Chianti Classico San Casciano in Val di Pesa

Not all the wine produced in Chianti is Chianti Classico. Provenance from a determined territory is not sufficient to permit use of an appellation. The producer must respect all the rules stipulated in the production code. The first version of the DOCG production code for Chianti and Chianti Classico dates back to 1984, when Chianti Classico was still considered a sub-denomination of the omni-comprehensive Chianti DOCG, although with separate regulations that imposed production rules more stringent than those stipulated for the other Chiantis. But it was only in 1996 that Chianti Classico obtained the definitive consecration of its importance and its precedence. With the issuance of the Ministerial Decree of August 5, Chianti Classico was recognized as an independent appellation, establishing once and for all its diversity and independence of the other Chianti wines. With the latest modification of the production code, new rules were adopted that benefit the quality of the wine and the appellation. An important change concerns the ampelographical base (the types of grapes that can be used in the production of the wine). In the new production code, the minimum percentage of Sangiovese, the typical red variety of the zone, that must be used is increased from 75 to 80%. Obviously, that grape can be used alone (100%). In addition to Sangiovese, producers may use other native red grapes, like Canaiolo and Colorino, or "international" types, such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, with a maximum ratio of 20%. Trebbiano and Malvasia, both white grapes, can no longer be used, beginning with the 2006 vintage. The minimum alcohol level is 12° for the regular wine and 12.5° for the Riserva. For a wine to be described as a Chianti Classico, other extremely important production requirements must be met. A new vineyard may only begin production four years after planting. Yield per hectare must not exceed 75 quintals (3.34 tons an acre), the equivalent of 52.5 hectoliters (559 U.S. gallons an acre) of wine. Output per vine is limited to three kilos (6.6 pounds). To ensure that all the various components of Chianti Classico wine will be harmoniously balanced, its release for consumption is authorized only after October 1 of the year following the harvest. For the Riserva type, minimum maturation of 24 months, including at least three months of bottle aging, is required.

In addition to the alcohol level already indicated, Chianti Classico wine must have the following precise characteristics, as prescribed by law:

Color: a bright ruby-red tending to garnet with maturation.

Odor: vinous, with a scent of violets and a pronounced finesse that develops in the maturation phase.

Flavor: balanced, dry, sapid and lightly tannic, fining in time to a velvety softness.

Sugar: maximum of 4 grams per liter of reducing sugars.

Minimum net dry extract: 23%.

Minimum total acidity: 4.5 ppt.

Another element of the production code, which is of fundamental importance, is the requirement that, in addition to vinification, all operations involving the preservation and bottling of the wine as well as its fining in the bottle must be carried out within the production zone.

The grape that makes the most important contribution to the production of Chianti Classico, with a ratio that ranges from 80 to 100%, is Sangiovese. That variety is now used in all the leading DOC and DOCG red wines of central Italy. This grapes is extremely sensitive to external factors, such as terrain and climate, and it certainly does not ripen precociously or uniformly. However, it is rare to find another variety that so faithfully interprets the characteristics of the soil in which it grows and modifies its odors in accordance with the terrain. Sandstone is responsible for the wine's flowery bouquet, calcareous soils produce scents of wild berries and tufa or volcanic soils yield fresh odors of tobacco. But a scent of violets, which the production code identifies as a characteristic and specific element of Chianti Classico, is always present no matter where the vines grow. Producers may combine typical grapes of the zone, such as Canaiolo Nero, Colorino and others, as well as international varieties, like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and others still, with Sangiovese. Since Sangiovese is the grape of the greatest importance, the real soul of Chianti Classico, the production code has authorized its use alone in producing the wine as long ago as 1996.