Chianti Classico alternatives: Top Tuscany IGT wines

The prolific region of Chianti Classico is one of the birthplaces of the so-called Super-Tuscans.

When the Chianti Classico DOC was established in 1967, allowable yields were woefully high. Sangiovese was capped at 80% with a minimum requirement of only 50%, and the inclusion of certain white grapes was compulsory. Several producers, striving for high quality, spurned the denomination and followed their own rules. The only option at the time was to label their wines as Vino di Tavola.

Significantly, many of these producers planted varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. ‘The reputation of the region was poor, so these international grapes helped prove otherwise,’ says Giovanni Manetti at Fontodi.

Fast-forward to the present day, and the Chianti Classico (now a DOCG) has long banned the inclusion of white grapes. It also allows monovarietal Sangiovese while also permitting up 20% international varieties – changes which lured many producers back into the Chianti Classico fold. Quality has never been better and the wines of Chianti Classico are among Italy’s finest.

Yet the IGT wines persist, and some of the region’s top wines fall into this category. One of the obvious reasons is that the grape makeup may preclude a wine from the Chianti Classico DOCG. It is not uncommon to find a Cabernet or Merlot-led IGT in a Chianti Classico producer’s stable.

However, a number of wines that could technically be designated as Chianti Classico are not: it may be argued that the likes of Cepparello, Tignanello, Flaccianello and Le Pergole Torte – which were produced long before the Chianti Classico regulations changed – are so iconic they don’t need to be associated with the denomination. However, even some lesser-known wines persist with the IGT.

In some cases, it comes down to an individual estate’s definition of Chianti Classico. Some, like Paolo de Marchi at Isole e Olena, believe in its traditional composition which was a mixture of varieties. ‘Sangiovese gains complexity with other grapes,’ he argues. ‘In the future, the best Chianti Classico will be blends.’ Therefore, his 100% Sangiovese, Cepparello remains an IGT.

Others, such as Il Molino di Grace, prefer to craft Chianti Classico exclusively with Sangiovese. As the estate’s single-vineyard Gratius bottling sees a small portion of local Canaiolo and Colorino grapes blended with Sangiovese, they choose to label it as an IGT. ‘It is an intentional step away from the traditional, expected Bordeaux blend of most super-tuscans,’ says proprietor Daniel Grace.

Specific regulations still provide a sticking point for certain producers. While Monteraponi owner Michele Braganti was not against Chianti Classico’s Gran Selezione classification when it was declared in 2014, stipulations around the minimum alcohol percentage and dry extract levels left him perplexed. ‘They make no sense nor add value to the new denomination,’ he argues. As his top bottling, Baron’ Ugo clocked in at a mere 12.5% in the 2012 vintage, it didn’t qualify as a Gran Selezione. He has since withdrawn it from the Chianti Classico DOCG altogether.

For his part, Manetti is holding out with Flaccianello until Chianti Classico officially recognises separate communes. ‘My dream is that one day it will become a Gran Selezione,’ he says. This likely won’t happen until he can declare the village of Panzano on the label.

Reasonings aside, these IGTs add to the rich mosaic of the Chianti Classico territory. I gathered a collection of the latest releases, spanning from 2015 to 2018, at my home office in Vancouver, tasting them blind. While wines from the 2016 vintage particularly stood out, the challengingly hot and dry 2017 produced some laudable results.

Above all, the territory shone through. The Cabernets and Merlot take on not just a Tuscan personality, but one that speaks specifically to Chianti Classico – though Merlot struggles most obviously in the hottest vintages. Nonetheless, the majority of my top wines were those based on Sangiovese. This grape offers a sharply focused lens on the specific and diverse terroir that these magnificent hills have to offer.

Top Tuscany IGT wines to try:

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