Best Chianti Under $30

Ruffino Riserva Ducale Chianti Classico Red Wine is a complex and deep red wine blend containing sangiovese, merlot and cabernet sauvignon red grape varieties. This red blend is characterized by cherry and red berry fruit notes with delicately spiced hints of tobacco, leather, cedar, white pepper and a touch of flint. Featuring velvety tannins, firm acidity and a lingering finish of rosemary, this chianti wine is well balanced on the palate. Each bottle of this Ruffino wine is made with a careful selection of the best grapes from the traditional Chianti Classico production region. Secondary malolactic fermentation enhances this wine's velvety texture. Riserva Ducale then ages for 24 months in oak, stainless steel and concrete vats and spends an additional three months in bottle before release. Pair a glass of this Italian red wine with favorites like prosciutto, mushroom risotto or chicken cacciatore. Store this red wine blend at room temperature, and serve at around 60 degrees for optimal taste. Please enjoy our wines responsibly. © 2020 Ruffino Import Company, Rutherford, CA

Dry, rich and rewarding. The wine has complex aromas of red cherries and plums with a palate that unfolds to berry fruits and licorice, framed by light toast notes of oak and finishes with a firm structure. This hedonistic wine is perfect with robust dishes like barbeque and grilled meats. Try it with grilled chicken with herbs and cracked green olives, spicy jerk vegetables or a Tuscan dish like grilled steak Panzanella.

The wine offers a brilliant ruby red color. As time passes, the hue is enriched with garnet tones that, as the years go by, lighten further toward orange with an ochre tint typical of Tuscan wines. The aroma is satisfyingly intense, fine and elegant, with light scents of ripe fruits and violets. As it evolves, the wine develops an appealing bouquet that is full and complex. It possesses a pleasant fullness and an outstanding balance of body and structure. Somewhat austere in its youth, the wine softens with age, becoming velvety and developing prolonged and appealing aromatic persistence.

Chianti has long been regarded by many as the "most Italian" of wines, not only because it is the most widely produced classified wine, but alsobecause it possesses a unique personality. Chianti is produced in eight adjacent, yet distinct, areas that cover a vast part of central Tuscany. But only one, which is the oldest and original, may produce Chianti Classico. However, provenance alone is not sufficient to merit the designation Chianti Classico. The producer must strictly adhere to all DOCG rules, which cover elements of vinification (such as alcohol content, yield per acre, and blend) as well as aging and bottling. Banfi Chianti Classico embodies all the characteristics that have made this wine an enduring classic: an alluring bouquet of black fruit and violets; rich flavors of cherry and leather; supple tannins and good acidity for dining. Fermentation takes place with traditional skin contact of 8-10 days. A short wood-aging in large casks of French oak follows. Bottling is carried out in the summer following the harvest. Banfi Chianti Classico is the perfect accompaniment to a wide variety of foods, including, but not limited to red-sauced pastas, grilled meats, and roasts.

Established in 1893, Cecchi is one of the oldest, most prominent producers in Tuscany, pioneering the growth and development of the Sangiovese grape worldwide. Cecchi embodies Tuscan authenticity with an emphasis on innovation and sustainability. This traditional ruby red wine style is balanced and clean, pairing well with pastas and roasted meats.

FRESCOBALDI - CULTIVATING TOSCANA DIVERSITY The history of the Frescobaldi family starts over a thousand years ago and is closely connected with the history of Tuscany. Creativity and the pursuit of excellence were handed down through the centuries to all the generations of the family. Frescobaldi's aim is for the family estates, with their vineyards, to be the expression of this diversity and the wines to reflect each other each individual terroir, respecting nature and atuthenticity. The richness of Tuscany lies in its diversity, in the union between north and south, mountains and sea, cities and countryside, to which men and women dedicate their live's work. Frescobaldi embodies the essence of Tuscany, its extraordinary vocation for viticulture and the diversity of its territories. Fescobaldi's uniqueness stems precisely from the representation of this diversity, from its eight estates and from wines which express a kaleidoscope of aromas and sensations, springing from the characteristics of each individual terroir. Chianti Castiglioni features a beautiful ruby-red colour with elegant purple hues. Delightful fruity notes immediately emerge on the nose: cherry, blackcurrant and raspberry. Floral and fra-grant notes such as violet make an appearance later on. On the palate, Chianti Castiglioni is lively, soft and enveloping. The finish is long and persistent, with the after-taste confirming the fruity aromas previously detected on the nose.

Several important critics have rated this Chianti Classico wine highly: Wine Spectator gave the 2011 vintage a score of 90. The 2011 vintage was awarded Commended from the International Wine Challenge. This is one of the most popular wines from the region. Demand for this wine has fallen over the past year.

Celebrating the best Tuscan tradition Banfi offers a family of Chianti wines varied and complementary, unique in its style. Chianti Riserva is produced from selected grapes grown in the "Classico" region of Chianti between Siena and Firenze. It is elegant, well-balanced, full-bodied with a very long aging potential.

This is the first step towards the realization of a dream: to produce “virgin” wines. PURO is made from 100% Sangiovese grapes vinified in stainless steel vats, without the addition of sulfites, yeasts and tannins. The vinification of this wine is a balancing practice. Maintaining the purity of the grapes without using chemicals is not easy, but possible. We are keen and ready to make risks in respect for the health of our consumers. The sulfur as an antioxidant and antibacterial agent is replaced physically and non chemically, such as low storage temperatures, frequent checks of dissolved oxygen and appropriate filtration to keep the wine microbiologically pure. The wine opens to a thick purple color and youthful aromas of freshly pressed blackberry and black cherry. In the mouth it is soft, as sweet almond marzipan plays up the rear, chewy with a good mineral finish. The style reminds of a novello, but with the difference that PURO is totally natural, for this it is an easy drinking and immediatelly approachable wine, that matches perfectly any food, from starters to dessert (chocolate).

A quintessential vintage Chianti Classico, Pèppoli fully expresses Sangiovese's signature freshness and food-friendliness. Pèppoli is the perfect wine to discover the Chianti Classico territory and history. Fruity notes of red and black fruit, cherries, strawberries and blackberries accompanied by delicate balsamic and herbal aromas and a spicy undertone Ratings: 2015: 92pts James Suckling; 90pts Wine Spectator; 90pts Wine Enthusiast 2016: 91pts James Suckling 2017: 92pts James Suckling; 90pts Wine Enthusiast Food pairings: Tuscan soups, grilled red meats and aged cheeses For more than 630 years − spanning 26 generations − the Antinori family has produced exceptional wines that celebrate its Tuscan and Umbrian roots. Antinori wines proudly honor Italian winemaking traditions, but also reflect the family’s relentless push to innovate and experiment. No other family of winemakers has achieved such consistent excellence.

A classic medium-bodied red wine with ripe cherry flavors and a satisfying finish. Perfect with pasta and fowl. Serve at room temperature or slightly chilled.

Medium-full body with excellent depth of fruit, distinct spice, outstanding acidity and nicely weighted tannins. This award-winning Riserva can be enjoyed for 10-12+ years. Decanting is preferable. Pair with roasts, game and young cheeses.

Discover Vignamaggio Chianti Classico Terre di Prenzano

Discover Bibbiano Chianti Classico Riserva DOCG

Chianti Classico Tenuta Perano is born on the hills of Gaiole in Chianti from vineyards 500 meters above sea level. The south, southwestern exposure and the amphitheatre-shaped layout magnifies the exposure to the sun and concentrates the heat from it. The combination of elevation, exposure, and the shape and slope of the vineyards offers and extraordinarily unique quality setting that results in brilliant purple wines possessed of intensely fruity aromas and a great tannic structure rife with elegance.

Discover Frascole Chianti Rufina DOCG

Deep, ruby-red in color, this Chianti Classico offers aromas of ripe cherries and red plums, overlayed with subtle notes of toasted vanilla beans and wildflowers. On the palate, the wine displays a superbly structured character with bright acidity and a pleasantly savory finish.

90% Sangiovese, 10% Merlot. Bright aromas of fresh cherries mingle with notes of thyme and a subtle smoky character. Bright acid structure providing a lively quality. Cranberry, raspberry, and red cherry dominate with hints of leather, cedar, and cocoa powder. Some earthiness in the finish and ripe soft tannins. Since the 1400’s the Mazzei’s have been producing wine; making it one of the oldest running Italian companies - of any kind! Their ancestry is closely woven not only into Tuscany’s winemaking history, but as well as to this venerated region’s political and cultural past. The notable merchant, Ser Lapo Mazzei, is credited for authoring the first official document mentioning “Chianti wine” (December 16, 1398). Years later, Philip Mazzei, winemaker, political thinker and friend of Thomas Jefferson, is credited for influencing another historic document, whose philosophical writings on equality of man served as inspiration for the U.S. Declaration of Independence. 95pts James Suckling 9/18 2015V 94pts Wine Spectator 9/19 2016V

From the heart of our land, all the passion in a great wine

Discover Borgo Reale Chianti Reserva

One of the most well known and appreciated Italian wines, this Chianti has a bright ruby red color with cherry and chocolate on the nose. Intensely fruity and velvety, yet round with soft tannins, and a complex finish.

Discover Nozzole Chianti Classico Reserve

Discover Famiglia Castellani Chianti

Blend: 75% Sangiovese, 20% Canaiolo, 3% Trebbiano gentile, 2% Malvasia Bianca Fermentation: The two red grapes and the two white grapes specified in the old Chianti regulations, after the formula developed by Barone Ricasoli. It ferments on the skins, with a long maceration in tank. A savory wine with a rich nose, soft, and with a long finish. Food-Wine Pairings: Perfect with tomatoes and thus ideal with many Mediterranean dishes. Ideal for barbecues and with grilled fish, meats, of vegetables. A wine for every occasion, light on the palate and pleasant to drink. Located on the hill of Montenidoli, the “mountain of little nests”, just across a small valley from the town of San Gimignano. The estate was founded in 1965 by Elisabetta Fagiuoli and her husband Sergio, with vineyards planted amidst the hill’s forests, the branches of which are filled with swallow and jaybird nests. Of the 900 acres that the couple own, only about 50 of them are under cultivation, with the rest preserved as a de facto nature reserve. At the time they purchased the property, there were already vines in place, most of which were planted in the 19th Century and all of which were overgrown. After expanding the original vineyards (and replanting the majority), the vines are now all over 50 years old. These unique vineyards are planted to Tuscany’s classic Quaternary calcaire terroir and the incredibly rare red Triassic sandstone and limestone (which is more often found in France and Germany). Organic from the beginning, the vineyards (as well as the estate’s olives and other farmland) have never seen chemical intervention beyond the sparing and rare use of the basic sulfur and copper compounds. Working from the start as viticulturalist and winemaker, Elisabetta has built the estate’s reputation over the years, producing singular whites from Vernaccia, Trebbiano Gentile, and Malvasia; and reds from Sangiovese, Canaiolo, and Colorino.

Discover Bindi Sergardi Chianti Classico Riserva Sangiovese

Ruby red with deep intensity and hue. Fruity, fine and elegant aromas dominated by wild berries accompanied by various spicy notes. Fruity on the palate with good tannins and a lingering finish.

Chianti Superiore DOCG A red with the distinct aroma of dried violet and an unmistakable flavour of ripe cherry. The Chianti Superiore Le Due Arbie is a complex and elegant wine, with a long finish. VARIETY: 80% Sangiovese, 20% Merlot AGING:12 months ALCOHOL:13,5% ACIDITY:5,5 g/l SERV. TEMPERATURE:18°C

Discover Il Cipresso Chianti Colli Senesi

Dark ruby colour with shades of purple. Very intense nose with bouquet of balsamic, flowery violet, iris, spices, red fruits, vanilla and cloves. On the palate it reveals its great structure, dry and savoury supported by balanced acidity, warm and persistent with great aging potential. Supple tannins become refinement of taste, soft and velvety by time.

This is a wine to savour with your tortellini and pecorino. A dashing, classical wine of the highest order from the finest spots on the Tuscan hillsides. Dark cherry, raspberry and sweet violets accent the restrained complexity from a particularly talented winemaker, Leonardo Bellaccini. A Chianti Classico that is genuinely a cut above the rest. Grapes: Sangiovese 80%, Colorino 10%, Pugnitello 10% Tasting Notes: Luminous ruby red. Scents of cherry, raspberry and sweet violets. Dry on the palate, showing subtle tannins and a fresh, crisp acidity.