Castellani
Castellani's St.Giorgio Chianti Riserva is an entry Tuscan Sangiovese aged at least 24 months. Ruby-to-garnet, with cherry and raspberry, an earthy, lightly oaked edge and gentle tannin. Vivino's 1,854 drinkers rate it 3.8.
Sangiovese from the Castellani family in Pontedera, matured at least 24 months. The producer's sheet calls the colour ruby-to-garnet with a cherry-and-strawberry nose; Vivino's 130 tasting reviews add raspberry, earthy mushroom and a vanilla-oak frame.
Castellani's St.Giorgio Riserva shows ruby-to-garnet with the cherry-and-strawberry top note the producer flags on its technical sheet. Across Vivino's 130 tasting reviews drinkers add raspberry and a clear earthy, mushroom-tinged savouriness. A vanilla-and-tobacco lift from the 24-month ageing sits behind the fruit.
Violet
Cherry
Plum
Raspberry
Strawberry
Tobacco
Leather
Oak
VanillaMedium-bodied and dry, with the bright acidity Sangiovese brings to Chianti and the gentle, rightly tannic grip Castellani notes on the bottle. Red cherry and raspberry carry a savoury, earthy undertone, while the oak the Vivino crowd reads in 24 of 130 reviews frames rather than masks the fruit. At 12.5% it stays light on its feet.
The finish is long and enveloping, as Castellani describes it, closing on tart cherry and a faint earthy-oak warmth rather than heavy tannin.
An honest, everyday Tuscan Riserva that Vivino's 1,854 drinkers settle at 3.8: the entry rung of Castellani's range, smooth and food-ready rather than built to age. Best with the meat ragu and grilled meats the producer recommends.
Two UK merchants stock it, Great Wines Direct and Greatwine. Live prices run roughly 10 to 14 pounds for the 75cl bottle across the 2021 and current releases.
Scored as an everyday Tuscan red: strong on food-friendliness and on value at around 10 pounds, modest on cellaring and occasion.
Medium-bodied Sangiovese with bright acidity and gentle tannin spans tomato pasta, grilled meat and aged pecorino; a textbook food red.
Lowest live price 10.10 pounds sits well below the usual UK Chianti Riserva DOCG band; price_aggregate was empty, benchmarked editorially. Strong value.
Classic, recognisable Tuscan Sangiovese at DOCG Riserva level, smooth and gently tannic at 12.5%; an easy first Chianti.
Sub-15-pound, smooth and food-ready across midweek meals; the inverse of its modest cellar score with no high-price penalty.
Scoring is rule-based and deterministic. The model and weightings are documented in our editorial methodology.
A compact view of what the Chianti denomination actually requires, and how this bottle sits inside it. Pulled from the official Italian disciplinare.
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The 2021 leans on a warm, balanced Tuscan growing season that ripened Sangiovese fully while holding fresh acidity, giving firmer structure than the cooler years around it. Drink from release to about 2029.
2021 was a warm, well-balanced Tuscan growing season that ripened Sangiovese fully while keeping fresh acidity, giving riper fruit and firmer grip than the cooler years either side. After its 24-month ageing it drinks well now and holds to around 2029.
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.
Castellani has farmed and bottled in Tuscany since 1903, working from estates around Pontedera and the Pisan hills. The Chianti Riserva DOCG rules set the 24-month minimum ageing that shapes this wine's style and its price.
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 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 falls within Tuscany , covering Tuscany. The denomination is further divided into 7 sub-zones.
Castellani (founded 1903, Pontedera) blends Sangiovese at scale from several Tuscan estates rather than one cru, holding the bottle near 10 to 14 pounds instead of estate-Riserva money.
Chianti Riserva DOCG rules demand at least 24 months ageing before release, as Castellani's sheet states, tying up cellar space and capital a young annata avoids.
Vivino drinkers read oak and vanilla as a frame, not a barrique build; standard maturation rather than new French barriques keeps cost below a Classico Riserva.
At 2026 rates UK duty on a still wine up to 15% ABV is 2.67 pounds a bottle, with 20% VAT on top, so over 3 pounds of the roughly 10-pound shelf price is UK tax.
This is the plain Chianti DOCG Riserva, not Castellani's pricier St.Giorgio Chianti Classico Riserva, so vineyard-zone and selection costs are lower.
Dishes that complement this wine
Bright Sangiovese acidity and Castellani's own recommendations, pasta with meat sauce and grilled or roasted meat with mushrooms, guide these matches.
Sangiovese's high natural acidity mirrors tomato's own acidity and slices through a long-cooked ragu, keeping each forkful fresh. The Riserva's gentle tannin handles baked cheese without turning bitter.
Try with: Lasagna · Agnello Ragu Lucano · Cotoletta alla bolognese · More pairings →
Bright acidity and fine Sangiovese tannin cut the fat and char of Tuscan grilled and roasted meat, the producer's own headline pairing. Body sits at medium, so it lifts rather than buries a steak.
Try with: Fiorentina steak · Porchetta · Brasato al Barolo · More pairings →
The medium body and savoury, earthy core match braised veal and beef without overpowering them, echoing Vivino's veal pairing call. Acidity keeps a rich braise from feeling heavy.
Try with: Ossobuco alla Milanese · Brasato al Barolo · Agnello Ragu Lucano · More pairings →
The earthy, mushroom-tinged note Vivino drinkers flag bridges to truffle and porcini dishes, while the producer recommends mushroom side dishes outright. Red cherry fruit keeps it from turning too savoury.
Try with: Tagliatelle al tartufo di Acqualagna · Truffle risotto · More pairings →
Sangiovese acidity offsets the salt and fat of aged pecorino and porchetta, refreshing the palate between bites. Gentle tannin grips the cheese rind without clashing.
Try with: Pecorino sardo e pan carasau · Porchetta · More pairings →
Chilli heat amplifies the wine's tannin and 12.5% alcohol, turning it hard and bitter, while sweet-sour glazes fight its dry, savoury core. Reach for an aromatic Italian white instead.
Skip with: Crispy chilli beef · Szechuan beef · Sweet and sour pork · Lamb bhuna · Pairing guide →
At 12.5% with soft tannin and its 24-month ageing already behind it, this is an everyday Riserva to enjoy young. Best inside about five years rather than laid down.
A short splash decant softens the first-pour edge and opens the aromatics.
Entry Riserva at 12.5% with soft tannin and its mandated 24-month ageing already done; best inside about five years, limited cellar upside.
£10.10 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, 15:11 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 an entry-level Tuscan red from Famiglia Castellani, made from Sangiovese in the Chianti DOCG zone and aged at least 24 months to earn the Riserva designation. The St.Giorgio label is Castellani's standard Chianti Riserva, distinct from its pricier Chianti Classico Riserva.
Ruby-to-garnet in the glass, with cherry, raspberry and strawberry fruit over an earthy, mushroom-tinged savouriness and a light vanilla-oak frame from ageing. It is medium-bodied, dry and gently tannic at 12.5% ABV. Vivino's drinkers rate it 3.8 from over 1,800 ratings.
Sangiovese's acidity suits tomato and meat ragu pasta, grilled and roasted red meat, braised veal and aged pecorino. The producer specifically recommends pasta with meat sauce and grilled or roasted meat with mushrooms. Avoid chilli heat and sweet-sour sauces.
Treat it as a drink-now wine. Its 24-month ageing is already done before release and at 12.5% with soft tannin it is built for early enjoyment, best within about five years of the vintage rather than long cellaring.
Live UK listings run from about 10 to 14 pounds for a 75cl bottle, stocked by Great Wines Direct and Greatwine. That sits below the usual Chianti Riserva DOCG price band, which is part of its value appeal.
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