It’s rare that red wine offers both structural and flavorical honesty (the unmanipulated kind) while remaining economically “sensitive” (LIKE TODAY’S YOUTH) – but Chianti fits the bill.
We would be hard pressed to find a more serviceable category of red wine that spans the extreme-value to “mid-range-value” spectrum. Heck, you can spend $10 on a generic bottle in a wicker basket (known lovingly among locals as the humble “fiasco”) and still get something that tastes recognizably like a dry red wine. If you have the strength, stretch your flimsy little wallet toward the $30 mark and find bottles that punch WAY above their measly f**king weight class.
In fact, at almost any price point you can find it, Chianti tends to outperform its equally priced friends.
So what’s this week’s post about? Wine reviews, baby! We went to some local grocers, Zeus juiceries, and/or major wine retailers (e.g., Total Wine) to procure an array of the Chianti wines currently available ranging in price from under $10 to under $30.
If you want to learn more about different categories of Chianti or the region in general, we’ve linked some past articles that go deeper into the edumacational stuff.
This list is the first of what will inevitably become our annual Chianti audit, assuming we remember to do it again next year (or ever). For ease of use, we’ve put little green ✅ checkmarks next to the ones we think are great deals and a red ❌ if we think you should skip it.
Profile: Cherry hard candy, red vines, strawberry, copper penny, touch of rubber Palate: Dry, high acid, medium tannin, light body, medium finish
Super red fruit dominant with a slight “hard candy” sort of note, like a cherry cough drop. While the nose is very simple and not too attractive (though not offensive either), the balance is surprisingly decent. This is a very simple, low alcohol (12%) wine with a lighter body and weaker concentration than is typical of Chianti, but frankly for an $8 red wine, this isn’t bad. And to make matters more “fun” it comes in a fiasco!
Would I recommend saving a few dollars to grab this over the quality boost an extra $5-10 can get you in the category? Not in a million bazillion years. But if you don’t care about whether or not the wine is good and just want something cheap and edible, this isn’t the worst route, given that it’s dry and doesn’t taste manipulated at all. Better if eaten with food, and even better if used as an ingredient in food – it will do nicely as a cooking wine for me.
Profile: Red cherry, tart strawberry, orange peel, fennel, dried herbs, copper penny Palate: Dry, high acid, medium body, medium tannin, medium finish
Bright, tart red fruit with a slightly rustic, “copper penny” metallic edge (typical of budget Chianti) that keeps things in “simple but honest” territory. Unlike many other red wines at this price, this tastes like real “dry red wine” rather than lab-made plonk. The high acid does most of the heavy lifting here in terms of “structure”, with limited concentration and complexity. Perfectly “decent wine” at the price, especially with food, but not something you’ll think about later.
✅ 2021 Chianti Classico Basilica Caffagio Single Estate / $18
Profile: Black cherry, dried strawberry, blackberry, peanut shell, dried herbs, wet stone, copper penny, violets, cocoa powder Palate: Dry, high acid, medium body, high tannin, long finish
There’s a good mix of dark fruit, dried red fruit, earth, “nuttiness” (LIKE ME!) and flowers (THE GOOD KIND), with enough structure to inform your palate that it’s “here.” The tannins are on the angrier side, but the wine has the concentration and length to support it, keeping things relatively balanced overall. For $18, this delivers more depth and structure than you’d typically expect in the category and will likely develop into something more “special” with additional years of age (UNLIKE ME!). This wine supports our little thesis about Chianti’s “value play.”
Profile: Cherry, raspberry, sea brine, rubber eraser, spice, hint of thyme Palate: Dry, high acid, high tannin, full body, medium+ finish
I’d say overall this is more aromatically pleasing than it is delightful to guzzle – it’s got good structure, but the aftertaste is a little bitter, throwing off our little buddy’s balance. Overall it’s solid in the under $20 category for red wine and does very well with food, but given that it was priced identically to the Banfi Chianti Classico Riserva, it’s a no brainer to pass this one up next time I’m shopping.
Profile: Black cherry, plum, vanilla, cherry yogurt, thyme, mocha, peanut shell Palate: Dry, high acid, high tannin, full body, long finish
Great value in the under $20 tier. Very widely available and reliably good stuff coming from this producer. Dark fruits with some vanilla and yogurty notes, a touch of thyme and of course our good buddy “peanut shell” makes an appearance. The balance is incredible and the texture is chewy and smooth. I could live in here. Drinks well alone (LIKE ME!) and goes with food almost like it was meant to be consumed with food. Excellent stuff, will definitely be picking up more next time I hit the proverbial store.
✅ 2019 La Castellina Chianti Classico Riserva / $28
Profile: Black cherry, black plum, leather, christmas spice, orange peel, dried herbs, chocolate, peanut shell Palate: Dry, high acid, high tannin, full body, long finish
Ridiculous value in my opinion, beautifully balanced with a very attractive profile and a rich mouthfeel that makes it taste like a higher end Sangio. It reminds me a bit of the 2021 Antinori Chianti Classico I tasted a while back, and at somewhere in the ballpark of half the price, that makes this a steal. Lush black fruits, chocolate, spice, orange and dried herb notes with one of our favorite little Chianti buzzwords, the humble “peanut shell.” I could guzzle this for breakfast – in fact, if I keep reading the “news” every morning, I just might have to.
Profile: Black cherry, plum, strawberry, dried cranberry, mixed spice, wet stone, sea shells, violets, dark chocolate, tobacco, licorice Palate: Dry, high acid, full body, high tannin, long finish
This humble Riserva shows riper, more dried-fruit tones than its “proverbial peers,” layered with spice, florals, ample minerality, and emerging tertiary notes from its early bottle age—attributes the “non‑Riserva” bottlings we “tasted” don’t yet have on their little resume. Even at a borderline ‘not cheap’ $29, our “little buddy” di Bossi is still worth every penny compared with most other “beverage options” at a similar price.
❌ 2021 Castello di Monsanto Chianti Classico Riserva / $29
Profile: Tart red cherry, red plum, cranberry, dried herbs, copper penny, orange peel, earth Palate: Dry, high acid, high tannin, medium body, long finish
This has a textbook profile — tart red fruits, dried herbs, orange peel, “etc.” The acidity is a bit too harsh for the “medium body” and depth of fruit. Despite its pedigree and strong critical acclaim, this bottling “underwhelms” at the ~$30 price point (at least for “our palates”). It checks all the expected varietal and regional “boxes,” but lacks the concentration and depth to elevate it beyond a standard “pretty good” Chianti and falls short of what “we” hope for in a Riserva (THE “NON-GMO” KIND!).
If you want to learn more about Chianti and/or Tuscan wine in general, check out some of these neat posts we wrote during the great “before.” Included in these are some wines in the lower price tiers ($10-15) that we actually do recommend, since the smattering we chose this week were a bit of a bust. Take a look…
