Chianti Classico Collection 2021: Tasting Notes (Part 1, A-H)

Before we go on to the almost 300 wines I have reviewed with Tasting Notes of the Chianti Classico Collection 2021 (Chianti Classico, Gran Selezione, Riserva and IGT), I thought it might be interesting to give you a brief insight into how Chianti Classico evolved from its beginnings to today.

Chianti Classico has experienced many changes over its long history, for example: it started as a white wine!

The story of this wine region is over seven hundred years in the making. In the Middle Ages the original Lega del Chianti (League of Chianti) consisted of Gaiole, Radda and Castellina. Over the centuries other villages joined them, therefore the boundaries were redefined constantly, until in 1716 Cosimo III de’ Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany issued a Bandol (edict) stating the three original villages of the Lega del Chianti as well as the village of Greve were the only official producers of Chianti.

This remained until the Italian government added another five sub zones which all became under DOC regulations in 1966.

In 1984 the Chianti Classico and the enlarged Chianti zone were separated and each given their own DOCG status.

So the Chianti Classico region is made up of the communes of Castellina, Gaiole, Greve, Radda and some parts of Barberino Val d’ Elsa, San Casciano in Val di Pesa, along with Tavernelle Val di Pesa in the Province of Florence as well as Castelnuovo Berardenga and finally Poggibonsi in the Province of Siena.

The point of this mini history was to give an understanding of the huge diverse terrain, altitudes, soil composition and microclimate encompassing this large denomination that we now call Chianti Classico.

This is without doubt the single most important fact that you need to understand when comparing one estates wine to another... Diversity.

Let’s also consider the problems that Chianti, as a wine, has endured in its long history. As mentioned earlier, over the centuries Chianti started as a pale, light white wine. I