Chianti

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Terroir

• Four geological systems: Miocene-Eocene ridges, Pliocene hills, the Upper Valdarno basin (Pleistocene), and alluvial deposits.
• Heterogeneous substrates: arenaceous, calcareous-marly, argillaceous scisti, and sands, with varying particle sizes even within a single estate.
• Climate ranging from 'humid' to 'sub-humid,' with mean annual rainfall of 867 mm, summer water deficit, and a precipitation minimum in July (32 mm).
• Mean temperatures: above 23 °C in August (warmest month), approximately 5 °C in January (coldest month); peak rainfall in November (121 mm).
• Hillside territory in central Toscana, at the foothills of the Apennines, across the provinces of Arezzo, Firenze, Pistoia, Pisa, Prato, and Siena.

• Barone Ricasoli defined the ampelographic basis of Chianti in 1870 and introduced the governo all'uso Toscano technique.
• The term 'Chianti' applied to wine appears as early as 1398 in the correspondence of Francesco Datini with Ser Lapo Mazzei. (via Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0)

• Aromatic complexity and versatility: Chianti can be crafted as an early-drinking wine or aged as a Riserva or Superiore.
• The sugar-acid balance and phenolic ripeness define the profile: pronounced aroma, equilibrium, structure, and body.

• Variable soils—arenaceous, calcareous-marly, argillaceous scisti, sandy, and clayey—influence both the quality and yield of Sangiovese.

Facts drawn from the cahier's terroir-link section (Lien au terroir) by automatic interpretation — see the source.

Sources

• Specification (EUR-Lex, single document)
• eAmbrosia register (EU) — File number PDO-IT-A1228
• Official trade body site — Consorzio Vino Chianti