Chianti: affordable and good
Last week we celebrated a tasty, rather pricey California Sangiovese. Today let's go back to the source to enjoy a good, affordable basic Chianti.
Back in the good old days, as many of us can still remember, Chianti was a cheap wine that Italian-American restaurants served in squat bottles wrapped in wicker baskets that could be recycled as candlesticks.
If you search for it, you can still find Chianti in this old-fashioned bottle (called a “fiasco”). But Chianti, one of the world’s oldest wine styles, has essentially re-invented itself in modern times, upgrading its image while turning the once-familiar wicker bottle into a curiosity.
The old wicker-wrapped Chianti fiasco bottle is still available, if you really want one.
Chianti’s roots go all the way back to the 14th century in the austere hill country of Tuscany between Florence and Siena. The wine evolved into something like its present form a century-and-a-half ago, when Baron Bettino Ricasoli (whose ancient firm still produces Chianti today) standardized its blend of grapes to include Sangiovese, the fine red grape of Tuscany, with the red grape Canaiolo and a small but significant proportion of white grapes, Trebbiano and Malvasia.
In modern times, Chianti has seen another shift, with wineries successfully pressing for changes in the regulations that have all but eliminated white grapes from the blend, while allowing the once forbidden use of some Cabernet Sauvignon and other non-Italian grapes.
Basic Chianti wines now must contain at least 70% Sangiovese. The balance is open to a wine maker’s choice of international varieties such as Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah and regional Italian grapes including Canaiolo Nero, Ciliegiolo, Colorino, Foglia Tonda, Malvasia Nera, Mammolo and Pugnitello. The share of Cabernet Sauvignon and/or Cabernet Franc may not exceed 15% of the blend, and white varieties Malvasia and Trebbiano may not amount to more than 10%, if any is used at all.
To qualify for the Chianti Classico label, in addition to using grapes grown in the specified central Chianti region, wines must contain 80% Sangiovese plus other approved red varieties. No white grapes are permitted.
Today let’s celebrate Chianti with a return to a simple, old-school Chianti that might well have worn a wicker outfit in times not so long past: Castello di Gabbiano 2022 “Cavaliere d’Oro” Chianti.
A producer with a long Tuscan tradition, Castello di Gabbiano traces its history as a winery back some 300 years. Its ancient landmark square tower was built in the 11th century to defend an important route that crossed the Chianti landscape from Florence to Siena.
Tuscany is full of that kind of millennium-old history, and that’s just one of the things I love about it. I’m also smitten by Tuscan wines – which certainly include their share of pricey trophies like Sassicaia from Tenuta San Guido, which boasts an average U.S. retail price over $300 – but which also offer reliable value even at the lower end in basic Chianti like Castello di Gabbiano, which are reliably enjoyable and food-friendly … with or without the wicker basket.
Today’s Tasting Report
Castello di Gabbiano 2022 “Cavaliere d’Oro” Chianti ($10)
Dark garnet in color and made from a blend of 90% Sangiovese with 10% indigenous Tuscan red grapes, Castello di Gabbiano Chianti fits the definition of a good, affordable, food-friendly basic Chianti. It shows Chianti’s typical aromas of dried cherries and ripe black cherries with back notes of spring violets and freshly turned earth. Tart cherry flavors carry over on the palate with Chianti’s typical brisk acidity and astringent but palatable tannins. Moderate 13% alcohol. U.S. importer: TWE Imports, Napa, Calif. (Oct. 16, 2024)
FOOD MATCH: Pizza, pasta, grilled steak and other red meat: These are Chianti’s traditional companions. Plant-based options might include meatless tomato-sauced pastas and Italian-style eggplant or squash dishes.
WHEN TO DRINK: The winery notes that this wine, like most basic Chianti, does not require aging and should be drunk in its first two years of life. That only takes us into 2024, and I think that’s pushing it, but definitely buy it to enjoy during the coming year, not to cellar.
VALUE:
This is a great value Chianti at Wine-Searcher.com’s $10 average U.S. retail. Many vendors offer it for even a few dollars less.
WEB LINK:
Here’s the winery’s English-language fact sheet on Gabbiano Chianti..
FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:
Check prices and find vendors for Gabbiano Chianti on Wine-Searcher.com.
Refresh your knowledge of Chianti and browse many wines and vendors at this Wine-Searcher link.
Here is Wine-Searcher’s Sangiovese page, with a portfolio of wines and vendors.
This Wine-Searcher page offers brief information about Cavaliere d’Oro (also known as Castello di Gabbiano) and a portfolio of wines from this historic wine producer of Tuscany that dates back to the 10th Century.
Find the wines you want
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Good wines we’ve tried under $10.99!
Want tips to still more good, inexpensive wines? Here are Wine-Searcher links to vendors and prices for a bunch more wines for $10.99 or less that I’ve told you about in recent years. In some cases the prices may have risen over the $10.99 mark since I reviewed them, but they should still be excellent bargains. Please tell us about your favorites!
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I cannot find it in the Washington DC area, but one can buy chianti classico (on sale) for about $13, which is probably better than the one you reviewed.