The heart of Chianti is the Classico zone, home to the region’s best producers. Zoom in further and you’ll find no less than eleven different sub-zones, each producing wines with distinct qualities. If you’re a fan of Sangiovese in its purest, most elegant form, one area stands out from the rest - Radda. And it’s in Radda, among a thriving artisanal wine scene, that Roberto Bianchi of Val delle Corti crafts his ethereal, elegant, and energising Chianti.
Rewind to the 1990s and Radda’s higher altitude vineyards, interspersed with woods, olive groves and cypress trees, were considered too cool to make the full-bodied style then in fashion. In some years, the Val delle Corti fruit would struggle to ripen. But tastes have changed, and so has the climate. Now elegance is a strong point, and hotter average temperatures mean consistent ripeness. At the same time, Radda has become a hotbed of organic farming and enlightened, traditional winemaking. If you’re after purity, quality, and excitement in Chianti, it’s the place to be.
Roberto Bianchi has been a central figure in Radda’s rise, and his Val delle Corti wines encapsulate the area’s trademark style. While estates lower down now struggle to control alcohol levels, these high altitude, east-facing vineyards deliver perfect balance. Organic farming, wild yeast fermentations, and traditional winemaking methods result in Sangiovese at its most Burgundian - with crystal clear strawberry and cherry flavours, fine, powdery tannins and a streak of freshness. They are true, terroir-driven wines - beautifully crafted expressions of this very particular part of Chianti.
