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Direct Wines' own-label Chianti DOCG, made by Paolo Masi of Fattoria di Basciano in Rufina. Juicy cherry and plum Sangiovese with almond hints and fresh acidity at 13% abv: a 13.99 GBP partner for tomato-led pasta, drinking to 2027.
Synthesised from Vivino's 3,862-rating drinker consensus, Laithwaites' datasheet and an independent review of the 2023: cherry, violet and almond over fresh Sangiovese acidity.
Cherry and red plum lead, the pattern Vivino's crowd flags most for this label (204 red-fruit mentions across 588 taste reviews), joined by the almond hint Laithwaites' own datasheet calls out. The 2023 adds a distinctive violet florality with a light balsamic, cinnamon-and-sage edge noted in independent review, and no obvious oak.
Violet
Blackberry
Cherry
Plum
Raspberry
Almond
CinnamonMedium-bodied and supple, as the Vivino consensus puts it, with juicy cherry and cranberry fruit at the stated 13% abv. Acidity is fresh rather than fierce, and the tannins sit brisk and lightly grippy before falling away quickly: young Sangiovese bottled by Masi Renzo and C. in Rufina for early drinking, not the cellar.
Moderate length, closing on the lingering tang Vivino's crowd notes and a gently bitter cherry-stone streak the 2023's reviewer said begs for cheese.
An honest merchant-label Chianti DOCG made by Paolo Masi of Fattoria di Basciano for Direct Wines: drinkers rate it 3.6/5 across 3,862 Vivino ratings, with the 2023 ahead of that at 3.8. Drink it young, with tomato-led food, through 2027.
Scores lean on the Chianti DOCG frame: bright Sangiovese acidity for food, 13.99 GBP against entry-Chianti benchmarks, and a drink-by-2027 window that caps its cellar appeal.
Fresh Sangiovese acidity with brisk, fast-fading tannin makes a tomato-and-table red; Vivino's crowd chips it for beef, veal and poultry.
Textbook entry Sangiovese from a famous appellation at 13% abv: cherry fruit forward, no oak to decode, and Laithwaites' best-selling Chianti for a reason.
A 13.99 GBP, 13% abv weeknight red whose acidity handles everyday tomato cooking; the flip side of its low cellar score.
A merchant own-label at entry-DOCG level: honest at the table but not a statement bottle for a milestone dinner.
Scoring is rule-based and deterministic. The model and weightings are documented in our Wine Fit Score 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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A wet, mildew-marked spring cut the 2023 Chianti crop, with the Consorzio Vino Chianti reporting patchy losses across the zone, but picked fruit came in healthy: a fresh, early-drinking year, best to 2027.
A wet, mildew-marked spring cut the 2023 Chianti DOCG crop, with the Consorzio Vino Chianti describing patchy losses across the zone, though picked fruit came in healthy. A fresh, early-drinking year: enjoy this bottling to Laithwaites' stated drink-by of 31 December 2027.
A wet, mildew-marked spring cut the 2023 Chianti DOCG crop, with the Consorzio Vino Chianti describing patchy losses across the zone, though picked fruit came in healthy. A fresh, early-drinking year: enjoy this bottling to Laithwaites' stated drink-by of 31 December 2027.
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.
Chianti DOCG requires 70 to 100% Sangiovese grown across six Tuscan provinces at yields no higher than 9 tonnes per hectare, released only from 1 March after the harvest.
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 Arezzo · Firenze · Pisa · Pistoia · Prato · Siena. The denomination is further divided into 8 sub-zones.
Laithwaites points at chicken or pasta; Vivino's crowd votes beef, veal and poultry. The common thread is the fresh acidity and brisk, fast-fading tannin of young Rufina-made Sangiovese.
Sangiovese's fresh acidity runs level with tomato's own sharpness, so neither flattens the other. Laithwaites suggests pasta for this bottle, and the one independent review of the 2023 ended over a tomato-rich braise, calling Chianti and tomato dishes natural partners.
Try with: Pasta arrabbiata · Lasagna · Pizza Margherita · More pairings →
The 2023's tannins arrive brisk and grippy then fall away fast, so seared protein and rendered fat are what they want. Vivino's crowd files this wine under beef first, and a Fiorentina steak or herbed roast pork gives those quick tannins something to bind.
Try with: Fiorentina steak · Porchetta · Sunday Roast Beef · More pairings →
At 13% abv and medium body this Chianti will not swamp white meats. Laithwaites calls it ideal with chicken, and veal and poultry sit beside beef on its Vivino food chips: weight matched to weight, with cherry fruit doing the lifting.
Try with: Roast chicken · Cotoletta alla bolognese
The reviewer of the 2023 noted its dry, quickly-fading tannins beg for cheese, and the acidity scrubs sheep-milk fat and cured-meat richness clean. Tuscan pecorino and fennel salami are the home fixtures for a Rufina-made Sangiovese.
Try with: Cheese board · Pecorino Toscano · Finocchiona · More pairings →
The balsamic and dried-herb notes reviewers find in the 2023 echo the aromatics of long-cooked braises, while the lingering tang refreshes each spoonful. The 2023's one published review paired it with a slow-cooked beef and mushroom stew and called the match a success.
Try with: Beef stew · Agnello Ragu Lucano · Pappa al Pomodoro · More pairings →
Chilli heat amplifies this wine's brisk tannin and 13% alcohol into bitterness, exactly the streak the 2023's reviewer flagged on the finish. Delicate raw fish pushes the same tannins metallic: keep it away from fierce spice and sashimi-style plates.
Skip with: Chicken madras · Szechuan beef · Nigiri Sushi · Pairing guide →
This is a merchant-label Chianti bottled for early drinking: Laithwaites lists a drink-by of 31 December 2027 for the 2023, and base Chianti DOCG carries only a 3-month minimum ageing rule.
Best in the years above; holds without falling over either side.
A short splash decant softens the first-pour edge and opens the aromatics.
Bottled for early drinking with a stated drink-by of 31 December 2027 and only the base Chianti DOCG 3-month minimum ageing behind it: buy to drink, not to lay down.
Drawn 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 · MediumPaolo Masi of Fattoria di Basciano in Rufina makes it as an own-label for Direct Wines, the company behind Laithwaites. The label credits the family firm Renzo Masi and C. of Rufina as bottler, and Laithwaites has worked with the Masi family for around 30 years. For the wider story of how merchant exclusives like this one are made, read our deep dive "Who Really Makes Britain's Own-Label Italian Wine?"
No. It is a base Chianti DOCG, which requires 70 to 100% Sangiovese grown across six Tuscan provinces. It is not Chianti Classico and not Chianti Rufina either, even though the Masi family estate itself sits in the Rufina zone.
Cherry and red plum fruit with violet florals, an almond hint and a light balsamic, cinnamon edge in the 2023. It is medium-bodied at 13% abv with fresh acidity and brisk tannins that fade quickly, built for drinking young with food.
Tomato-led pasta, pizza and slow braises first: the acidity matches tomato sharpness. Laithwaites suggests chicken or pasta, while Vivino drinkers file it under beef, veal and poultry; bistecca, lasagna and pecorino cheese all work.
Drink it between now and the end of 2027, the drink-by date Laithwaites itself lists for the 2023. It is an early-drinking Chianti with a 3-month minimum ageing requirement, not a wine that improves with long cellaring.
It is fair mid-band value for entry Chianti DOCG. Vivino drinkers score the label 3.6/5 across 3,864 ratings, the 2023 slightly higher at 3.8, and the same wine retails at 18.99 USD through WSJ Wine in the United States. In the UK it sells through Laithwaites and its sister shops Averys and the Sunday Times Wine Club.
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