Chianti Classico DOCG
The Appellation
How Chianti Classico is defined — its history, its rules, and its eleven UGAs.
Chianti Classico is the original Chianti: the hill country between Florence and Siena where the name was first attached to wine. In 1716 Cosimo III de’ Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany, issued an edict that drew the boundaries of the Chianti production area — one of the earliest legal delimitations of a wine region anywhere.
As Chianti’s fame spread, so did the area claiming its name. In 1924 a group of producers founded a consortium to protect the wine of the historic zone, under the emblem of the black rooster, the gallo nero. Chianti Classico became a DOCG in 1984, still as a sub-zone of Chianti, and in 1996 received a DOCG of its own, fully separate from Chianti. The zone covers eight comuni: all of Greve, Radda, Gaiole and Castellina, and parts of Castelnuovo Berardenga, San Casciano in Val di Pesa, Barberino Tavarnelle and Poggibonsi.
There are three tiers. Annata, the everyday Chianti Classico, and Riserva, aged for at least 24 months, must both contain at least 80 per cent Sangiovese. At the top, Gran Selezione is made only from the estate’s own grapes — not necessarily a single vineyard — and aged for at least 30 months, three of them in bottle. From the 2027 vintage it must contain at least 90 per cent Sangiovese, with the rest drawn only from native red varieties.
Since July 2023, a Gran Selezione may also name one of eleven Unità Geografiche Aggiuntive (UGAs) on its label: Castellina, Castelnuovo Berardenga, Gaiole, Greve, Lamole, Montefioralle, Panzano, Radda, San Casciano, San Donato in Poggio and Vagliagli. For now the names appear on Gran Selezione labels only. They follow historic communities rather than strict soil maps, but they give the drinker, for the first time, a place within the place.
The landscape itself is a candidate for recognition. In April 2023 Italy placed the villa-farm system of Chianti Classico on its UNESCO Tentative List — the network of villas, farmhouses, terraces and woods through which these hills were managed from the Renaissance onwards. The candidacy, “The landscape of the villa-farm system of Chianti Classico”, is now under evaluation, with the full nomination dossier due by February 2027.
UGA
The eleven UGAs
Since July 2023 a Gran Selezione may name the village area its grapes come from. Eleven areas are recognised.
Castellina
1,680 ha of vineyard
The largest vineyard area of the eleven, between about 300 and 500 metres on the clay-limestone of the Sillano formation and on alberese. Bright fruit, with a savoury edge from the higher sites.
Castelnuovo Berardenga
760 ha of vineyard
The warm southern edge of the zone, between about 275 and 450 metres: alberese in the north, tufo in the middle, marine clays in the south. Dark fruit, plenty of tannin and real intensity — the most powerful wines of the denomination.
Gaiole
1,320 ha of vineyard
A large, varied UGA between about 300 and 500 metres: sandstone in the east, alberese in the centre and west, sand in the south. Lean and bright in the centre, fleshier in the south.
Greve
910 ha of vineyard
The Greve valley and its slopes, on shale, Sillano formation and sandstone. Generally concentrated wines with darker fruit, gaining freshness from the higher vineyards.
Lamole
95 ha of vineyard
The smallest UGA and the highest, with terraced vineyards on sandstone from about 500 metres up to around 680. Pale, floral, elegant and fresh Sangiovese.
Montefioralle
250 ha of vineyard
The slopes around the walled hamlet above Greve, between about 250 and 450 metres, mostly on alberese with shale and pietraforte. Fruity, structured and rounded.
Panzano
595 ha of vineyard
The Conca d’Oro and the hills around it, between about 300 and 475 metres on pietraforte, Sillano formation and shale, around 90 per cent farmed organically. Earthy in the west, fruitier and fleshier in the east.
Radda
750 ha of vineyard
High and cool, between about 350 and 520 metres: sandstone towards the Pesa valley, alberese towards the Arbia. Elegant, vivid, fresh wines.
San Casciano
1,560 ha of vineyard
The broad, gentle northern end of the zone, between about 150 and 375 metres, with alberese especially in the south. Round, fruit-led wines, more austere in the southern part.
San Donato in Poggio
800 ha of vineyard
The western hills around the walled borgo, between about 250 and 425 metres on alberese, pietraforte, shale and Sillano formation. From agile and fruity to elegant and structured.
Vagliagli
1,080 ha of vineyard
The northern part of the Castelnuovo Berardenga comune, between about 300 and 450 metres, largely on sandstone, with the largest average estate size of any UGA. Generous, rounded wines, more austere from the higher sites.
Annata
The Entry Level
Riserva
The Middle Tier
Gran Selezione
The Apex — since 2014