Frescobaldi's everyday Chianti DOCG from the Tenuta Castiglioni estate, mainly Sangiovese with a little Merlot. Bright cherry and red-plum fruit, soft tannins and fresh acidity, steel-aged not oaky. This 375 ml half suits a single dinner.
Cherry, black raspberry and violet on the nose, a medium body at 12.5% and a smooth, steel-aged palate. Drawn from Frescobaldi's own notes and the dark-cherry, dried-plum consensus of 35,000-plus Vivino drinkers.
The 2024 leads with bright cherry and wild strawberry, the fruit Frescobaldi calls out alongside black raspberry and a thread of blackcurrant. Violet and a touch of rose lift the top notes, in line with the cool, rain-fed 2024 spring the estate credits for the vintage's aromatic purity. Air brings the dark-cherry and dried-plum register Vivino's drinkers most often name.
Violet
Blackcurrant
Cherry
Plum
Strawberry
Tobacco
Almond
LeatherMedium-bodied and built around Sangiovese's fresh acidity, it stays light on its feet at 12.5% alcohol. Six months in steel with micro-oxygenation, rather than any oak, rounds the tannins into the supple, smooth texture both the producer and Vivino reviewers describe. Cherry and red-plum fruit carry a savoury Tuscan edge of tobacco leaf and light leather that comes from the grape, not a barrel.
The finish is clean and gently long, closing on the crisp sweet-almond note Vivino reviewers single out. Freshness rather than grip has the last word, which keeps it pulling back to the table.
This is Frescobaldi's everyday Chianti from Tenuta Castiglioni in the Val di Pesa, the entry point below the estate's single-vineyard reds, and the 35,000-plus Vivino ratings that settle around 3.7 match its reputation as a smooth, dependable midweek bottle. In this 375 ml half it suits a single dinner for two. Drink it over 2025 to 2028 while the fruit is fresh.
Three UK listings track this half bottle from about £8.51 to £10.50. The 375 ml format is the single-dinner pour; Frescobaldi also bottles Castiglioni in 750 ml and magnum.
A high food and everyday score for a fresh, 12.5% Sangiovese, with modest cellar and occasion marks for an entry Chianti made to drink now.
Sangiovese's high acidity and light, smooth tannins make Chianti a classic food red, cutting tomato, fat and salt across a wide range of dishes.
A low-alcohol, food-friendly Chianti under £10 in a single-dinner half bottle, a textbook midweek pour.
Soft, fruit-driven and low in tannin at 12.5%, it is an easy, classic introduction to Sangiovese and Chianti.
At about £8.51 for a named-estate DOCG half it is fair value, though the 375 ml format carries a per-millilitre premium over the 750 ml.
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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A cool, rain-fed spring and a summer without heat spikes gave Frescobaldi a fresh, aromatic 2024. Made for early drinking, it is best from 2025 to 2028.
A cool, rain-fed spring and a summer without heat spikes gave Frescobaldi a fresh, aromatic 2024 with lively acidity and supple tannins. An early-drinking vintage, best from 2025 to 2028.
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.
Estate fruit from the Val di Pesa, hand-harvested, set against steel-only ageing and an entry-tier place in the Frescobaldi range. UK duty and VAT take a large share of the sub-£10 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.
Frescobaldi farms and hand-picks the Sangiovese and Merlot on its own Val di Pesa land; manual harvest and selection cost more than machine picking and lift the base cost of even an entry Chianti.
The wine spends six months in stainless steel with micro-oxygenation rather than costly barriques or botti, a major reason a named-estate Chianti DOCG can land near £8.51 for a half.
DOCG status caps yields and sets release rules that add cost versus a free-run Tuscan IGT, though Chianti's limits are looser than Chianti Classico's.
Castiglioni sits below the estate's single-vineyard reds such as Tenuta Frescobaldi Castiglioni and Giramonte; high-volume blending and a value brief keep the unit price low.
Smaller bottles fill less efficiently and cost more per millilitre than the 750 ml, so the half's price does not simply halve the full bottle.
At 2026 HMRC rates still wine under 15% pays £2.67 duty per 750 ml, about £1.34 on this 375 ml half; with 20% VAT, tax is roughly a third of the £8.51 shelf price.
Dishes that complement this wine
The grape's fresh acidity and light tannin handle tomato ragu, roast chicken and Tuscan bistecca, the pairings Frescobaldi and Vivino's drinkers both reach for. Aged pecorino works too.
Sangiovese's high acidity mirrors the acidity in a tomato ragu and keeps each forkful fresh, while its light, smooth tannins do not fight the meat. The classic Tuscan primo match.
Try with: Lasagna · Agnello Ragu Lucano · Cotoletta alla bolognese · More pairings →
At 12.5% and medium-bodied, Castiglioni Chianti matches the weight of roast chicken and veal without overpowering them, the pairing Frescobaldi names on its own sheet. Fresh acidity lifts the meat.
Try with: Cotoletta alla bolognese · Porchetta · Roast chicken · More pairings →
The grape's fresh acidity and fine tannin cut through the fat of a chargrilled bistecca, scraping the palate clean between bites. This is the regional Tuscan pairing for Sangiovese.
Try with: Fiorentina steak · Brasato al Barolo · Porchetta · More pairings →
Castiglioni's bright red fruit and acidity balance the salt and fat of aged pecorino, while its savoury tobacco edge bridges the cheese's nuttiness. A simple antipasto match.
Try with: Pecorino sardo e pan carasau · More pairings →
Sangiovese's earthy, savoury side echoes mushroom and truffle, and its acidity keeps a rich, buttery pasta from cloying. Keep the sauce simple so the wine's fresh fruit shows.
Try with: Tagliatelle al tartufo di Acqualagna · Lasagna · More pairings →
Fresh, light Sangiovese has no sweetness or oak to absorb chilli heat or sugary sweet-and-sour glazes; the alcohol amplifies the burn and the fruit reads thin. Skip it with fiery curries and sticky Asian sauces.
Skip with: Chicken madras · Sweet and sour chicken · Chicken pad thai · Pairing guide →
This is not a wine to lay down. Steel-aged and built on fresh fruit, the 2024 is at its best young, within roughly four years of the harvest.
Peak around 2026. Best in the years above; holds without falling over either side.
A short splash decant softens the first-pour edge and opens the aromatics.
Steel-aged with no oak and built on fresh fruit, it is made for early drinking, not the cellar.
£8.51 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, 14:49 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 a small amount of Merlot, the blend Frescobaldi uses for its Tenuta Castiglioni Chianti DOCG. Sangiovese gives the bright cherry fruit and fresh acidity; the splash of Merlot softens the texture.
Tomato-led pasta and roast meats. Frescobaldi suggests pappardelle with meat ragu, roast chicken and veal, and the Sangiovese acidity also cuts aged pecorino and a Tuscan bistecca.
No. The 2024 spends six months in stainless steel with micro-oxygenation, then rests in bottle, so the wine stays fresh and fruit-driven rather than oaky.
It is made for early drinking. Enjoy it from 2025 through about 2028, while the cherry fruit and lively acidity are at their freshest.
This is the half-bottle format of Castiglioni Chianti, which Frescobaldi also makes in 750 ml and magnum. The half suits a single dinner or two glasses without opening a full bottle.
Medium-bodied and smooth, with cherry and red-plum fruit, a savoury tobacco-and-leather edge from Sangiovese, and a clean, gently long finish. At 12.5% it is light and food-friendly.
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