The best of both worlds: Brunello di Montalcino and Chianti Classico

Wine enthusiasts are often minded asking: which is better, Brunello di Montalcino or Chianti Classico? Yet it is impossible to provide a straightforward answer—both regions are dedicated to the production of high quality wines. Moreover, the Sangiovese grape plays a vital role in both wine styles. As with so many topics relating to viticulture, the question necessitates an exploration of differences, rather than a binary assessment of whether a wine style is inferior/superior. The empowerment that comes from understanding these variations can give the modern consumer a decisive edge.

In the case of Chianti Classico and Brunello, their climates and terroir are quite distinct. There has also traditionally been important differences in winemaking culture, albeit 21st century developments brought the two regions into closer alignment. Indeed, it is primarily the variances in weather and landscape that maintain a pleasing stylistic divergence at the heart of central Tuscany. Cross the border from Chianti Classico into Montalcino, and you’re entering a whole other world.

Chianti Classico vs Brunello di Montalcino overview

Climate and geography

Imagine tasting a 100% Sangiovese Chianti Classico Riserva and a top-quality Brunello. Both wines were aged in French barrique for 24 months. They were hand-crafted by talented winemakers, employing the same viticultural raw materials. And yet, the end results can smell and taste quite different.

Winegrowers will attribute this polarity to the terroir, a word used to describe the growing conditions of a particular region or vineyard site. Montalcino enjoys a hotter, drier climate than Chianti Classico further north. An average growing season in Montalcino produces very ripe berries, due to the high summer temperatures and low rainfall. One of Montalcino’s secret weapons is the Amiata lava formation, which extends across the southern expanses of the region, protecting the vineyards from incoming storms. This climate, combined with heavy clay soils, can yield wines of immense power and structure in the best years. There is often a mouthcoating density to Brunello di Montalcino that is absent from Chianti Classico.

That region’s trademark is producing wines with higher acidity, lower alcohol (on average) and an inimitable freshness. The vineyards of Chianti Classico are typically at altitudes of between 250-500 metres, or even higher. At these altitudes, and in a climate with normally high levels of autumn rainfall, growers will often harvest berries with less sugar and tannin, compared to their colleagues in Montalcino. As a result, Chianti Classico is normally less powerfully structured than Brunello, and consequently can be enjoyed at a younger age. Both styles of wine have their respective merits and advantages.

Wine production and classification

While climate plays a decisive role in shaping a region’s signature wine style, a winemakers’ influence cannot be discounted. As elsewhere, differences in winemaking culture flow from historical precedents. One of the most important concerns the ‘recipe’ for making Brunello wines. By law, all Brunello di Montalcino must be a 100% Sangiovese wine. Montalcino has not historically advocated using additional grape varieties in the blend, regarding the practice as totally unnecessary. Awarded DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita) status in 1980, the appellation rules have always forbidden the inclusion of other grapes.

However, throughout the 20th century, it was standard practice to blend both white and red grapes into Chianti Classico. When the region was bestowed DOCG status in 1984, the appellation rules permitted the inclusion of Trebbiano, a white variety ubiquitous in central Tuscany. This long-derided practice (most quality-led growers felt that white grapes were an unwelcome addition) was finally outlawed in 2006. Every wine critic regarded this as a positive step forward.

Still, the Chianti Classico consorzio (ruling body) decided to maintain a tradition of allowing a small percentage of certain red grapes into the blends. Modern Chianti Classico may be a 100% Sangiovese wine, or it can contain up to 20% of other authorised varieties, such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. The minimum amount of Sangiovese permitted is always 80%. Interestingly, Chianti Classico wines based on 100% Sangiovese are becoming more common in the region, encouraging a closer alignment with its neighbour further south. But, as it stands today, ‘pure’ Sangiovese Chianti Classicos are not legally required.

Brunello and Chianti Classico’s regulatory bodies also adopt different approaches to the ageing of their wines. Brunello di Montalcino must be aged for a minimum of two years in oak. Chianti Classico Annata wines, which account for the majority of the zone’s output, are matured for a shorter minimum period of 12 months before release. It’s important to stress, however, that many wine estates choose to exceed the bare minimum.

These iconic wine styles also promote a pyramid structure, whereby a superior tier of wines labelled as ‘Riserva’ is regulated by the authorities. Brunello Riserva wines must be aged for five years before they can be brought to market. In contrast, the Chianti Classico rules stipulate a period of 24 wood months ageing prior to release. But there are comparable regulations concerning the minimum level of alcohol: 12.5% for Brunello and Chianti Classico Riservas.

However, in 2014 Chianti Classico introduced a third tier into the equation, which currently has no equivalent in the Brunello regulatory framework. The cream of the Chianti crop is represented by the Gran Selezione category of wines. Only made in the best vintages, Gran Selezione is built on the foundations of top-quality grapes. After a careful selection process, wine estates will ferment and age their wines for a minimum duration of 30 months. Both Riserva and Gran Selezione labels must be aged for an additional period of three months in bottle before they are sold. The minimum permitted alcohol level is always 13%.

Deciding between the two

Ultimately, the pertinent question is: what do you want from wine? An investment vehicle? A bottle that comes alive after 10 years? Or a wine that can be approached at a (relatively) young age? Brunello and Chianti can be the perfect accompaniment to food, an art form developed by the Tuscans over centuries of inspired research. But their respective qualities will shine with different dishes. Chianti Classico’s middleweight, cherry-scented fruit and tangy acidity are ideal with pasta dishes. Brunello’s punchy, plum/damson concentration shines alongside Bistecca alla Fiorentina and wild boar. With age, both styles can display a gorgeous mosaic of tertiary flavours: black truffle, forest floor, mushroom and game.

Reflect, too, that there are always exceptions to the rule. An unusually hot vintage can yield Chianti Classicos of atypical power and structure, while in the anomalous cool years, certain sites in Montalcino struggle to ripen Sangiovese to satisfaction. But in normal circumstances, Tuscany’s superstar regions are poised to reveal two distinct interpretations of the Sangiovese grape, albeit Chianti Classico allows a small percentage of international grapes into the blends. Equally, a growing firmament of estates are committed to 100% Sangiovese Chianti wines.

In truth, the reality is very prosaic. Both Chianti Classico and Montalcino are making brilliant wines that will take you years to enjoy even a fraction of.