaghetti was speeding fast along narrow, winding roads in Tuscany’s Chianti Classico region, causing me, in the passenger seat, to clutch my door handle, so I could escape in case of a crash. Luckily, we stopped often to examine handfuls of chunks of alberese limestone and savor stunning views of softly green olive trees, hillsides of vines, distant towered castellos and vast forests.

Who knew that only 10% of the famous historic wine region is vineyards, while more than 60% is deep forest hiding destructive wild boar?

The morning driving tour was to illustrate Chianti Classico’s latest news: the region’s newly defined official 11 subzones (UGAs, or unita geografiche aggiuntive-an awful term), whose names are now appearing on 2020 and 2021 vintage labels. Masnaghetti has mapped all of them in the gorgeous tome Chianti Classico: The Atlas of the Vineyards and UGAs (Enogea), and he highlighted their differences as we sped from spot to spot. In tiny, high-altitude Lamole, he even pulled out a couple of bottles to show off the wines distinctive profile.

Giovanni Manetti, president of the Chianti Classico Consorzio and owner of Fontodi winery in UGA Panzano, one of the region’s most famous areas, calls the zones “an historic achievement.”

You could ask why they matter.

Manetti says they’re part of elevating the quality of Chianti Classico’s once-controversial top wine category, Gran Selezione. “The new rules require the use of only estate-grown grapes, and a higher percentage of our unique, elegant sangiovese grapes.” Naming the origins of wines encourages drinkers to sniff out a sense of place in them, he says. Some 80% of Gran Selezione UGA wines are from single vineyards.

“We’re now speaking a lot about what should be Chianti Classico’s identity,” says Angela Fronti of Istine, which makes three brilliant Gran Selezione wines, two from UGA Radda and one from UGA Gaiole, but also a new white, a rosé vermouth and a gin flavored with juniper berries from the forest on their estate.

This new attention to terroir is one reason undervalued Chianti Classicos belong on your bucket list of Tuscany’s collectible reds along with Brunello di Montalcinos and Super Tuscans like Ornellaia. After all, the wines aren’t the same as plain old Chianti plonk. They come from a small historic area between Firenze and Siena, a distinct region within the wider Chianti area that celebrated its 100th anniversary in May 2024, and a top spot for sangiovese grapes with its own strict regulations. Bottles carry the iconic Black Rooster image.

And they come in three versions. First, the inexpensive, bright-and-savory, drink-me-now Chianti Classico annata (about 60% of the production), which has improved significantly. Then comes the longer aged (24 months) Riserva (30%-35%), while 2014 saw the addition of the Gran Selezione category (about 6%), aged 30 months before release, intended as a winery’s very best.

Back then there was plenty of confusion about just what that meant, and many of the much-hyped first releases seemed more like a grab for premium pricing than something new and important. Some wineries opted out. The UGAs have answered a lot of their criticisms.

“Initially Gran Selezione was like aiming for grand cru Burgundy but not including the name of the grand cru on the label,” Manfred Ing, renowned winemaker of vegan certified winery Querciabella, told me as we walked around the winery on a wet day. Obsessed with a sense of place in wine, he’s convinced that sangiovese is a chameleon grape like pinot noir that perfectly translates the terroir. The UGAs reveal that in taste, Ing explained: “Greve is all about red cherry fruit; Radda has a darker fruit profile; Lamole is lighter, with energy, lift, and violet toned.”

But Chianti Classico’s glow-up goes beyond UGAs. A handful of famous estates have delved deep into soil and grape research. At Castello di Brolio, owned by the Ricasoli family for nearly 1,000 years, two decades of studies revealed 19 soil types on the huge, 240-hectare property.

Research has also focused on the best clones of sangiovese, considered essential to the region’s identity. GS wines must now contain at least 90%, with the rest native grapes-no merlot and other French varieties allowed!-though many are now 100% sangiovese. In recent years producers have moved away from overextraction and dialed back the taste of new oak in favor of brightness and savor.

The ubiquitous issue of climate change is forcing winemakers to rethink traditional ideas as well. “Thirty years ago, we didn’t even consider planting vines higher than 600 meters,” says Francesco Mazzei of Castello di Fonterutoli. “The grapes wouldn’t ripen. Now we are moving up in altitude,” and, he adds, “the forests are our gold mine.” By which he means the vast deep forests are helping mitigate global warming by acting as natural air conditioning and preserving biodiversity.

During my several-day visit, I found much more. A new sustainability manifesto was released last year, and the region boasts more certified organic vineyards than any other in Italy. Young winemakers are experimenting, collaborating and driving change.

The 2021 vintage now on retail shelves (and arriving later this year) is the best since 2016 and 2019, with gorgeous aromas, plenty of energy and layered fruit complexity. Grab it.