Ideally drink now to 2028. Decant 1 hour.

Rich ruby in colour, the aromas of cherry, strawberry, citrus and hints of liquorice and tobacco are prominent with a hint of vanilla. The flavours of ripe black fruit, cherry and leather mingle with great acidity, silky tannins all perfectly balanced in this full bodied wine. The finish is long and lingering with a touch of spice at the end.

Will match fantastically with rich beef stew, pasta with meat or sausage sauce, ham, salami or roast beef.

The hand harvested grapes from a single vineyard are vinified in steel vats for between 18 and 25 days prior to being aged in new oak for 12 months. There is a further 12 months in bottle prior to release. No herbicides, pesticides or chemicals of any nature are used in Castellarre’s wines which makes them even more desirable. The yields from this vineyard are well below the maximum yields allowed for its DOCG status, which further drives up the quality of the resulting wines.

Castellare di Castellina is situated in Castellina in Chianti. It comprises of 33 hectares that are growing in an amphitheatre that is south east facing. The altitude of 1000 feet above sea level has a cooling effect on the grapes and helps drive the quality up. The vines are relatively young (between 5 and 30 years old) and constant research is being carried out to further improve the wine. A notable point of interest – each year a different endangered bird is put on the label to reflect the company’s environmental stance.

Ideally drink now through 2023. Decant for 30 minutes prior to serving

The Isole E Olena Chianti Classico is an intense, fresh, and delicious example of a refined Chianti Classico from a decidedly quality minded producer. Aromas of ripe red cherry, toast, exotic spice, and clove lead into a palate that is bright and juicy, with high toned flavors of bramble fruit, red cherry, coffee, and white pepper. Fresh acidity, fine grained ripe tannins, and a silky finish complete this balanced and complex Chianti.

Chianti’s are perfect table wines because they pair with a wide variety of dishes, especially those hailing from Tuscany, Chianti’s home. Artichoke salad, boar ragu, cacio e pepe, or Bisteca alla Fiorentina all would suit this style of wine.

Isola E Olena is the combination of two estates purchased by the De Marchi family in the 1950’s, in the heart of the Chianti Classico region. After the family’s 4th generation winemaker, Paolo De Marchi, returned home from working harvests in California and France, he began a project of modernization to bring his family’s estate into the 21st century, extensively replanting vineyards and updating winery equipment. For this Chianti Classico, he combined 80% Sangiovese with 15% Canaiolo (a native Tuscan variety that gives a darker fruit character to wines), and finished the wine with 5% Syrah. This unique combination of grapes led to a more intense and complex Chianti Classico than many typical examples from the region.

Drink now through to 2028. No need to decant before serving.

Pagliarese was once one of the great estates of Chianti Classico and over the last couple of decades the Poggiali family who own the renowned Felsina estate have worked tirelessly to restore it to its former glory. The estate was purchased by the family in 1995 and since then the property has been largely replanted with cuttings taken from Pagliarese’s oldest vines. The family had been selling the estate’s grapes to local winemakers up until 2015 when they decided to bottle and release the first wines under their own label.

The family regard the wines of Pagliarese as modern interpretations of the classic Chianti style and seek to respect local winemaking traditions while utilising cutting-edge technology to produce top quality wines. Their Chianti Classico Riserva is crafted from Sangiovese along with smaller quantities of Canaiolo and Mammolo, two indigenous grape varieties which thrive in Pagliarese’s sandy soils. The grapes are harvested by hand and treated with great care in the winery where the young wine spends 12 months maturing in large Slavonian oak casks.

On the nose there are attractive notes of red cherries, dried Mediterranean herbs, and baked earth, while the first sip reveals a medium body, bright acidity and wild berry flavours which linger on the tongue. An ideal partner for game and fresh pasta dishes served with a tomato sauce.

Drink now through to 2029. No need to decant before serving.

Felsina’s Rancia Chianti Classico takes its name from the former Benedictine monastery which sits near the Rancia vineyard. The estate is widely regarded as one of the finest producers of Chianti Classico with this particular bottling lauded by wine critics all over the globe as a true Tuscan masterpiece.

The Rancia vineyard is located in in Castelnuovo Berardenga in the southeastern corner of the Chianti Classico appellation and is planted on southwesterly-facing slopes of 400 to 420 metres of altitude. The Sangiovese grapes are attentively harvested by hand each year and fermented in stainless steel tanks. The wine is then matured in oak barrels for up to 20 months before the composition of the blend is decided. The Rancia is then aged in the bottle for a further 6 to 8 months before it is released.

On the nose you’ll immediately notice the classic Chianti aromas of ripe cherry, dried flowers, leather and a distinctive earthy character. The first sip reveals a firm structure balanced by fresh acidity and vibrant red fruit, baking spice and herbal flavours which linger long on the tongue. The bold flavour profile of this wine make it an ideal contender for extended cellar ageing.

Drink now through to 2028. No need to decant before serving.

This stunning Chianti Classico Riserva opens with seductive aromas of red cherries, dried flowers, and hints of pencil lead. The first sip reveals a firm structure, smooth tannins and intense red berry and sweet baking spice flavours that linger long on the tongue.

Widely regarded as one of the finest Chianti Classico producers, the Felsina estate began life in 1966 when Domenico Poggiali Fèlsina purchased the property with the dream of producing fabulous traditional Tuscan wines. In the 1980s Domenico’s son-in-law, Giuseppe Mazzocolin, took a leading role in the family business and sought the help of legendary enologist Franco Bernabei to modernise the winemaking and replant many of the estate’s vineyards.

The Felsina Chianti Classico Riserva is crafted with grapes sourced from the estate’s vineyards in Castelnuovo Berardenga in the southeastern corner of the Chianti Classico appellation. The grapes are carefully selected at harvest time and fermented in stainless steel tanks for around 16 days. The wine is then aged in Slavonian oak barrels for up to 16 months before the final blend is made. The wine spends a further three to six months maturing in the bottle before it is deemed ready for release.

Ideally drink till 2028. Decant 1 hour.

A vibrant ruby red in colour, the nose gives ripe red fruit, cocoa, vanilla, a delicate floral note and a little spice. On the palate, flavours of red currant, chocolate, vanilla and coffee burst onto the taste buds. The tannins are smooth and the acidity balances well with good alcohol levels. The finish is long and luxurious with a vanilla end.

Great match with red meats, stews, pate and cheese.

Capannelle believes in combining the traditional with cutting edge technology and forward thinking wine making techniques. For this Chianti Classico Riserva the grapes are fermented in steel vats for 18-20 days. Following a malolactic fermentation, the wine is fermented in French or Austrian oak vats for 18 months, with a further period of bottle maturation. The production volume is around the 13,000 bottle mark, making this wine a much sought after vintage.

Capannelle started life in 1974 when Raffaele Rossetti took over the property. The first wine was produced in 1975 which was a Chianti by the name of Casale. Over the next few years, the winery developed better working techniques and much better quality fruit and wine, transporting it into being recognised as one of the best manufacturers in quality terms. The vineyard is located in Radda in Chianti and has 16 hectares of mainly Sangiovese grapes but with a little Chardonnay, Malvasia Nera and Canaiolo mixed in. With a dedication to constantly improve their wines, they have now attained an almost cult status with some of their wines, resulting in demand always exceeding supply – a great position to be in!