Description
Buondonno, Chianti Classico
Today, we have two pure and magnificent expressions of the Sangiovese grape to share with you. Two evocative Tuscan wines that provoke a visceral reaction in the taster (especially this taster). Two organically farmed wines that are as site-specific and varietally true as they come, and more affordable than we have a right to expect given their respective pedigrees. I’ll start with Buondonno’s 100% Sangiovese from Chianti Classico, a region which, for my money, remains the most underrated red wine terroir on earth.
This small estate, lovingly tended by husband-wife team Gabriele Buondonno and Valeria Sodano, is precisely the kind of producer I turn to when I want to “make a case” for Chianti Classico: There are still many wines from this region that are too thin, too rustic, too acidic, but then I get hold of a brilliant wine like this 2018 and I’m reminded that, when it’s on, Chianti Classico is tough to beat. The wine is equally loaded with fruit and woodsy underbrush, maybe a notch less powerful than a Brunello di Montalcino but truly not needing whatever weight it might be ceding—it is nimble and well-balanced and very much in the fight. After many years of not being able to find these wines, I was thrilled when they landed a reliable West Coast importer: Buondonno Chianti is one of the greatest values in Tuscan wine and very much needs to be on everyone’s radar!
It’s also important to note that Gabriele and Valeria are no newcomers to organic farming. Almost immediately after acquiring their property in 1988, they began the conversion to organics and encouraged others to do the same; they were early members of the Coordinamento Toscano Produttori Biologici, a consortium of organic wineries in Tuscany, and have kept their operation resolutely focused and hands-on. Their estate covers a total of about 24 hectares, of which 11 are vineyards (which include some 70-year-old Sangiovese plantings) and four are olive groves. Soils are the classic Chiantigiano mix of clay, schist, sandstone, and limestone, and the average altitudes of their vineyards, clustered around the hamlet of Castellina in Chianti, hover around 400 meters.
Despite several “modern” touches at Buondonno—their Chianti Classico is aged partly in small oak barriques, and they’ve planted some “international” varieties such as Cabernet and Merlot—today’s wine is textbook old-school Chianti Sangiovese. But by “old-school” I don’t mean rustic, lean, or flawed: This is not only clean and pure but well-concentrated, able to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with most classically styled Brunellos. In the glass, it displays a deep ruby-garnet core moving to pink at the rim, with a woodsy aromatic profile that is instantly recognizable as serious Sangiovese: deep black cherry, black and red currant, raspberry, violets, bay leaf, leather, licorice, porcini mushrooms, and underbrush. Medium-plus in body and blessed with a steak-ready tannic structure, give it 30 minutes in a decanter before serving in large Bordeaux stems. Its mixture of depth and nerve will serve it well at the table, whether you go with bistecca or another beefy Tuscan specialty like peposo, an aromatic beef stew. I hope I’ve made a convincing-enough case—this wine is just so good! Enjoy!
