Photo:
So why is Chianti so unappreciated? Including my pick of the ten best Chiantis.
A few years ago I was talking to the sommelier of a high-end Italian restaurant in New York, and he complained that the hardest wine on his list to sell was Chianti.
But why?
He had no real explanation, and neither do I. Today there are hundreds of good, well made wines, authentic, and super value. What’s wrong?
Sure, Chianti used to be pretty ropey stuff, served at red sauce Italian restaurants with red and white checkered table cloths, and then forgotten.
It was poured from straw-covered bottles, fiasci, that were more notable for their second life as dorm room lamps than the quality of the wine they contained.
And nobody was buying the stuff, or not many people. It wasn’t that it had seen a falloff in quality – it was the same old peasant vino it had always been. The problem was there weren’t any peasants anymore, and the world wanted better quality wine.
Tuscany was in a deep slump, with tractors replacing laborers who all decamped to the cities, leaving whole villages abandoned.
Many growers and winemakers were getting out of the business entirely.
But one decided there were opportunities amidst all this gloom – enter Piero, Marchese Antinori.
Forty years ago, inspired by his friend Robert Mondavi in California, he set out to make quality wine in Chianti, even if that meant ignoring centuries-old practices. To say that this upset the powers that be is putting it mildly, and he was widely ridiculed, and worse.
But his first wine, the now iconic Tignanello, was such a critical and commercial success that the critics were quickly silenced, and lured by the obvious profits, soon began to emulate him. The Chianti world was on a path of viniferous redemption.
There an interesting coda to this story. At the time of Tignanello’s first release it didn’t conform to the rules set down by the Consorzio, Chianti Classico’s governing body, so Antinori was forced to release it under the humble Vino da Tavola, table wine, designation. Eventually, under pressure from the commercial success of this and multiple other modern Classicos, the Consorzio was forced to update the rules, so now Tignanello could be classified as a Chianti Classico. But Antinori, as a badge of pride, releases this famous wine under the simple Toscana IGT designation.
The consequences of all this is that Chianti has changed out of all recognition in the past 30 years, and is now producing some super wines at remarkably reasonable prices.
+++++++
A Word on Vintages, and Age
Like many red wines, Chianti is released far too young. They have pronounced acidity and aggressive tannins. This doesn’t mean they are bad wines, just a little immature, like an unruly 16 year old.
This is not entirely the producers fault -- thought they are, of course, happy to get the cash coming in as soon as possible -- because many American consumers are fixated on the idea that new is better. So, when you see two Chianti Classico Passmore, a 2009 and 2008, sitting on the shelf, grab the 2008. Unlike the latest car model year, when it comes quality red wine, newer is rarely better.
+++++++
Recent Chianti Vintages:
2011 – Moderate
2010 – Difficult
2009 – Very good
2008 – Mixed
Remember, even modest Chianti will improve for at least five years from vintage. Good Chianti Classico for up to ten, and the very best, Tignanello & Monsanto, for example, for fifteen to twenty. See my recent column on the 1999 Monsanto Il Poggio.
It’s All In A Name
Chianti Classico comes from the heart of the Chianti region, and must be made from at least 80% Sangiovese, with no white wine, which was traditional until recently, and one of the contributors to the regions poor reputation.
Chianti Classico wines all carry the black cockerel logo on a cigar band around the neck of the bottle.
Simple “Chianti” comes from several sub-regions surrounding Chianti Classico, and can contain up to 30% white grapes. There are also differences of yields, alcohol levels and aging requirements, all of which are important, but would send you to sleep before you get to the good stuff, my picks of the ten best Chiantis, Classico and otherwise.
Ten Best Chiantis
Selvapiana, Chianti Rufina 2011 $17
Sangiovese, with a small amount of Canaiolo
From the more humble Chianti Rufina DOCG, a status reflected in its modest price, this is everything an unpretentious Chianti should be: light, fresh and bursting with red-berry fruit. Great with pizza, and pasta with a meat or red sauce.
Terrarossa Chianti Classico, Fattorie Melini 2011 $18
Sangiovese: 90%, Merlot: 10%
Rich, ripe, earthy and meaty. Very modern, very international in style, but with just enough peasant authenticity to retain a link with its origins.
Castello di Verrazzano Chianti Classico 2011 $26
90% Sangiovese, 10% Canaiolo
Great example of fruit-driven Chianti Classico charm, all red berry acidity. Needs a couple of years to mellow out.
Rocca delle Macie, Chianti Classico Reserva 2010 $26
90% Sangiovese, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot
Rich, creamy and totally modern, a wine designed for the international market, and at this succeeds brilliantly. Hints of beguiling earth, leather and dark fruit, but needs five years to come into its own.
Nipozzano Vecchie Viti, Chianti Rufina Reserva, Frescobaldi 2011 $30
Sangiovese 90%, 10% Malvasia, Cilorino & Canaiolo
This new release from the storied Frescobaldi family is made from old vines, some planted in the 1960’s. These account for its tight, well-framed structure and pronounced minerality, even at this young age. It is a wine that can be drunk today with pizza and pasta but will reward keeping.
Castello di Volpaia Chianti Classico Reserva 2010 $32
100% Sangiovese
Smooth, and luxurious, very modern but with enough fresh, bright Sangiovese strawberry flavors to keep it firmly anchored in a Toscana identity
Melini Riserva Chianti 2010 $33
Sangiovese 85%, other 15%
With its fresh, vibrant Sangiovese fruit this is a fine demonstration of Chianti’s appealing charm.
La Forra, Chianti Classico Gran Selezione 2008, Tenuta di Nozzole $50
100% Sangiovese
Dense and opaque compared to most Chiantis, all concentrated ripe fruit. Definitely more New World than Italian in style.
Castello Monsanto, Il Poggio 2009 ($55)
90% Sangiovese, 10% Canaiolo & Corolino
I recently drank the 1999 vintage [see my column] of this single vineyard Chianti Classico, and it was stunning, just coming into its own, still fresh with Sangiovese red berry flavors but mellowed with a smoky, wet-leaves-in-the-fall earthiness. The 2009 is a baby in comparison, still unresolved, but it represents a terrific bargain for those wine aficionados in search of a classic wine who have the patience to wait.
Tignanello, Toscana 2011 $105
80% Sangiovese, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc
The wine that upended the whole Chianti industry, and set in train its revival. Not approachable when young, with time it develops beguilingly complex layers of flavor: leather, cedar, mushrooms and cocoa. Be patient.
