Historically, if you wanted a 100% Sangiovese Tuscan red with power and longevity, the first place you looked was Montalcino. There were (and still are) many noteworthy exceptions to that rule, and increasingly, those wines carry the Chianti Classico DOCG designation right there on the label. In the past, Chianti Classico wines were blends as required by law, but times have changed, enabling pure-Sangiovese wines to shine—like this killer bottle from Buondonno.
I’ve spent the better part of the last 20 years arguing that Chianti Classico is as important and prestigious a growing zone as Montalcino. If prices are any indication, the market doesn’t agree with me, but taste today’s 2017 and there is simply no debate. This organically grown Sangiovese stunner (okay, technically there’s a tiny percentage of the local Canaiolo) radiates purity, offering up a perfectly calibrated mix of black cherry fruit and woodland savor. Although I’ve had the pleasure of working with Buondonno wines here and there over the years, they’ve tended to be difficult to find, so we jumped at the chance when a new importer got hold of some. This small estate, lovingly tended by husband-wife team Gabriele Buondonno and Valeria Sodano, is precisely the kind of producer I turn to when I want to “make a case” for Chianti Classico. And while it may go without saying, the value proposition here is sensational: this is a tremendous amount of wine for the money!
It’s important to note, also, that Gabriele and Valeria are hardly newcomers to organic farming. Almost immediately after acquiring their property in 1988, they began the conversion to organics and encouraged others to do the same; they were early members of the Coordinamento Toscano Produttori Biologici, a consortium of organic wineries in Tuscany, and have kept their operation resolutely focused and hands-on. Their estate covers a total of about 24 hectares, of which 11 are vineyards (which include some 70-year-old Sangiovese plantings) and four are olive groves. Soils are the classic Chiantigiano mix of clay, schist, sandstone, and limestone, and the average altitudes of their vineyards, clustered around the hamlet of Castellina in Chianti, hover around 400 meters.
Despite several “modern” touches at Buondonno—their Chianti Classico is aged partly in small oak barriques, and they’ve planted some “international” varieties such as Cabernet and Merlot—today’s wine is textbook old-school Chianti Sangiovese. But by “old-school” I don’t mean rustic, lean, or flawed: This is not only clean and pure but quite concentrated, able to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with most classically styled Brunellos. In the glass, it displays a deep ruby-garnet core moving to pink at the rim, with a woodsy aromatic profile that is instantly recognizable as serious Sangiovese: deep black cherry, black and red currant, raspberry, violets, bay leaf, leather, licorice, porcini mushrooms, and crushed rocks. Medium-plus in body and blessed with a steak-ready structure, give it 30-45 minutes in a decanter before serving in large Bordeaux stems. Its mixture of depth and nerve will serve it well at the table, whether you go with bistecca or another beefy Tuscan specialty like peposo, an aromatic beef stew. I hope I’ve made my case—this stuff is the real deal! Enjoy!
