Andrea Bianchi Bandinelli’s son Gregorio now lives full-time on their family property near Siena, and his constant watchful eye over the property has only improved their authentic “farmhouse” Chiantis. You will be hard-pressed to find a more “classic” rendition of this storied wine, with over a thousand years of robust history. Geggiano is located in the subzone around Castelnuovo Berardenga in the south, which sports rich clay soils and delivers powerful, age-worthy Chianti. Their impressive 2017 is dark, full throttle, and virile, with a bright, deep, juicy palate followed by an earthy, baked terra cotta and rosemary-infused finish that transports you immediately to Tuscany. As good as it is now, this wine has a very long future ahead of it—I recommend buying a case so that you can enjoy it young and let some traverse the decades.

I have tasted this wine three times—in 2019, 2021, and 2022—and somehow managed to pen the exact same tasting note every time, so it must be leaving a consistent impression on me. The note describes an aroma that reminds me of bistecca alla fiorentina, the famous Florentine bone-in cut of beef, along with porcini mushroom. When I lived in Florence in 1998, a restaurant there served steak with a freshly foraged and perfectly cooked porcini mushroom cap on top—a memorable experience. This wild and pleasantly rustic Chianti comes from a small parcel, surrounded by forest, farmed organically by the Lapini family near Greve in the northern hills of Chianti. It is delicious to drink now.