Chianti Classico

Appearance & taste

The colour ranges from deep green to green with golden hues, and the aroma is fruity and typical of olive oil. At tasting, the green fruitiness must be between 3 and 8, bitterness and pungency each between 2 and 8. According to the specification, it is characterised by the intense bitter and pungent taste together with fruity notes on the nose.

The acidity is at most 0.5 %, the peroxide value at most 12. The oleic acid content is over 72 %, the polyphenol content over 150 ppm and the alpha-tocopherol content over 140 ppm. The label reads “Olio Extravergine di Oliva Chianti Classico” with the addition “Denominazione di Origine Protetta” or DOP and the clearly visible year of production. Other laudatory terms are not allowed, but the names of farms, estates and places where the olives are grown are.

Production

At least 80 % of a farm’s olives must come from the varieties Frantoio, Correggiolo, Moraiolo, Leccino and Leccio del Corno; at most 20 % may be other local varieties listed in the Tuscan germplasm register for olive trees. Cultivation, harvesting and oil extraction take place exclusively in the area. The trees are mostly trained wide and vase-shaped so that warmth and light reach the inside of the crown.

Because the fruit must be protected from the first autumn frosts, the olives are traditionally harvested early and directly from the tree, before they are fully ripe. This yields less oil, but a still high polyphenol content and thus, according to the specification, stronger bitter and pungent notes. Bottling also takes place in the area, in containers with a guarantee seal, so that the oil does not come into unnecessary contact with atmospheric oxygen during transport. It may be packed until 31 January of the second year after production.

Origin & history

The area covers the municipalities of Castellina in Chianti, Gaiole in Chianti, Greve in Chianti and Radda in Chianti as well as parts of Barberino-Tavarnelle, Castelnuovo Berardenga, Poggibonsi and San Casciano in Val di Pesa. It matches the 1932 boundary of the Chianti Classico wine area. Soil and climate are fairly uniform: a moderately warm, dry autumn is followed by a harsh winter, and according to the specification olive growing is possible here at the edge of its natural range. The large temperature swings in autumn contribute to the distinctly fruity aroma.

According to the specification, the area has been precisely defined geographically since the 14th century. In 1716 Grand Duke Cosimo III set the present boundaries by edict to highlight the wine and olive products of the area, according to the specification a kind of early PDO. In 1819 Tavanti already listed the most important varieties of Chianti Classico in his treatise on olive growing.