John’s Chianti Classico Collection Report 2025 & Top Buys

By John Szabo MS

Earlier this year I attended the Anteprime di Toscana, the annual release of new vintages from all the major Tuscan appellations (with the exception of Brunello di Montalcino, which hosts a separate preview tasting in November). It’s always a brilliant opportunity to catch up with producers, taste soon-to-be-released wines, and get a comprehensive sense of how the latest vintages measures up to the historic mean.

Tuscan countryside. ©John Szabo

I’ve already published reports on some fine Chianti Rùfina Riserva Terraelectae 2021 wines, as well as a somewhat mixed bunch of Vino Nobile di Montepulciano 2022, Riserva 2021, and the First Release of New Top Tier “Pieve” Wines from the 2021 Vintage.

Next and last up is Chianti Classico, an appellation that has been moving from strength to strength over the last dozen years or more. I’ve been tasting the anteprime every year for almost 20 years now, and I can say with confidence that average quality has never been better, and the highs are at their highest level since Grand Duke Cosimo dei’ Medici III delimited the Chianti area in 1716.

The introduction of the top tier Gran Selezione category in 2014 (though retroactive as far back as one 2006 vintage wine) in particular seems to have dragged quality up across the board, and also prices, which was part of the plan. And yet, Chianti Classico remains for me one of the best value premium wines in Italy, wines of strong ‘territoriality” as the Tuscani like to say, that is, highly representative and distinctive of this beautiful landscape embraced by Florence to the north and Siena to the south, and flanked by the Val d’Elsa and Val d’Arno to the west and east.

I’m also heartened to report that organic and sustainable grape growing continues to gain ground. The latest stats show that around 60% of vineyards in the denomination are certified organic, which makes Chianti Classico one of the leading regions in the world.

As Consorzio president Givanni Manetti stated during the annual press conference, “The aim of our producers is to protect our natural assets, the biodiversity in the region, the water, the soils, the natural landscape. Sustainability means perpetual. Sons and grandsons should be able to continue this work. The majority of producers all agree with these premises.”

Giovanni Manetti in his Fontodi Vineyards, Panzano ©John Szabo

2023 Vintage

The youngest vintage I tasted this year was 2023, for the earliest releases of Chianti Classico Annata. Considering the reports I had read before arriving in Florance – erratic weather that included, by turns, excessive rain, scalding heat, drought and damaging hail, a challenging year to be sure, the results turned out to be much better than expected, though also heterogenous, and by no means a qualified success across the board.

To add to grower’s tribulations, crop size was also reduced, thanks in part to heavy downy mildew, like never before seen in the region. The least successful wines show dried out, raisined fruit and hard, stressed, astringent tannins. Brettanomyces was also an issue in some wines.

The best, on the other hand, were made with a very light and delicate hand in the winery, keeping extraction to a manageable, moderate level, and allowing fruit and spice to shine through. There are many fine and juicy wines with well managed tannins and zesty acids, those these will not be wines for long term ageing for the most part. See buyer’s guide below for the top scoring wines out of almost 200 tasted. Only wines earning a 91-point rating and above are included.

For all reviews, see John’s Chianti Classico Collection 2025.

Also in this report are reviews of later released annata wines from the warm 2022 vintage, as well as the latest crop of Gran Selezione from the generally outstanding 2021 vintage, and the more mixed 2020s.

All in all, Chianti Classico is in excellent shape.

Jump to the Buyer’s Guides:
Chianti Classico Annata 2023
Chianti Classico Annata 2022
Chianti Classico Gran Selezione 2021
Chianti Classico Gran Selezione 2020

Buyer’s Guide: Chianti Classico Annata 2023

92 Brancaia Chianti Classico 2023
Clean and fruity, lithe and delicate, elegant, a refined and succulent annata, fluid and sleek. Very good length and depth, lots of pleasure here. Best from 2026. Certified organic. Tasted February 2025.

92 Fèlsina – Berardenga Chianti Classico 2023
Lovely, savoury, classically styled Chianti Classico here from the ever-reliable Fèlsina. It’s beautifully balanced on the palate, medium bodied, with fine-firm tannins and intact fruit. Spice, red cherry flavours lead, and follow through on the long finish. Stately and classy, savoury and sapid. Best from 2027. Tasted February 2025.

92 Poggerino Chianti Classico 2023
Fine aromatic volume offered, with a dark and stony side, mineral and tightly wound with a twist of cracked black peppercorn and plenty of red fruit in a complete and complex expression – a great success for the vintage. Tannins are fluid and sleek, perfectly managed, and depth and balance are excellent. Top notch example, best from 2027. Certified organic. Tasted February 2025.

92 Riecine Chianti Classico 2023
Open, fresh and lifted in the delicate Riecine style, I like the spiced red fruit flavours, the pot pourri and floral nature, the sleek and elegant palate. Tannins are so fine and filigree, acids comfortable and providing the necessary, and length is excellent. A super refined wine all in all, drinking quite well now but best from 2026-2034 or so. Certified organic. Tasted February 2025.

91 Bonacchi Chianti Classico 2023
Medium-deep red. A ripe and lightly reductive wine, dusty, dark-fruited. Deep and flavourful on the palate, with appealingly ripe black fruit, Christmas cake spice, lightly desiccated, with a sweet edge. Tannins are well managed, abundant and furry but pliable. Length is very good. Best from 2026. Tasted February 2025.

91 Castello di Albola Chianti Classico 2023
Peppery red fruit flavours lead; juicy and succulent on the palate, fluid, saliva-inducing. Weathered the heat well, retaining vitality and freshness. Very good length, the high elevation vineyards of Radda, and Albola, seem to have made the difference here. Certified organic. Tasted February 2025.

91 Il Molino di Grace Chianti Classico 2023
Red fruit and black tea lead on this very firm and stony 2023 annata, a strong limestone expression, tightly wound, gently stressed. A high-wire act that will need several years to unwind and relax – substance and depth are very good. Best after 2028. Certified organic. Tasted February 2025.

91 Principe Corsini/Villa Le Corti – Le Corti Chianti Classico 2023
Open and spicy, soft and plush in the San Casciano style, balanced, powdery, with immediate and wide appeal. Fruit spans the ripe red spectrum and shifts into black, with well-integrated cask influence and comfortably ripe acids. Very good length. Drink or hold mid-term. 5% colorino. Certified organic. Tasted February 2025.

91 Villa a Sesta – Il Palei Chianti Classico 2023
Appealing, dense, dark fruit dominates on a supple, plush and velvety palate – lots of concentration here, plenty of depth and interest. Length is very good. Admirable wine, polished, succulent, best from 2027. Tasted February 2025.

91 Castello Vicchiomaggio – Guado Alto Chianti Classico 2023
Refined, old school style, on the oxidative side, with dried/candied fruit character, like red currant jam and black tea, showing the heat of the vintage but weathered reasonably well. Tannins remain very fine, cleverly extracted to a minimum, while zesty acids frame and shape the ensemble. This should develop favourably over the next year or two. Length is very good. Savoury in the best way. Tasted February 2025.

Buyer’s Guide: Chianti Classico Annata 2022

93 Podere Poggio Scalette Chianti Classico 2022
Clean, ripe, honeyed and floral, substantial on the palate, a wine of genuine density and length. I love the savoury, lavender notes, the stony-minerality; tannins are supple and fine with supporting acids in balance. Classy, accomplished wine. Drink or hold into the early ’30s. Tasted February 2025.

93 Rocca di Montegrossi Chianti Classico 2022
Dense and very savoury, replete with resinous wild herbs, and peppery, dark fruit, tight and far from prime. I love the succulent, saliva-inducing quality, the fluidity grafted on to density and genuine substance, and the excellent length. A terrific annata to be sure, best from 2027-2028. Certified organic. Includes 5% canaiolo and 2% colorino. Tasted February 2025.

93 Val delle Corti Chianti Classico 2022
Clean and precise, sharply tuned, peppery and floral with taut, tart red fruit in the Radda idiom. Fabulously savoury and succulent, with genuine salinity and high sapidity. Very well defined; fine tannins as well, one of Val delle Corti’s best annatas, best from 2027. Includes 5% canaiolo. Certified organic. Tasted February 2025.

92 Cinciano Chianti Classico 2022
Lovely aromatics, stony and fruity, herbal and spicy, with everything in good measure. The palate is supple, sleek, fluid and well-balanced, with fine-firm tannins and more than enough fruit extract to balance. Terrific succulence and length. Quality. Tasted February 2025.

92 Fattoria Le Masse – Le Masse Chianti Classico 2022
Terrific nose, open, fragrant and floral, a big noseful, complexity is high, and finesse is spot on. Tannins are fine and acids are sapid, succulent and juicy. Length is great. A top quality 2022, drinking well now or hold into the early ’30s – the oxidative leaning suggests an early drinking window. Certified organic, though Robin Mugnaini farms biodynamically. Tasted February 2025.

92 Le Miccine Chianti Classico 2022
Pure sustained light red, and delicate, fragrant styling – such sapid and saline qualities on the palate, a wine of refinement and style, silky elegance and lingering finish. A wine for lovers of finessed expressions (like me). Certified organic. Tasted February 2025.

92 Monte Bernardi – Sangio’ Chianti Classico 2022
Like wet pavement after the rain, with crushed fresh wild resinous herbs and tart red fruit, a unique and original expression, pure, savoury and firm without angularity. Very good length. Works in the Monte Bernardi style, stress-free, balanced, 2-3 years from prime. Lovely. Certified organic. Tasted February 2025.

92 Querciabella Chianti Classico 2022
Tightly wound on the nose and firmly structured on the palate, there’s plenty of substance and ripe, dark red fruit on Querciabella’s 2022, coiled and poised to evolve. Great tension and energy, and lingering cherry jam/purée flavours. Best after 2027. Certified organic. Tasted February 2025.

91 Bindi Sergardi – La Ghirlanda Chianti Classico 2022
A notably ripe vintage for Bindi Sergardi’s annata, showing warm, baked cherry pie fruit on the nose and savoury wild herbs, dried. The palate is nonetheless fluid and sleek, with fine-firm silky tannins and strong mineral interpretation, dusty and  stony, succulent and saliva-inducing. Fine sapidity on offer. Best from 2027. Tasted February 2025.

91 Cafaggio Chianti Classico 2022
Nice aromatics and volume here, dark and swarthy, spicy-peppery, while the palate sings with juicy acids and sleek tannins, pliable and in check-balance. The palate delivers a zesty wash of red fruit and savoury, wild-herbal spice; length and depth are very good. A big success for the vintage; drink or hold mid-term. Certified organic. Tasted February 2025.

91 Castello di Verrazzano Chianti Classico 2022
Classic, dusty, old school style with some earth and leather tossed in for measure; the palate is sleek and juicy, with succulent acids and fine-firm texture. Very good length. I like the understated, aristocratic styling. Best 2026-2034. Certified organic. Tasted February 2025.

91 Castello Monterinaldi Chianti Classico 2022
Polished, lively and juicy, the acids here are fabulous, zesty and saliva inducing, while tannins have been well-managed, with moderate extraction and no stress noted. A lithe and delicate, energetic and drinkable style without pretense. Drink or hold into the early-’30s. Includes 10% canaiolo. Certified organic. Tasted February 2025.

91 Fattoria della Aiola Chianti Classico 2022
Pure medium red-red. Subdued aromatics, but explosive palate, with evident depth and density, and succulence, with a marked stony character and long finish. There’s plenty of substance on offer, but don’t open until 2027 at the earliest to enjoy the full spectrum of offerings. Tasted February 2025.

91 Fattoria Montecchio Chianti Classico 2022
A lean, reductive, orange zest-inflected style from Montecchio, always a stylistic outlier, though well-composed and saline here in 2022. Tannins are fine and acids fully succulent on a palate that has yet to fully unwind. Length is good – give it 2-3 years to enter prime drinking. Includes 5% alicante bouschet. Tasted February 2025.

91 La Sala del Torriano Chianti Classico 2022
Appealing, firm chewy palate with fine fruit depth in the red and black spectrum, and broad, velvety tannins. Acids come in to support on the long back end. A nicely balanced and composed annata all in all, representing the territory well, and even drinking quite well now though best after 2026. Certified organic. Tasted February 2025.

91 Le Fonti/Panzano Chianti Classico 2022
Clean, complete aromatics, ripe, deep dark fruits, fully integrated. Certainly dense and dark, with fine length and depth, a solid mouthful and successful 2022. Includes 9% merlot and a drop of cabernet sauvignon. Certified organic. Tasted February 2025.

91 Pomona Chianti Classico 2022
Warm and dusty, like sun-baked red fruit, cherry and strawberry; round and generously proportioned on the palate with firm tannins coated in fruit extract. It’s 2-3 years minimum away form prime, but shows proper balance and impressive depth, well done. Certified organic. Tasted February 2025.

91 Tenuta Casenuove Chianti Classico 2022
Open and spicy, orange zest and wild herb-inflected, with stony, scorched earth character and a vaguely sweet, round, mouth filling impression. Plenty of depth and density, supple texture, very good length finishing on cracked black pepper and strawberry purée. Lots of pleasure here over the mid-term. Certified organic. Tasted February 2025.

91 Tenuta di Bibbiano – Bibbiano Chianti Classico 2022
Peppery and reductive, with scorched earth and dried resinous herbs leading, though surprisingly open and giving on the palate. Tannins are broad and plush, supple and velvety, with warm, mouthcoating finish. Good substance and depth; best from 2027. Certified organic. Tasted February 2025.

Buyer’s Guide: Chianti Classico Gran Selezione 2021

97 Castello di Volpaia – Il Puro Casanova Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Radda 2021
Terrifically pure nose, elegant, savoury, a very “puro” pure sangiovese with super refined tannins and succulent acids, a wine of tremendous finesse, refinement and sophistication. It’s reminiscent of the superb 2016, and certainly as good as the magnificent 2019, holding on to freshness considering the hot vintage, though here a function of the high elevation vineyards of Volpaia, also the predominantly sandstone soils that provide delicacy. Seamless, deceptively powerful, so pleasurable. Best from 2026 – this should have a long drinking window, attractive as it is even now. Certified organic. Tasted February 2025.

96 Fontodi Vigna del Sorbo Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Panzano 2021
A dense, ripe, highly concentrated vintage for Fontodi’s classic Vigna del Sorbo from vines planted some 60 years ago, with remarkable structure and depth and terrifically long finish. Another magical wine from this important estate, which should be at its best from 2029 or so. Certified organic. Tasted February 2025.

96 Castello di Volpaia Coltassala Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Radda 2021
Deeply fruity, dark, silky, spicy, elegant and refined, a wine of remarkable finesse allied to substance and genuine depth. Length is exceptional. A top gran selezione to be sure, best from 2029-2029 – this will have a long drinking window as it’s already quite fine. Certified organic. Tasted February 2025.

96 Fèlsina Colonia Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Castelnuovo Berardenga 2021
Fèlsina’s 2021 Colonia is a wonderfully spicy wine, properly herbal and stony, with a well-measured amount of wood influence, just the oxidative development hoped for in a wine of this class and age. The palate is sleek and fluid, with silky tannins and balanced-succulent acids, and exceptional length. Everything fits beautifully. Best from 2028 – give the stony elements time to integrate – or hold late into the ’30s. Tasted February 2025.

96 Fontodi Terrazze San Leolino Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Panzano 2021
Lovely aromatics, floral and herbal, dark cherry fruit-inflected, terrific palate presents, sapid and saline, with elegant but stony tannins, a real streak of stone, with ripeness matching succulent acids, seamless, magical stuff. A top Gran Selezione from this storied and ultra-reliable estate, on the finessed and sophisticated side of the Chianti Classico spectrum. Best from 2028. Certified organic. Tasted February 2025.

95 Fontodi Pastrolo Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Lamole 2021
Hallmark Fontodi finesse and elegance, also lifted in the Lamole style, with appealing stemmy-twiggy-herbal character, mentholated, and dried resinous herbs, fully representative. Once you get it on the palate you’ll be struck by the marked stoniness, the salinity and the saliva-inducing quality, also the lingering finish. Distinctive, delicious, best from 2027. Certified organic. Tasted February 2025.

94 Castello di Fonterutoli – Vicoregio 36 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Castelnuovo Berardenga 2021
Evolving and savoury, offering warm, baked red fruit, dried resinous herbs and more in a complex expression. The palate is open-knit, supple, juicy, a solid mouthful, lively and balanced. Great sapidity, and loads of pleasure on offer, best from 2027. Tasted February 2025

94 Castello di Ama – San Lorenzo Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Gaiole 2021
Terrific nose, very ripe, like a plum purée; the 13% merlot shows through along with 7% malvasia nera. Dense, rich and plush palate, supple, silky tannins, balanced acids, long, long finish. I love the sapidity, the saliva-inducing salinity in the presence of forward, ripe fruit. Drinking well now but no rush – should hold into the mid-’30s without a stretch. A fine San Lorenzo.  Tasted February 2025.

94 Il Poggiolino – Le Balze Chianti Classico Gran Selezione San Donato in Poggio 2021
Really lovely nose here, floral, fruity, refined and elegant, with silky texture to match, a wine of total refinement and delicacy. What a lovely discovery – a very fine Gran Selezione, surely best from 2027 on. Revisit this estate. Tasted February 2025.

94 Istine – Vigna Istine Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Radda 2021
Pure, medium red-garnet. A lifted, spicy number, with firm tight texture, high acids in the Radda style, very stony, in need of 3-4 years minimum I’d suggest to enter its prime drinking window. Length and depth are very good indeed. An uncompromising, wine lover’s wine. Certified organic. Tasted February 2025.

93 Casa Emma Chianti Classico Gran Selezione San Donato in Poggio 2021
Subdued nose, tightly wound palate, very stony and grainy, a very mineral expression, tightly wound, Alberese? In any case, a long way from prime drinking, but the balance is impeccable and substance is impressive. Best from 2028 – a wine that needs time. Certified organic. Tasted February 2025.

93 Fattoria Montecchio – Pasquino Chianti Classico Gran Selezione San Donato in Poggio 2021
Terrific volume on the nose, lifted but not volatile, floral, very pretty, pure red fruit, ripe and taut, neither over nor under ripe. I love the succulence and sapidity – there’s a saliva-inducing streak of salinity here that runs through the long back end. A beautifully-measured and composed, confident wine without need for bluster. Drink from 2027. Tasted February 2025.

93 Gagliole – Gallule Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Castellina 2021
A forward, spicy, lactone-inflected example in a modern style, with plush, broad tannins, supple texture, but with plenty of concentration and density. Widely pleasing, generous, with very good length. Needs 3-4 years for the flavours to resolve. Certified organic. Tasted February 2025.

93 Le Fonti di Panzano Le Fonti Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Panzano 2021
A terrific vintage according to Vicky Schmidt of Le Fonti, with a balance of ripeness and freshness, showing here considerable structure and depth, still a few years away from prime drinking. Get to this after 2028. Certified organic. Tasted February 2025.

92 Castello di Fonterutoli – Badiola Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Radda 2021
Evident oak influence straight off with its resinous, cedary character, American oak-like, though the palate shows fine balance and succulence, fluid tannins and lingering, perfumed finish. I like the balance despite the heavy oak influence. Cellar 3-4 years for the wood to integrate. Tasted February 2025

92 Castello di Albola – Il Solatio Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Radda 2021
Deep red-red. Wood influence is noted, but there’s plenty of fruit extract to back it up. The palate shows fine fluidity and silky-firm tannins; acids are crunchy-fresh and length is excellent. A fine rendition, best from 2027. Certified organic. Tasted February 2025.

92 Castello Vicchiomaggio – Le Bolle Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Greve 2021
Fine, old-school expression, with powdery, fine, lightly grainy tannins and comfortable acids – not a wine of extreme density or concentration, but the balance is seamless and the pleasure high. Even-keeled, succulent. Best from 2026. Tasted February 2025.

92 La Sala del Torriano – Il Torriano Chianti Classico Gran Selezione San Casciano 2021
Soft and gentle, velvety and rich in the San Casciano style, warming on the palate, with sunbaked cherry fruit. Powdery tannins meld with ripe acids. Length is very good . Best from 2027. Certified organic. Tasted February 2025.

Buyer’s Guide: Chianti Classico Gran Selezione 2020

94 Castello di Volpaia – Il Puro Casanova Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Radda 2020
The current release of Volpaia’s Il Puro, first produced in 2006 from vines planted in 2000 (first labelled as gran selezione in 2010) is a ripe and spicy wine, more structured and firm than either the 2021 or the 2019, and will take a few extra years to come around. Cracked black peppery fruit lingers. Try after 2028. Certified organic. Tasted February 2025.

94 Le Cinciole – Aluigi Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Panzano 2020
A dense, full, firm, substantial, very stony, genuinely riserva-level wine from le Cinciole, a mineral-driven Panzano example. Needs considerable time – try after 2029 – will be a beauty. Certified organic. Tasted February 2025

94 Querciabella Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Greve 2020
Lovely open and floral, lifted aromatics lead over a succulent, juicy, fluid palate – such pleasure here. Tannins are slippery and sleek, structural without angularity. Long finish. I appreciate the finesse here. Such sophistication and refinement – no need for unnecessary heft. Best from 2026. Certified organic. Tasted February 2025

93 I Fabbri/Susanna Fabbri Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Lamole 2020
Light, open, lifted in the delicate Lamole and I Fabbri style, with very fine tannins, though the fruit is very ripe, almost shifting to blue. Acids remain vibrant and overall energy and tension are very good. Loads of finesse and lots to like. Best from2026. Certified organic. Tasted February 2025

93 Lamole di Lamole – Vigna Grospoli Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Lamole 2020
Attractive and engaging aromatics, darkly fruited, floral and spicy without noted oak influence. Full and fleshy palate, very good length. An excellent and pleasurable wine from Lamole di Lamole. Certified organic. Tasted February 2025

92 Castello di Ama – Vigneto Bellavista  Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Gaiole 2020
Notably dark in colour, full and plush, ripe, with underlying stoniness, but not as compelling as the previous vintage in my view – seems unusually loose. A Bellavista to enjoy over the mid-term I’d suggest. 20% malvasia nera. Certified organic. Tasted February 2025

That’s all for this special report, see round the next bottle. 

 John Szabo, MS