Tenuta Casenuove has been making wine in Panzano since before America was a country. It’s a generational obsession with one of Earth's greatest terroirs, today led by Philippe Austruy, a French entrepreneur.

Panzano sits in the heart of Greve, one of Chianti Classico's four original villages. The soil here—a mix of limestone clay and galestro—sires Sangiovese with a profound complexity, like Burgundy's Côte de Nuits, but for Sangiovese. The “Conca d’Oro” here is a world-famous amphitheater containing some of the greatest Sangiovese vineyards on earth outside of Montalcino. 

In 2018, Tenuta Casenuove went organic, joining Tuscany's first biodistretto—a collective of growers committed to working without synthetic anything. Every vine gets hand-harvested into small crates designed to keep berries intact. 

The 2019 vintage was excellent: A cool spring built water reserves. Summer stayed balanced—no heat spikes, no deluges, just periodic sprinkles. Harvest stretched into mid-October, letting every cluster hit optimal ripeness. The result? Fruit with the concentration of a hot year and the freshness of a cool one. The wine is just spectacular.

Why You'll Love It

• A “Giant-Killer” kind of Upset: This wine didn't just score well—it matched Fontodi's $200 flagship Flaccianello, according to Antonio Galloni. He called it “One of the Most Impressive Wines of the Year.” It’s $29.

• Galloni’s note is worth reprinting in its entirety: “The 2019 Chianti Classico is a real stand-out. Bright and effusive, with captivating aromatic presence, the 2019 is super-impressive. Soaring floral and spice notes lend brilliance to this layered, vibrant Chianti Classico. All the elements are so well balanced. This is one of the most impressive wines of the year.”

• Peak drinking window: At six years old, this 2019 is singing. Tannins have mellowed, fruit has deepened, everything's in harmony. Buy a case today and drink it over the next 10 years. This wine outscored even its own more expensive stablemates, the Gran Selezione and Riserva, from the same year!
  
  

How to Serve It

• Serve at cellar temp (58-62°F) in Burgundy or Sangiovese stems.

• Drink now through 2035. This wine will age and develop beautifully.
  

• The winery’s own recommendation is spot-on: ribollita and/or chicken liver crostini.