In the region of Tuscany, between the two medieval cities of Florence and Siena, lie 100 square miles of rolling hills. Called the Clante by the Etruscans, what’s now known as Chianti was Italy’s first modern fine-wine region, and the vineyards here continue to produce some of the most famous wines in the world.
The Sangiovese grape thrives here, in well-draining clay soil called galestro. The resulting wine can achieve true Italian elegance: refined and balanced, with well-crafted rustic edges.
Chianti wines can be juicy and bright or dark and brooding, but they’re always lifted by buoyant natural acidity that make them wonderfully food-friendly. Chianti is typically paired with lean meats such as skirt steaks but can also be effortlessly sipped alongside pasta dishes covered in all sorts of sauces.
The categories can be dizzying with different names and various aging requirements, from Chianti DOCG to Chianti Classico DOCG delimitations to the Riserva and Gran Selezione categories, as well as multiple communes boasting individual terroir expressions. We tasted through the full range of wines to narrow it down to the very best. Here are the 14 top Chianti wines for 2024.
Best Chiantis Under $25
Castello di Gabbiano Chianti Classico DOCG 2020
There are a lot of very affordable Chianti bottles out there and it can be difficult to find the one that hits. Look no further — this one hits and it’s under 20 bucks. It has tart cherries on the nose with a dollop of fresh earth. It has a bright, grippy, and tart palate with good medium fruit and blousy acidity that’s matched by the depth.
Average price: $14
Rating: 90
Best Chiantis Under $50
Gagliole ‘Rubiolo’ Chianti Classico DOCG 2022
Here’s another one for ya. Also delicious and affordable, but with a little more edge. Coming from two high-quality areas for production in Chianti, Castellina and Panzano, it has bright pops of cherry fruit on the nose and the palate, but is framed by a prominent tannin structure. This is weeknight steak dinner vibes.
Average price: $26
Rating: 90
Ricasoli 1141 ‘Brolio’ Chianti Classico DOCG 2021
The Ricasoli family is known to some as the first family of Chianti. The family’s role in the region was essential to what we enjoy from the hills between Florence and Siena today. Located in Gaiole in Chianti, this wine shows the brightness of Sangiovese while being grounded by a small dose of the local variety Colorino. It has dense yet bright sour cherry aromas on the nose. The palate is balanced, with tart fruit and good active acidity. This is a great Chianti for everyday enjoyment.
Average price: $26
Rating: 90
Felsina Berardenga Chianti Classico DOCG 2021
This wine comes from the southernmost Chianti Classico zone, where the vines receive ample sunshine. That comes through in this wine’s dense, fleshy fruit notes and weighty palate. It has a rich, earthy nose with sour cherry and cranberry aromas and hints of tobacco and leather. The palate has depth and balance with an elegant fruit core framed by a prominent yet supportive tannin structure. The beauty of Siena is in this bottle.
Average price: $28
Rating: 93
Arillo in Terrabianca ‘Sacello’ Chianti Classico DOCG 2021
This wine comes from the commune of Radda, which is known for having some of the highest-elevation vineyards in Chianti. All that air and sun makes for some elegant wines, especially when they’re 100 percent Sangiovese. This bottle offers bright pops of cherry and cola with some soil to boot. The palate is light yet concentrated with wonderful acidity lifting the wine from its slightly tannic edge.
Average price: $30
Rating: 93
San Felice ‘Il Grigio’ Chianti Classico Riserva DOCG 2020
Here’s another example of delicious Chianti from the southern part of the Classico zone, Castelnuovo Berardenga. Here the tannins are more prominent, framing the depth of fruit. The nose is filled with deep cherry, tart cranberry, and earth. The palate is ripe and grippy with a good balance between fruit and acidity.
Average price: $33
Rating: 92
Tenuta San Vito ‘Madiere’ Chianti Colli Fiorentini Riserva 2020
We’re jumping out of the Chianti Classico zone for a sec to enjoy a wine region in the hilly outskirts of Florence called Colli Fiorentini (Florentine hills). Chianti Classico makes some epic wine, but this Tenuta San Vito is like, “Hold my stemware.” This wine is lovely. It’s earthy and herby with some rhubarb and white pepper on the nose. The palate delivers slight woody notes along with a delicious fleshy mouthfeel balanced by lithe tannins and almost perfect acidity.
Average price: $35
Rating: 94
Melini Vigneti La Selvanella Riserva Chianti Classico DOCG 2019
We’re back in the elegant high-elevation site of Radda, with all of the fruit for this wine coming from one site, the La Selvanella vineyard. When a winemaker knows how special one place is they will often single it out. Here, all 123 acres of the vineyard have something to say. The nose brings notes of bright cherries and rhubarb with an underlying herbaceousness. It has an amazing palate with soft yet present tannins and beautifully balanced fruit depth. Right in line with the terroir-driven style of Radda.
Average price: $35
Rating: 94
Badia a Coltibuono Chianti Classico Riserva DOCG 2019
Coming from an 11th-century abbey in Galileo — the same commune as the prominent Ricasoli winery — this wine shows how a little bit of age softens those tannins and shows off the fruit. This bottle offers notes of tart cherries and cranberries on the nose with some earth. The palate is soft and round with blousy fruit lifted by generous acidity.
Average price: $40
Rating: 92
Carobbio Chianti Classico Riserva DOCG 2016
OK, let’s talk about age. The wines coming out of the Panzano hamlet tucked into the Greve in Chianti commune tend to be full-bodied. They’re always approachable, but after almost a decade in bottle things start to get magical. And Carobbio has harnessed that magic. This wine is almost, if not at, its peak. The nose is earthy with unctuous leathery cherry vibes. Palate is grippy but lithe from dissolving tannins.
Average price: $48
Rating: 94
Best Chiantis Under $100
Selvapiana ‘Vigneto Erchi’ Chianti Rufina Riserva DOCG 2018
Chianti Rufina, in the hills to the east of Florence, is not in the Classico zone but it might as well be. This is the most celebrated region of the Chianti DOCG designation and some say it has all the aspects of the Classico style. Here’s a single-vineyard wine with some age on it to show just how wonderful they can be. It has bright leathery fruit on the nose and the palate offers a fleshy, balanced mouthfeel.
Average price: $50
Rating: 93
Istine ‘Le Vigne’ Chianti Classico Riserva DOCG 2020
Just because wines come from the same zone doesn’t mean they’re all the same. It’s amazing to see how each winemaker has an individual style even in the same commune. This is another wine from Radda, but its expression is unique while still showing a sense of place. The nose pops with bright cherry, rhubarb, and truffle aromas. The palate is dry around the edges with plenty of vibrant fruit at its core. The acidity does an amazing job holding all of these characteristics in place.
Average price: $65
Rating: 92
Best Chiantis Over $100
Riecine ‘Vigna Gittori’ Chianti Classico Gran Selezione 2019
In 2010 Chianti Classico took it to the next level by creating the Gran Selezione category. To hold that title, wines need to be made from estate fruit and aged six months more than the previous highest tier, Chianti Classico Riserva (24 months). These wines are powerful, which comes through in this bottle. The nose has earthy cherry notes and a mineral channel running through. On the palate, fine tannins frame the core of fruit beautifully. We also love their more widely available Classico bottling.
Average price: $113
Rating: 95
Isole e Olena Cepparello Toscana IGT 2021
This Chianti shows the power of Sangiovese. It’s a wine that tells us something — and we’re listening. The winery eschewed any Classico designation on the label even though the estate is technically in the Chianti Classico zone, because it’s so dedicated to Sangiovese that it wants to celebrate the grape variety itself, rather than the region. Respect. The palate is classic to the region, with bright cherry fruit and a hint of leather and earth. It has the slightest grip around the edges framing the core of fruit. The acidity is just right, forming a lifted base not allowing any aspect of the wine to take center stage. Just wonderful.
Average price: $160
Rating: 96
FAQs
What grape variety is Chianti made from?
Chianti is mostly made from Sangiovese grapes. However, it is frequently blended with small percentages of either other native grapes or international varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah.
What does Chianti taste like?
Chianti typically has fresh red fruit flavors and a touch of dried herbs. Earthy and savory notes come to the fore in wines that have been aged in barrel and bottle.
Is Chianti a light or heavy wine?
Chianti is a medium-bodied wine that is high in both tannins and acidity.
VinePair’s Tasting Methodology
Throughout the year, VinePair conducts numerous tastings for our popular Buy This Booze column, and wine and spirits reviews. Our mission is to provide a clear, reliable source of information for drinkers, providing an overview applicable to day-to-day buying and drinking.
Tastings are not typically conducted blind. In alignment with our reviews mission, we believe in purposefully tasting all products as our readers typically would, with full knowledge of the producer, the region, and — importantly — the price.
For Buy This Booze roundups, we typically include a maximum of one expression per brand, though we do allow multiple products from the same production facility (i.e., released under different labels).
