Collection: Chianti Colli Senesi DOCG

Chianti Colli Senesi is one of the seven official subzones within the larger Chianti area, and it lies around Siena in the heart of Toscana. The whole Chianti story reaches far back: as early as the 14th century the Florentine republic demarcated a wine zone, and in 1716 Grand Duke Cosimo III de' Medici introduced the first proper production legislation, which defined Greve, Radda, Gaiole and Castellina as a distinct district. It is this original core that we know today as Classico.

The wines are built on sangiovese, exactly like the classic Chianti style that Bettino Ricasoli formulated in the 1870s. His idea was a sangiovese base, softened with canaiolo and a little white grapes, which provided freshness or the possibility of extending production. The rules have changed considerably since then. The original DOC from 1967 allowed up to 30 percent white grapes in the blend, and when Chianti went from DOC to DOCG in 1984, a requirement of at least 2 percent white grapes was imposed while at the same time allowing up to 10 percent cabernet sauvignon and merlot. The revision in 1996 removed the minimum requirement for white grapes entirely and raised the proportion of foreign grapes to 15 percent.

The subzones give Chianti its geographical nuance. Besides Colli Senesi around Siena, they include Colli Aretini near Arezzo, Colli Fiorentini south of Firenze, Colline Pisane south of Pisa, Montalbano and Montispertoli west of Firenze, as well as Rufina to the east. Each zone reflects its own corner of central Toscana, and the name on the label thus tells you where in the landscape the grapes have grown.

As a DOCG, Chianti Colli Senesi is a firmly demarcated appellation, and every bottle in this selection comes from precisely here, from the hills around Siena. It is a type of wine that suits Tuscan cuisine well and finds its rightful place alongside pasta, tomato-based dishes and mature cheeses. If you want to explore the grape and the country more broadly, you can delve further into all of Toscana and the rest of Italien in our range.