Skip to main content
Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant
Toggle Navigation Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant Your Cart

2020 Chianti Classico

Villa Di Geggiano
Discount Eligible $35.00
AT CART MAX

If the walls of Villa di Geggiano could talk, they’d have some of the richest stories to tell of any estate we visit every year in France and Italy. They’d speak of the Bandinelli family’s arrival at the modest and original 14th-century farmhouse just north of Siena in 1527. They could share HGTV-worthy details of the property’s expansion, in 1768, into a magnificent villa, and gossip from the undoubtedly opulent parties held thereafter. They might reenact the works performed at the estate’s outdoor theater by Vittorio Alfieri, the 18th-century dramatist and poet considered to be the founder of Italian tragedy; or scenes from Stealing Beauty, the 1996 film shot at the Villa by Bernardo Bertolucci, starring Liv Tyler and Jeremy Irons. They might divulge how Ranuccio Bianchi Bandinelli, famed archaeologist, Communist, and grandfather of the current proprietors, Andrea and Alessandro, redistributed much of the estate’s land to its sharecroppers after the Second World War. Today, these walls would tell of the lavish weddings that take place at the Villa, helping the Bandinelli brothers cover the cost of maintaining this National Heritage site. But most importantly, they’d sing of the pure, hearty, and joyous reds made by our longest-running producers of Chianti Classico, Andrea and Alessandro. Using organic methods to honor and maximize their clay-rich soils surrounding the Villa and big barrels to age the wine, they’ve produced a beautiful rosso brimming with notes of black cherries, blood orange, and earth. Pour it alongside your favorite cut of meat, now or in twenty years. 

Tom Wolf

Discount Eligible $35.00
AT CART MAX

Technical Information
Wine Type: red
Vintage: 2020
Bottle Size: 750mL
Blend: 100% Sangiovese
Appellation: Chianti Classico
Country: Italy
Region: Tuscany
Producer: Villa di Geggiano
Winemaker: Andrea & Alessandro Boscu Bianchi Bandinelli
Vineyard: 15-20 years
Soil: Clay, Silt, Sand, Limestone
Aging: Wine ages for eighteen months in 500-L French oak barrels (10% new), and then in bottle for another three months before release
Farming: Organic (certified)
Alcohol: 14.5%

More from this Producer or Region

About The Region

Tuscany

Map of Tuscany wine region

Perhaps no region is tied to Italy’s reputation as a producer of fine wine as much as Tuscany. Since Etruscan times, viticulture has played a prominent role in this idyllic land of rolling hills, and the Tuscan winemaking tradition remains as strong as ever today. With a favorable Mediterranean climate, an undulating topography offering countless altitudes and expositions, and a wealth of poor, well-draining soils, conditions are ideal for crafting high-quality wines. Add to that the rich gastronomical tradition—Tuscany is home to some of the country’s finest game, pastas, salumi, and cheeses—and you have the blueprint for a world-class wine region.

This is Sangiovese territory; in fact, it is arguably the only place in the world where Sangiovese reaches a truly regal expression. In spite of a rocky history with fluctuations in quality, traditionally produced Chianti has reclaimed its status as one of the country’s most reliable, food-friendly reds, while the rapid rise of Brunello di Montalcino shows the grape’s potential for grandiose, opulent reds allying power and finesse. Traditionally-minded growers have stuck to using only indigenous grape varieties and employing techniques like aging in massive wooden casks known as botti, creating wines of terroir that shine at the Tuscan table.

Tuscan wines have had a place in our portfolio since Kermit’s first visit in 1977. While the names of the estates have changed, the spirit of those first unfiltered Chiantis he imported live on through our current selections.

More from Tuscany or Italy

Discount Eligible $70.00
AT CART MAX
Discount Eligible $50.00
AT CART MAX
Discount Eligible $42.00
AT CART MAX
Discount Eligible $89.00
AT CART MAX
Discount Eligible $29.00
AT CART MAX
Discount Eligible $35.00
AT CART MAX
Discount Eligible $42.00
AT CART MAX
Discount Eligible $166.00
AT CART MAX
Discount Eligible $62.00
AT CART MAX
Discount Eligible $88.00
AT CART MAX
Discount Eligible $28.00
AT CART MAX
Discount Eligible $90.00
AT CART MAX
Where the newsletter started

Every three or four months I would send my clients a cheaply made list of my inventory, but it began to dawn on me that business did not pick up afterwards. It occurred to me that my clientele might not know what Château Grillet is, either. One month in 1974 I had an especially esoteric collection of wines arriving, so I decided to put a short explanation about each wine into my price list, to try and let my clients know what to expect when they uncorked a bottle. The day after I mailed that brochure, people showed up at the shop, and that is how these little propaganda pieces for fine wine were born.—Kermit Lynch

Read the whole story

Discount Eligible $35.00
AT CART MAX