When Giuseppe and Sarah Sesti moved to Tuscany in the 1970s, they settled not in Florence or Siena, but among the abandoned ruins of the medieval Castello di Argiano outside of sleepy Montalcino at the region’s southern end. In the half-century since, they have restored the castle and overgrown land, reviving this magnificent estate in all its glory and turning it into one of the most respected sources of Brunello di Montalcino.
     It might be hard to understand how this stunning hillside castle and the surrounding woodland could have fallen into such neglect, but its prior abandonment turned out to be a blessing in disguise: the slopes Giuseppe and Sarah eventually planted to vines were home to a relatively untouched and thriving ecosystem, rich with native plant and animal life. And fortunately for the health of the soil and ecosystem, they were exactly the right people to take over this corner of paradise. Giuseppe’s background as an astronomer gave him a naturalist bent and a healthy skepticism of chemical treatment in the vines. It also allowed him to apply his knowledge of the moon’s influence on living things to his vineyard management and practices in the cellar—a methodology that is increasingly common today. This 2018 Brunello di Montalcino stands as a gorgeous testament to the Sesti family’s half-century of stewardship of this land. Ample, deep, and succulent, this enthralling Brunello is already highly rewarding.

Castagnoli sits at the top of a hill looking down on row upon row of terraced Sangiovese vines, forests, and rolling hills as far as the eye can see. Beneath your feet, you’ll find a special, highly decomposed stone, known locally as galestro, which imparts an unusually refined, high-toned, and mineral character to the wines. There is so much to love about this small estate halfway between Florence and Siena, and you’d be hard-pressed to find a more elegant introduction to Chianti Classico.

Aged for roughly a year longer than most Chianti Classico, this Riserva from the iconic Villa di Geggiano shows impressive finesse and luminous freshness, along with density and structure. While many Classicos make beautiful pairings for vegetarian dishes like a creamy pasta filled with wild mushrooms, this bottling merits being opened the next time you prepare your favorite cut of beef.