A Taste of Castellina in Chianti with Cecchi Wine Estates

Some months ago I had the opportunity to attend a virtual tasting with the renowned Cecchi family showcasing wines from a few of their estates hosted by Andrea Cecchi, owner and winemaker of the Cecchi wine estates, along the Cecchi enologist, Maria Bracali, and PR agency Wellcom.   

The Cecchi Winery 

The Cecchi wines were first established by Luigi Cecchi in 1893 due to his passion for wines and winemaking.  Today the winery is led by Andrea Cecchi, the 4th generation.  The Cecchi headquarters was established in the 70’s in the heart of the Chianti Classico territory, Castellina in Chianti.  This year is their 130th anniversary celebration. 

The Cecchi family first started in Castellina in Chianti, but over the years has expanded to include 6 estates in total.  Five estates are located within the Tuscany wine region with an expansion into Umbria with one of their estates.  Andrea said his mission is to “develop the terroirs, but the different personalities and identities”.  

Map sourced from Famiglia Cecchi

Outside the Cecchi headquarters, their first acquisition was Villa Cerna in the 60’s, which is located in Castellina in Chianti.  They renovated the villa converting it into a winery as well as the almost 200 acres of vineyards.   Following Villa Cerna, they acquired Val delle Rose in 1996 located in the southern part of Tuscany known as the Maremma in the Grosseto province.  This estate occupies 460 acres of vineyards used mostly for the Sangiovese grape in producing Morellino di Scansano DOCG wines along with some Vermentino.  Around the same time in the late 90’s they broke out into the Umbria wine region acquiring Tenuta Alzatura in Montefalco for the production of Montefalco Sagrantino DOCG wines across 3 parcels of land over about 70 acres of land along with some Trebbiano Spoletino. 

The next acquisition for the Cecchi family was another estate in Castellina in Chianti, Villa Rosa, which they purchased in 2015 with about 90 acres.  Lastly, a few years later, they bought about 15 acres of vineyards in Montalcino near the Sant’Antimo Abbey.  This winery has not been named yet, but is planned to be used for the production of Brunello di Montalcino.   

Cecchi’s values are focused on close attention to the environment in which they live and grow their grapes.  Andrea stated that the passion lies in the agriculture. Good land helps to produce good wines. They were the first Tuscan winery to install a wastewater treatment plant in the early 90’s that helped to reduce energy consumption and purified water.  They also put this treatment plant at their Val delle Rose estate in 2012.  In 2021 they also converted the Tenuta Alzatura and Val delle Rose estates to be organic. 

The Cecchi family has always taken an experimental approach to winemaking working with new clones, paying close attention to vineyard management to produce high quality grapes along while investing in new technology within the cellars.  They also have recovered and preserved several native grapes.  

The Cecchi Wines 

I tasted the following wines during the virtual tasting:  

• 2021 Cecchi Storia di Famiglia Chianti Classico DOCG SRP $20-25 
• 2019 Cecchi Riserva di Famiglia Chianti Classico DOCG Riserva $35-40 
• 2018 Cecchi Valore di Famiglia Chianti Classico DOCG Gran Selezione $60 
• 2020 Villa Cerna Primocolle Chianti Classico DOCG $25 
• 2019 Villa Cerna Riserva Chianti Classico DOCG Riserva $35 
• 2020 Villa Rosa Ribaldoni Chianti Classico DOCG $30 
• 2019 Villa Rosa Chianti Classico DOCG Gran Selezione $70  

Andrea shared that their grapes are fermented and aged seperately and blended during the bottling process in order to demonstrate the characteristics of the vintage and the wines elegance.  The wines also spend malolactic fermentation in stainless steel to maintain control during the wine’s delicate phase.  

Gli Scudi Wines 

Let's take a look at the wines by estate starting with the Famiglia Cecchi “Gli Scudi” wines. These wines are grown in Castellina in Chianti, in the heart of the Chianti Classico region. They have a more international taste with use of the barrique versus the large barrel used in the Villa Cerna and+ Villa Rosa wines. 

The 2021 Cecchi Storia di Famiglia Chianti Classico DOCG is the flagship of the Castellina in Chianti estate and their first Chianti Classico wine made. Made from 90% Sangiovese and 10% other local grapes. Fifty percent of this wine is estate grown and 50% is made from growers. It’s crucial that the partners show the distinctive characteristics of the brand which include the expression of the varietal, balanced tannins, freshness and good structure. 

This wine spends 6 months in barriques and 2 months in the bottle. Ruby colored with black cherry aromas and a touch of spice. Dry and medium-bodied on the palate with notes of cherry, tobacco, and a hint of olive towards the lengthy finish where the tannins smooth out. A nicely made, ready to drink Chianti Classico. 13.5% SRP $20-25 

Next from the Cecchi estate is the 2019 Cecchi Riserva di Famiglia Chianti Classico Riserva DOCG. This is their “cru” wine made from 90% Sangiovese and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine spends 12 months in barrique and tonneaux with 3+ months in the bottle. Ruby in color with a brick rim. Heavier on the aromatics than the last with aromas of ripe cherries and spice. Medium-bodied with bright acidity with more tannin present than the last. Cedar notes on the lengthy finish. ABV 14% SRP $35-40  

Last up on the Cecchi Famiglia wines is the 2018 Cecchi Valore di Famiglia Chianti Classico Gran Selezione DOCG. This was my personal pick of the litter from the Gli Scudi wines. Per the requirements of the Gran Selezione, this wine is made from 100% Sangiovese to show the elegance and purity of the grape in the territory where it shines best. The vineyard was planted in 1965 and they made this wine for the first time in 2015. The soil is made of flysch from the Apennine Mountains. The wine is aged 15 months in tonneaux and 3 months in cement vats with 12+ months in the bottle.  

Ruby in color with a tinge of brick. A perfumed nose of cherries, rose petals and a rustic, earthy edge. Lots of sapidity on this wine with tart cherry notes, spices and polished tannins with a toasty finish. An ageworthy wine that I’d love to see evolve in the bottle over the years. ABV 14.5% SRP $55 

Villa Cerna wines 

Next up we have the historical estate of Villa Cerna bought in 1962, but was built in 1011 A.D.   The 2020 Villa Cerna Primocolle Chianti Classico DOCG is grown in soils rich in clay. Primocolle stands for first hill as it was the first hill discovered in Chianti Classico. This wine is made from 95% Sangiovese and 5% Colorino that spends 9 months in barrique and 3+ months in the bottle. Ruby colored with a brick tinge and savory aromas with black cherry, spice, leather and a hint of balsamic. Juicy on the palate with good acidity, deep cherry notes, baking spice and tobacco. An enjoyable, drinkable now Chianti Classico. ABV 13.5% SRP $25 

The 2019 Villa Cerna Chianti Classico Riserva DOCG is 95% Sangiovese with 5% Colorino as well. The wine spends 14 months in barrique and 12+ months in the bottle. Ruby colored with a brick edge. Rich black cherry on the rose with spice and tobacco. Medium-bodied and dry, with darker cherry notes, cocoa, cedar box with a tinge of smokiness. A complex, savory wines with aromas and flavors that may you come back for more taste after taste. My favorite of the Villa Cerna wines! ABV 14% SRP $35 

Villa Rosa wines 

If I really had to lean towards one of these three states it was the wines of Villa Rosa. The Villa Rosa estate is situated on 80 acres at various altitudes with clay soils. These are historical wines with great aging potential. The 2020 Villa Rosa Ribaldoni Chianti Classico DOCG is made from a single vineyard with 100% Sangiovese. The difference between the production of these wines in comparison to the Villa Cerna wines is the use of concrete after maceration. The wine is aged 12 months in tonneaux with 6+ months aging in the bottle. Deep ruby colored with beautiful aromatics of juicy, ripe black cherries. Medium bodied and nicely balanced with juicy cherry notes with great sapidity. ABV 14.5% SRP $30 

The 2019 Villa Rosa Chianti Classico Gran Selezione DOCG is also made from 100% Sangiovese. Maria, the enologist, expressed how this estate is in the middle of cypress woods and how the wildflowers and broom influence the vineyards and the wines. This wine is aged 12 months in oak casks and spends 12 months in cement plus 6+ months in the bottle. Deep ruby colored with a perfumed nose, bright black cherry with spice. Medium-bodied and dry on the palate with sour cherry and silky tannin. My pick from the Villa Rosa selection. ABV 14% SRP $70 

The personality of the Cecchi labels demonstrate a “balance between innovation and tradition, along with the unique characteristics of the vintage”.  Today the Cecchi estates produce 8.5 million bottles grown over 830 acres of vineyards.  

Pairing Chianti Classico with Food

Usually if I'm going to enjoy my favorite grape Sangiovese I'll tend to pair it with a red sauce based pasta dish or with beef.  Since I don't have the access to wild boar, one of my favorite Tuscan specialties, or even the known fiorentina bistecca, I had to settle for some grilled steak tips.  

I also wanted to make something light for these warm days that may also pair well with Chianti Classico and looked into some typical Tuscan dishes.  That's when I realized I had never made panzanella before.  Panzanella, also called panmole, is basically a dish I've pretty closely created a dozen times with a variety of different additions throughout the years.  It's a Tuscan based salad made with dried bread, ripe tomatoes and a oil and vinegar based dressing.  You can add some cucumbers as well like I did and usually top it off with some fresh basil.  Since I grew my garden from seeds this year it's taking my basil a little while to become an herb I can use in cooking, but I had made some homemade basil recently so I decided to add some of that into the dish.  The perfect summertime meal when you just need something light and not too heavy.

To be honest the array of Chianti Classico went well with both dishes.  I can always enjoy a Chianti Classico on it's own, but these wines weren't too heavy or too tannic to not pair well with the panzanella and I couldn't complain about it's natural pairing with the steak tips.  What are some of your favorite Chianti Classico pairings?

You can shop on Wine.com in support of Vino Travels and find a variety of Cecchi wines to try for yourself.

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*These wines were provided as samples, but opinions are always my own.  Importers: Volio Imports and Terlato Wines