Hello,
We need to talk about Chianti.
Here are six wines from three winemakers, all in the heart of Chianti country — and on four of the six labels, you'll search in vain for the word "Chianti".
Only half rebellion: the two wines with Chianti on the label are amongst the finest in this newsletter. Chianti and anti-Chianti — the same hills, the same hands, two readings of the same story.
Sean O'Callaghan — Tenuta di Carleone
The Tuscans call him "Il Guercio" — the one-eyed man. Sean O'Callaghan is British, occasionally sports an eyepatch, studied at Geisenheim and worked at Schlossgut Diel on the Nahe before founding Tenuta di Carleone in 2012 with Austrian Karl Egger — on an estate near Radda documented since 1078. His vineyards sit at 700 metres — alpine conditions for Sangiovese. Grapes are foot-trodden, spontaneously fermented in concrete. Gambero Rosso awarded Tre Bicchieri, Antonio Galloni wrote: "some of the most distinctive wines throughout Chianti Classico." Sean does both: Chianti Classico by the rules — and IGT when the rules become too constraining.
Chianti Classico DOCG 2023
Sangiovese · Radda in Chianti · ca. 27 €
40% whole-bunch fermentation, hand-picked and foot-trodden — Sangiovese from 700 metres altitude, and you can taste it: cool sour cherry, rosemary, a freshness reminiscent of mountain air. Chianti as one dreams it: precision over weight, provenance over oak. At 27 euros, the finest argument for taking the appellation seriously.
UNO IGT "Special Edition" 2021
Sangiovese · Toscana IGT · ca. 69 €
Sean's 30th harvest: 13.5% alcohol, 18 months in concrete and tonneau. Why IGT? Because the DOCG regulations don't permit this élevage to be labelled "Chianti". The result: concentrated, profound Sangiovese, tasting of sour cherry, undergrowth and dark chocolate. Same vineyard, same grape — different label. The two wines side by side tell you more about Italian wine law than any textbook.
Corzano e Paterno — Chianti with Sheep's Cheese
600 Sardinian sheep amongst olive trees and vines, 13 varieties of cheese, olive oil — and in the midst of it all: Chianti. The Gelpke-Goldschmidt family farms 140 hectares, but only 17 of them carry vines. 75,000 bottles a year, double hand-harvesting. Arianna Gelpke trained at Isole e Olena and with Lodovico Antinori, Aljoscha Goldschmidt studied agronomy at Wädenswil. Over 50 years of family history — an estate that takes its wine as seriously as its pecorino.
Chianti "Terre di Corzano" DOCG 2024
Sangiovese, Canaiolo · Chianti · ca. 15 €
Sangiovese with a touch of Canaiolo, 13%. A Chianti that tastes of the place where it grows — sour cherry, wild herbs, an earthy warmth reminiscent of the barn next door. At 15 euros, one of the most honest Chiantis you can buy. With the estate's pecorino — or any other.
Il Corzanello Rosato IGT 2024
Sangiovese · Toscana IGT · ca. 12 €
Whole-bunch pressing, Provençal style. Why IGT? Because the Chianti regulations make no provision for rosato. Pale salmon pink, grapefruit, white currant, bone dry. Sangiovese rosato at this price is rare — and rarely this good. With crostini topped with chicken liver or simply on the terrace.
Robin Mugnaini — Le Masse
In "Inferno" he stood alongside Tom Hanks, at Rome's film academy he studied acting — his mother Christiane is a Berlin painter, sister Lea founded an artists' residency on the estate. Robin Mugnaini came to wine as others come to theatre: through obsession. 20 hectares of old Sangiovese vines, some from 1974, fermented without temperature control, aged in amphorae by sculptor Lorenzo Vignoli. The labels are painted by his mother, biodynamic and certified organic since 2020, 18,000 to 25,000 bottles a year. His wines all carry IGT Toscana — Canaiolo as leading player, field blends of red and white. Methods practised here for centuries, but fitting no DOCG form.
Timeo Toscana IGT 2024
Canaiolo · Toscana IGT · ca. 29 €
Canaiolo, the forgotten Tuscan variety, plays the lead here: 12% alcohol, amphora-aged. Wild roses, pomegranate, a silky transparency reminiscent of Pinot Noir. In DOCG, Canaiolo may only play a supporting role — here the grape shows what happens when you give it centre stage. Note: only approximately 2 bottles remaining.
Santa Goccia Toscana IGT 2024
Trebbiano, Sangiovese, Canaiolo · Toscana IGT · ca. 16 €
Red and white co-fermented — an ancient Tuscan practice provided for in no DOCG regulation. Trebbiano brings acidity and brightness, Sangiovese structure, Canaiolo perfume. Light-footed, drinkable, with a floral note reminiscent of wild thyme. With ribollita or cold vitello tonnato.
Sangiovese from 700 metres altitude, Canaiolo from amphora, Trebbiano and Sangiovese co-fermented — six wines demonstrating that Chianti country is larger than its most famous label. The appellation makes superb wine here. And so does what emerges alongside it.
Warm regards from Berlin,
David
Living Wines
P.S.: Sangiovese, Canaiolo, rosato — the Zalto Universal makes the difference with all three. Thin enough to hear the nuances. Mouth-blown and dishwasher-safe.
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