San Giusto a Rentennano Chianti Classico 2023

San Giusto a Rentennano's annata is proof that a producer's "entry-level" wine can still be a genuine benchmark. The estate itself has real gravity — a medieval property in the far southern reaches of Chianti Classico, once a fortified Cistercian nunnery, owned by the Martini di Cigala family since 1914 and now run by Luca Martini di Cigala. Its 32 hectares sit in the sunlit southern tip of Gaiole, in an area called Monti, where soils alternate between marine sand and limestone-rich Alberese. This annata is crafted from a careful first selection across all 30 of the estate's plots — the base tier of the same fruit that, in exceptional vintages, is further declassified into the celebrated Le Baròncole Riserva or the estate's flagship Percarlo — blended 95% Sangiovese with 5% Canaiolo for extra approachability in youth, and aged nearly a year in old, neutral oak. The estate is certified organic throughout.

Year in, year out, critics call it astounding value: expect spiced cherry, fennel, and sun-dried tomato, lifted by whiffs of coffee and plum blossom, with sandy, chalky tannins framing bright cherry fruit and a savoury, faintly bloody iron note running through the long finish, often closing on a signature refreshing twist of bitter orange. It's fine-boned and fresh on release yet has a well-documented reputation for real ageability, deepening in complexity over five, ten, even twenty years in top vintages. Pour it with roast chicken, pasta with a rich ragù, or grilled vegetables — this is Chianti Classico doing exactly what the appellation promises, from an estate whose reputation for punching above its price point has held for decades.