Five days, five estates
In September a group of our customers joined us in Tuscany for five days and five wineries, and it was, quite simply, the best week of our year. We've been buying from these estates for a long time, and we know their wines well, but there's no substitute for sitting at the table with the people who make them. You hear why one slope gets the Sangiovese and the next one doesn't, why a wine is aged in concrete rather than oak, why a family has stayed on the same hill for centuries.
Our route took us from Carmignano, west of Florence, through the hills of Chianti Classico to Gaiole, finishing at the castle where the Chianti recipe itself was first written down. Along the way we tasted fresh Tuscan whites, benchmark Riservas, rare bottlings that never leave the estate and some of the finest Gran Selezione being made today. Here's how the week unfolded, and the wines that made it.
Thursday: Tenuta di Capezzana, Carmignano
We began in Carmignano, a small, historic corner of Tuscany that most visitors drive straight past on their way to Chianti. They're missing something special. Wine has been made at Capezzana for well over a thousand years, and the Contini Bonacossi family have looked after the estate for generations. Carmignano was also one of the first places in Tuscany to blend Cabernet with Sangiovese, long before anyone had heard the phrase Super Tuscan.
We worked through the range, from the Trebbiano and the bright, easy Barco Reale to the Villa di Capezzana, but the wine everyone was waiting for was the Trefiano 2021. It comes from the vineyards around the 16th-century Villa di Trefiano, only a few thousand bottles are made, and this year it won Best in Show at the Decanter World Wine Awards. In the glass it's ripe cherry and raspberry, sweet spice and a herbal lift, with supple tannins and a long, spiced finish. We finished, as you should in Tuscany, with a small glass of Capezzana's Vin Santo.
Friday: Ruffino at Poggio Casciano
Friday was spent with Ruffino at Poggio Casciano, their estate in the hills outside Florence. Ruffino's story goes back to 1877, and by 1890 the Duke of Aosta liked their Chianti so much he made them supplier to the royal household. In 1927 they named their best wine after him, and Riserva Ducale has been the house flagship ever since. It's still the benchmark Chianti Classico Riserva, all violets and cherry with plum, tobacco and a touch of clove, and its 2021 vintage was named number 17 in Wine Spectator's Top 100 Wines of 2025.
The tasting ran from the crisp La Solatìa Pinot Grigio and the Aqua di Venus Vermentino and rosé, through Greppone Mazzi Brunello and the Modus Primo Super Tuscan. Then we all sat down to a long lunch, the way lunch in Tuscany should be. The Riserva Ducale Oro Gran Selezione came out, first made in 1947 and only released in the best vintages, deep with cherry, plum and violet and a lick of eucalyptus. Alongside it was Garzaia, Ruffino's first wine from Bolgheri on the coast, and to finish, the Serelle Vin Santo.
Saturday: dinner with Sean O'Callaghan, Tenuta di Carleone
Saturday evening is the one many of the group are still talking about. It started with a glass in a stone courtyard as the light went, with Sean O'Callaghan holding court, and turned into a long dinner. Sean spent the best part of 25 years making wine at Riecine before co-founding Tenuta di Carleone in Radda in 2012 with Karl Egger. In Chianti he's known as "Il Guercio", the one-eyed one, after the eye he was born blind in, and he's given the name to his own wine.
Sean's way of working is about as hands-off as it gets: organic vineyards, whole bunches, long macerations, no commercial yeasts and very little oak. The wines are pure, high-toned and full of energy. We poured the Il Randagio, his "stray dog" blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc, juicy with violets and black cherry and more Loire than Bordeaux in spirit, alongside the Carleone Chianti Classico. Then came two wines you won't find on our shelves, Il Guercio and his flagship, Uno, both made in tiny quantities. Tasting them with the man who made them was a rare treat.
Sunday: Castello di Meleto, Gaiole in Chianti
Sunday took us into the heart of Chianti Classico at Castello di Meleto in Gaiole. The castle has stood here since at least 1256, sitting between Florence and Siena, and the two republics fought over it for centuries. Today it's one of the largest organic estates in Chianti, with 160 hectares of vines spread over five distinct plots and climbing as high as 600 metres.
After a walk around the estate with our guide, we sat down to lunch under a pergola looking out over the hills, and the afternoon drifted on beneath the wisteria on the terrace. The wine of the day was the Castello di Meleto Gran Selezione 2020, aged slowly in large barrels and tonneaux. It's black cherry and sweet spice, with rosemary and sage behind, fine-grained savoury tannins and a long finish. In that setting it was easy to see why it keeps collecting medals.
Monday: Castello di Brolio, where Chianti began
We saved the most historic for last. Castello di Brolio has belonged to the Ricasoli family since 1141, which makes Barone Ricasoli one of the oldest family wine businesses in the world. We walked the cypress-lined drive past the vines and climbed the stone steps into the castle itself. It was here, in 1872, that Baron Bettino Ricasoli set down the formula for Chianti, the blend led by Sangiovese that still shapes the region's wines today.
The tasting covered the whole range, from the everyday Barone Ricasoli Chianti and the Trappola "baby Super Tuscan" to the Brolio Chianti Classico, an absolute winner at €19 a bottle, and the Rocca Guicciarda Riserva. The finale was the Castello di Brolio Gran Selezione, the estate's grand vin, made only in the best years. It's elegant rather than heavy, with red cherry and plum, a hint of vanilla and a balsamic, herbal note over ripe tannins.
One more wine deserves a mention, the Rocca Guicciarda Gran Selezione. It impressed us so much that we've asked Ricasoli for 60 bottles on the next shipment, at €45 a bottle. If you'd like some set aside, email Will and we'll hold them for you.
Bringing Tuscany home
What stays with you after a week like this isn't any one wine. It's how much care goes into every bottle, and how proud these families are to pour them for people who've travelled to hear their story. A huge thank you to everyone who came with us, and to the teams at Capezzana, Ruffino, Carleone, Meleto and Brolio for opening their doors and setting such generous tables.
Every wine we can stock from the tour is now together in one place, so you can recreate a little of the trip at home. If you're not sure where to start, these are the six we'd pick.
Capezzana Trefiano 2021 (14.5% ABV). Decanter's Best in Show this year. Ripe cherry, sweet spice and supple tannins, built to age but generous now. Open it with roast lamb.
Ruffino Riserva Ducale (14% ABV). The classic Chianti Classico Riserva, with violets, cherry and a little tobacco. Made for pasta with ragù.
Ruffino Riserva Ducale Oro Gran Selezione 2021 (14% ABV). The step up, with deep plum, violet and eucalyptus over polished tannins. A wine for a Sunday roast or the cellar.
Tenuta di Carleone Il Randagio (13% ABV). Sean's juicy Merlot and Cabernet Franc, fresh and floral. Lovely with gnocchi in sage butter.
Castello di Meleto Gran Selezione 2020 (14% ABV). Black cherry, sweet spice and Tuscan herbs. Excellent with braised meats or aged pecorino.
Castello di Brolio Gran Selezione (14.5% ABV). The Ricasoli grand vin, elegant and long, with red cherry and a balsamic edge. One for a special occasion.
