Chianti Classico annata new releases: The wines to buy in 2025

Every year, wineries in Chianti Classico release their newest wines, which rather than being one homogeneous vintage are always represented by a range of different vintages. This is partly dictated by regulations (for example, Chianti Classico Riserva and Gran Selezione require more ageing before they can be released) but is also a matter of choice which varies from winery to winery, with some choosing to age their wines for extended periods before releasing them onto the market. Below, Michaela Morris talks us through the recently bottled 2023 vintage of annata , the first step on the Chianti Classico ladder, and also discusses the various late releases launched in 2025. [breakout] Chianti Classico annata 2023 vintage rating: 3.5 /5 An incessantly rainy spring with high humidity led to widespread peronospora (downy mildew) attacks. Summer was hot and dry with higher-than-average temperatures persisting through to harvest. Quantities are down overall but the first crop of annata wines make for lively and exuberant near-term drinking.

[/breakout] Michaela's pick of top scoring and notable Chianti Classico wines below [subscriber-content]Chianti Classico’s annata category has long been a reliable source for value. Given the diverse challenges of the most recent vintages and the efforts made to overcome them, these latest releases are all the more impressive. Several estates hit hard by peronospora (downy mildew) such as Tregole, Quercio al Poggio and Castello di Ama ended up making just one Chianti Classico bottling in 2023. Poggerino opted to forgo a Riserva selection this year, to the benefit of the estate’s annata, which is among my top value picks. Other standouts include Castello di Monsanto and Fèlsina. Revisting 2022 with some late releases, I rediscovered what I appreciated last year – the freshness, crunch and succulence that belie the vintage’s heat. For this, look no further than Tenuta di Carleone and Rocca di Montegrossi. Without sacrificing the charm of the annata category, these releases also show more gravitas next to 2023 and in general suggest more longevity – between five to seven years. Appealingly textured tannins are dry and powdery rather than soft and velvety, and wines like Le Fonti and Fontodi exemplify the grip and punch of the vintage. See all of Michaela's tasting notes & scores from her Chianti Classico report

By comparison, Le Miccine’s 2022 is on the more lithesome side. It represents the first vintage without Colorino, which is now being grafted to Sangiovese. ‘It's a north-facing plot which I believe will help us in the future to maintain some nice acidity,’ explains Paula Papini Cook. Equally concerned about the changing climate, Tenuta di Casanuove has invested in north-facing parcels and is also replanting Canaiolo Nero. ‘It is a great tool because it doesn't accumulate a lot of sugar and has a gentle structure that blends with Sangiovese,’ explains oenologist Cosimo Casini. The 2022 speaks to the new direction at this estate. Completing my selection of 90 annata recommendations are half a dozen new releases from 2021, with Le Cinciole and I Fabbri’s Terra di Lamole particularly of note, as well as the excellent 2020 Castell’in Villa. ‘ The 2023s are poised to give plenty of pleasure over the next four to five years ’ [caption id="attachment_558920" align="aligncenter" width="553"] Michaela tasting at L'Acero. Credit: Lincoln Clarkes[/caption] The 2023 vintage Presenting a new set of challenges, ‘2023 was as much a year for the skilled as it was for the lucky,’ asserts Angela Fronti at Istine. With minimal rainfall, another warmer-than-average winter brought inevitable fears of spring frost. The region breathed a collective sigh of relief when cool temperatures in early April delayed bud break. Growers were equally happy when it began to rain, especially given the previous years’ drought. April, therefore, wasn’t the problem. But when temperatures rose and the rain didn’t stop, May and June were. ‘It was like a tropical climate’, describes Michela Rossi at Quercia al Poggio. With the humidity, peronospora (downy mildew) exploded. When it comes to fungal disease, oidium rather than peronospora is much more common in Chianti Classico’s typically warm, dry climate. Producers, therefore, are well versed in dealing with the former but less so the latter. ‘Some of us made the mistake of trusting terroir and experience’, says Jurij Fiore. Despite spraying eight times, he lost 50% of his grapes. [caption id="attachment_558923" align="aligncenter" width="553"] Jurij Fiore. Credit: Lincoln Clarkes[/caption] Punishing weather As vineyards didn’t have time to dry out between downpours, leaves remained damp for a month and a half, requiring constant treatments. ‘If you were late by a day, you were in trouble,’ recalls Natascia Rossini at Podere La Cappella – ‘but it was impossible to enter the vineyard’. Sophie Conti at Tregole decided to skip two treatments because the risk of slipping with the tractor was too high. At Viticcio, Daniele Innocenti performed 19 sprays, compared to just six in 2022. ‘We applied less copper more often to stay under the organic certification limits but still lost grapes.’ Monteraponi’s Michele Briganti believes that organic producers were particularly punished, yet in the same breath he notes, ‘when there is an infection, it is too late – even with conventional treatments. The illness remains asleep so it can do damage later.’ To add insult to injury, the temperamental spring also dished out localised hail. ‘For us, 2023 was not so much a problem with peronospora,’ says Monica Raspi at Pomona. Instead, she estimates hail damage between 30-40%. Others grappled with both. Gabriele Buondonno saw 80% of one of his vineyards decimated by hail in half an hour. Fifteen days later, another storm took out the rest of it. ‘Then there was peronospora…’, he adds. July finally brought dry, clement conditions corresponding with the region’s norms. ‘It was hot but not extreme like 2022’, says Maddelena Fucile at Cigliano di Sopra. Both water and heat stress were mostly kept at bay. However, by the end of August, temperatures reached 40℃. ‘It was as if it hadn’t rained in the spring’, says Cosimo Casini at Tenuta Casenuove, who was among those that observed a slowdown in maturation. Above-average temperatures persisted through September and harvest, with estates largely picking between 20 September and 10 October. Grapes required careful sorting, ‘but what was healthy was healthy’, Conti asserts. Quality prevails For 2023, quantity rather than quality is the issue. The consorzio reports a total production of 200,000hl – 22 to 30% less than the decade’s average. Individual losses, however, vary enormously. Monte Bernardi was down a whopping 80%, whereas Le Cinciole estimates a more modest shortfall of 10-15%, for example. Overall, quality prevails in the glass. The wines are clean, lively and exuberant, with a slight Sangiovese tartness that I love. I noticed a glossier candied or confected character, however they are not overripe, stewed or exaggerated in alcohol. The 2023s are poised to give plenty of pleasure over the next four to five years – an absolutely respectable drinking window for annata. [/subscriber-content] Michaela's top scoring and notable Chianti Classico recommendations: See all of Michaela's tasting notes & scores from her Chianti Classico report [wine-collection] Related articles Chianti Classico Gran Selezione: New releases rated Bordeaux 2024: Full vintage review and top-scoring wines Napa Cabernet 2022: Vintage report and buyer’s guide