2023 Poggio Bonelli Villa Chigi Saracini Chianti 750 ml

It was a misty spring day when we visited Poggio Bonelli, stopping by the estate on our way from Montalcino to Florence.

We’ve got dozens of indelible memories from the trip, including the ancient marble busts in the Bonelli barrel room, which recount the property’s 16th-century history, plus our tour of the estate’s meticulously planted vineyards. But the memento we’re happiest to hang onto is this stellar Chianti bottling. Poggio Bonelli’s 2023 Villa Chigi was crafted under the supervision of a true Italian master: 100-point talent Carlo Ferrini, hailed by Wine Spectator as “one of Tuscany’s great winemakers.” 

Among our members, Poggio Bonelli is basically synonymous with must-have Sangiovese. They make some of our highest-rated Chiantis EVER, and with this bottling, Ferrini created the near-perfect pasta wine, framed by sturdy tannins and full-bodied enough to stand up to any sauce. In fact, when Wine Spectator published a column on the best Chianti to pair with a plate of luxuriously creamy cacio e pepe, they selected Villa Chigi , calling it the “ideal choice.”

Named after the town near the Castelnuovo Berardenga vineyards where the grapes are sourced, this is a sleek, sensuous expression of Sangiovese. Its sensational pairing ability was further confirmed when we punctuated our trip to Poggio Bonelli with a visit to Dario Cecchini’s famous butcher shop in Panzano. There, we shared a ruby-red glass of Villa Chigi with Dario while devouring endless slices of beef carpaccio from a heavily laden platter—pure Tuscan heaven.

Do you need to be eating carpaccio sliced by a meat deity to enjoy this wine? Of course not. This stunning Chianti will elevate any weeknight meal.