2017 Viticcio Chianti Classico Tuscany 750 ml

After we sold out our third allocation of Viticcio’s Chianti Classico, the number of five-star ratings kept climbing—which told us we better track down the new vintage of this hallmark red, pronto.

Mission accomplished. Today, we’ve got the 2017 Viticcio Chianti Classico, boasting the same phenomenal 94-point score as last vintage, as well as the same stunning price. 

This is the kind of dazzling red that made Viticcio one of our top Italian buys of 2020. It’s complex enough to hold its own, and shows the charm and classic Tuscan rusticity to play a supporting role no matter what’s on the table. A new year, another winner from Viticcio, coming at a no-brainer bargain price. 

This is a bottle that proves why Chianti Classico is and always will be a mainstay for red wine lovers. Perhaps no other combination of grape variety and appellation creates a wine that’s both powerful yet restrained; ripe yet understated; ostentatious yet unassuming. 

This isn’t the basket-clad Chianti of yore: With aromatics showing the purity of Sangiovese in raspberry, dark cherry, cranberry, and plum, it’s got dried herbs and dusty earth harmonizing on a soft and voluminous palate. It picks up impressive nuance in a decanter, and gets better with every sip, finishing with purpose and persistence. 

Viticcio’s unthinkable quality and price combination is no fluke: Their unique combination of minerals in the soil, elevation, and exposure—combined with careful winemaking and two full years of barrel-aging—allows them to achieve the perfect balance between delicacy and power that’s rare in bottles nearly double the price.

The winery sits on hallowed ground in the village of Greve in the core of the Chianti Classico zone, where the elevation is between 230 and 400 meters, and a high concentration of alberese (AKA limestone) in the soil gives the organically farmed estate an edge over its peers. The grapes are harvested by hand and triple-sorted, before fermentation and a generous aging regimen—a year in oak barriques, followed by another year in large Slavonian casks—marries the 98% Sangiovese and 2% Merlot into an elegant and harmonious blend. 

The result is a beautiful Chianti Classico with a rounded texture, plenty of complexity, and tons of early easy-drinking appeal—a versatile wine that’s easy to reach for every night. That’s what we do, that’s what hundreds of our members do, and we recommend you do the same. At this price, and adorned with a 94-point score, there’s little reason not to.