Agricola San Felice
San Felice's Borgo is a Chianti Classico from Castelnuovo Berardenga, blending Sangiovese with the estate's revived Pugnitello. Aged a year in Slavonian oak, it brings ruby fruit, violet lift and savoury tannins to bistecca and tomato-rich pasta.
Drinker consensus across 226 Vivino ratings and San Felice's own notes converge on a Castelnuovo Berardenga Sangiovese, blended with 12% Pugnitello and aged a year in Slavonian oak botti.
Ruby-garnet in the glass, the Borgo leads with violet and dark floral tones over ripe red cherry, with the earthy, aromatic-herb edge San Felice ties to its alberese and galestro marl at Castelnuovo Berardenga. The 12% Pugnitello in the blend lends a darker, gently spicy depth alongside the Sangiovese.
Violet
Black cherry
Cherry
Plum
Tobacco
Forest Floor
Leather
Black pepper
LiquoriceMedium-bodied and savoury, it carries the soft tannins and fresh acidity Italian critics single out, the fruit drawn out by twelve months in large Slavonian oak botti rather than smaller barrique. Vivino drinkers read it as firmly dry and gently tannic, a structured but approachable Chianti Classico.
The close is sapid and of fair length, settling on savoury red fruit and a faint balsamic-herb note rather than oak.
From a wet but well-managed 2023 at San Felice, the Borgo is the estate's accessible Castelnuovo Berardenga Chianti Classico, rounder than the annata norm yet built on Sangiovese acidity. Vivino's 226 ratings average 3.9 and critics score it around 90, marking a dependable weeknight-to-Sunday-roast bottle to drink over five to eight years.
Two UK retailers list the 2023 between about £24 and £27, in line with the roughly £20 to £26 Wine-Searcher average for this San Felice annata.
The scores below weigh the Borgo's Sangiovese-led acidity, its sub-£28 UK pricing and its Castelnuovo Berardenga DOCG pedigree.
Bright Sangiovese acidity, gentle tannin and a savoury profile make it highly food-flexible across Tuscan grilled meats, tomato pasta and aged pecorino.
A rounder, soft-tannin expression of Sangiovese, Italy's signature red grape, at a moderate price is an easy first step into Chianti Classico.
A 90-point Castelnuovo Berardenga DOCG from a historic estate at roughly £24 in the UK is fair-to-good value for the Chianti Classico annata tier.
Approachable, food-friendly and sub-£28, a strong midweek Tuscan red, though priced a notch above a true everyday bottle.
Scoring is rule-based and deterministic. The model and weightings are documented in our editorial methodology.
A compact view of what the Chianti Classico denomination actually requires, and how this bottle sits inside it. Pulled from the official Italian disciplinare.
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A wet spring forced careful canopy work against fungal pressure, then a wide late-August diurnal range brought the Sangiovese and Pugnitello to optimal ripeness at 12.5% alcohol.
A wet spring meant meticulous canopy work against fungal pressure at Castelnuovo Berardenga, but replenished soil reserves carried the vines through a hot July and August without stress, and a wide late-August diurnal range brought Sangiovese and Pugnitello to ripe, balanced fruit at 12.5% alcohol.
Drink-now / hold guidance reflects general style cues for this wine, not a forecast for a specific bottle. Where vintage-level editorial notes exist, they appear above.
San Felice grows the Borgo fruit on alberese and galestro marl around its medieval estate at Castelnuovo Berardenga, vinifies the two grapes separately and ages the wine a year in large Slavonian oak.
Italian wine law sorts bottles into a pyramid. DOCG sits at the top: tightly drawn boundaries, prescribed grapes, mandatory ageing, government tasting before release. DOC is the same idea with looser thresholds. IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica) is broader still, requiring only that 85% of the grapes come from the named territory.
Chianti Classico is in the DOCG tier. That is not a quality verdict, it is a description of how much freedom the producer has at vinification and ageing.
Chianti Classico falls within Tuscany , covering Tuscany. The denomination is further divided into 11 sub-zones.
San Felice grows the fruit on calcareous alberese and galestro soils around its Castelnuovo Berardenga estate and blends in 12% Pugnitello it rescued through its 1980s Vitiarium project.
The two grapes ferment apart in steel, then the wine spends about 12 months in large Slavonian oak casks, adding cellar time and barrel cost over a tank-only annata.
DOCG status brings yield limits, a minimum ageing period and Consorzio Gallo Nero certification, all of which lift cost over a basic Tuscan IGT red.
San Felice is a long-established Chianti Classico name whose Borgo regularly scores near 90 points at Wine-Searcher and Wine Enthusiast, supporting its £24 to £27 UK price.
UK alcohol duty on a 12.5% still wine is £2.67 a bottle at 2026 rates, and 20% VAT adds about £4 on a £24 retail price before retailer margin.
Borgo is San Felice's entry Chianti Classico with shorter ageing than its Il Grigio Riserva or Poggio Rosso Gran Selezione, keeping it well below those bottlings.
Dishes that complement this wine
Its savoury, fairly long finish and fresh acidity, noted by the Italian press and Vivino's beef, veal and pasta consensus, point to Tuscan roasts and tomato-led plates.
Sangiovese's firm acidity and the Borgo's soft but present tannins are cut by the charred fat and protein of rare Tuscan beef, while the wine's savoury finish echoes the meat.
Try with: Fiorentina steak · Agnello Ragu Lucano · Cotoletta alla bolognese · More pairings →
The bright acidity Italian critics flag mirrors the acidity of tomato and slow ragu, keeping each forkful fresh, and the medium body sits level with baked pasta without flattening it.
Try with: Lasagna · Pizza Margherita · Pizza Marinara · More pairings →
Sangiovese acidity and gentle tannin offset the salt and fat of aged sheep's cheese and cured meats, the classic central-Italian table match Vivino's cured-meat consensus also points to.
Try with: Pecorino sardo e pan carasau · More pairings →
At 12.5% alcohol and medium weight the Borgo matches breaded veal and layered bakes without overpowering them, and its herbal edge lifts the tomato and cheese.
Try with: Cotoletta alla bolognese · Lasagna · More pairings →
The earthy, aromatic-herb notes the Italian press records bridge to herb-crusted lamb and slow game ragu, while soft tannins keep the pairing from turning bitter.
Try with: Agnello Ragu Lucano · More pairings →
The Borgo's modest 12.5% alcohol and savoury tannin turn harsh against capsaicin heat and sugary glazes, which amplify bitterness and flatten its red fruit, so keep it away from fiery curries and sweet-sour stir-fries.
Skip with: Vindaloo · Sweet-and-sour pork · Sichuan chilli beef · Pairing guide →
San Felice cites 10 to 15 years of potential, though soft tannins and 12.5% alcohol make the 2023 enjoyable from release; critics suggest a five to eight year window.
Peak around 2027. Best in the years above; holds without falling over either side.
A short splash decant softens the first-pour edge and opens the aromatics.
Annata structure and soft tannins give medium cellar life of about five to eight years, short of a Riserva or Gran Selezione.
£23.90 is the lowest tracked offer for the current vintage and we have no signal of further discounting.
Read directly from each retailer’s public product page once a day. Last refresh: 7 Jun 2026, 14:14 BST. We do not hold stock and we do not accept payment for placement.
Confidence · HighDrawn from what drinkers consistently report on Vivino and Wine-Searcher, summarised in our own words. A crowd read across many tasters, not a single critic.
Confidence · MediumFrom the official Italian disciplinare for this denomination, cross-checked against the Ministry of Agriculture register.
Confidence · HighOur reading of the price, drawn from the disciplinare, public UK duty rates, and typical landed-cost benchmarks. Not a quote from the producer or a retailer.
Confidence · MediumStyle guidance for this kind of wine at this price point. Treat it as advice, not a forecast for the bottle in your hand.
Confidence · MediumIt is mainly Sangiovese with about 12% Pugnitello, an old Tuscan variety San Felice revived through its Vitiarium research project. Both are grown at the estate in Castelnuovo Berardenga.
The Sangiovese and Pugnitello are fermented separately in stainless steel, then the wine ages for about 12 months in large Slavonian oak casks before bottling.
Expect a ruby red with violet and red cherry aromas, an earthy, herbal edge, soft tannins, fresh acidity and a savoury, fairly long finish. Vivino drinkers rate it 3.9 from 226 ratings.
Bistecca alla fiorentina and grilled red meat, tomato-led pasta and ragu, and aged pecorino are classic matches. Its acidity and gentle tannin handle savoury Tuscan dishes well.
2023 was a wet spring followed by warm, balanced ripening at San Felice, giving a 12.5% wine that drinks well from release. The estate cites 10 to 15 years' potential; most drinkers will enjoy it within five to eight.
From the San Felice estate at Castelnuovo Berardenga in the southern Chianti Classico zone, province of Siena, Tuscany.
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