The best are fine and transparently express their origins, often with sweet, earthy and bitter flavors of cherries and flowers. Nowadays, Chianti Classico must be 80 percent to 100 percent sangiovese, with the rest made up of local grapes like canaiolo, colorino or malvasia nera; international grapes like merlot, cabernet sauvignon and syrah; or a combination. With rare exceptions, sangiovese works best with the local grapes. The wines from Radda in Chianti, for example, seem to be elegant, with great finesse, while those from Castelnuovo Berardenga are often richer and weightier. The other five subzones are Greve in Chianti, San Casciano in Val di Pesa, Castellina in Chianti, Gaiole in Chianti and Poggibonsi.

Source: International New York Times June 07, 2021 14:37 UTC