I just purchased a 2021 Castellare di Castellina Chianti Classico that I do not really like. The fruit is a little too strong and the wine seems to lack balance and harmony. I am curious if it is just a matter of my not liking a specific producer or if the wine would benefit from aging. For instance, I have a 2018 Fonterutoli Chianti Classico that I love.
p.s. to be clear, these are Chianti Classico wines and NOT Chianti Classico Riservas.
producer dependent, resounding yes.
This was touched on in this thread:
Not speaking in general about Chianti but only on the specific wine you mention, I generally am nervous about aging any wine from anywhere that lacks balance and harmony.
For traditional producers and good vintages , Chianti can be on of the longest aging wines. 1997 isn’t old for Chianti.
1997 is not too old for a Classico? With respect to the Castellare di castellina, I felt the fruit was a little too ripe ….
Eric Dinnocenzo
1997 was a warm, ripe year.
FYI, I bought some '18 Felsina Berardenga Chianti Classico (non-reserva) that went through a very awkward period in 2021 and 2022, but it has emerged and is showing very well now.
Eric. Both of the wines are favorites of mine. Although very different in style. The 2021 Castellare has received great reviews from Antonio Galloni and Tim Heaton. I am still drinking the 2020, which I love. I believe the style is less earthy and more floral than other Chiantis like Fonterutoli.
Combine this with the difference in vintages. 2018 is a vintage I love, medium fruit, earthy and tannic, in most cases. The consensus on 2021 seems to be both early drinking with strong aging potential. I have already bought Castellina di Castellare and Poggerino, but have yet to open a single 21.
Full disclosure the Castellare label is my all time favorite. The wines tend to get more serious at the Riserva level I have heard.
My opinion is aging may not change the 2021 enough for you to love.
I agree. We were in Rome in 2009 and we had some Chiantis from the late 1970s and early 1980s that were astoundingly good.
I don’t think age is an issue as CC’s definitely age well, it is you don’t like that much ripe fruit.
Many CCs can benefit from aging, but it depends on the specific wine. The CC / CCR distinction often isn’t that meaningful when comparing different producers, and has more value for comparing the wines of the same producer. There are plenty of CCRs out there which are less “serious” and less suited for aging than CCs from other producers. In fact, there are CCs I consider more structured and serious than lesser producers’ Gran Selezione. Castell’in Villa and Felsina CCs can both benefit from some age and may need it in some vintages.
I’ve had the '21 Castellare CC twice and thought it was excellent. I didn’t find it too ripe at all or too fruity, but wines that young can show precociously. On CT some notes suggest a forward wine while the most recent uses the words lean and herbal. I find Castellare more red fruited and floral (as mentioned above) than some CC styles. In this case I don’t think the wine needs age to deal with ripeness, but it may benefit from time in the bottle to settle down, for the fruit to integrate a bit.
Also Monsanto, Fontodi and Isole e Olena in this camp.
I agree, except that I don’t know if I’ve ever had Monsanto’s CC, just their CCR and Il Poggio. I’m currently on the '15 Monsanto CCR with '16 and '17 in the pipeline. A producer whose CCR definitely needs a few years IMO. Price increases have been a bit aggressive in the past few years, however, and while still a good value it has encouraged me to broaden my perspective.
Good shout on Fontodi and Isole e Olena.
Ahh just realized Monsanto CC is not imported to the US! Had it a couple times in Italy! Tightly wound and more serious than many of the CCRs that I had. Check out Tim Heaton’s CT note on the 2018.
I remember seeing it listed for sale years ago. Would definitely give it a try if available.
This, so much this.
A 1986 San Giusto a Rentenanno
CC was still very fresh two years ago. 1986? Pre-Luca!
So, obv not just the lauded vintages. It left me scratching my head in the best of ways and suggested another decade+ at a high-level. FWIW
The '16 Monsanto CCR was kind of shrill on release in 2020 – the acid was really really in the foreground, without much offsetting fruit, and the wine wasn’t that enjoyable. But two years later, it had fleshed out and showed more fruit and was elegant and delicious.
Great to see your health is back and you’re posting again. 
If you ever find yourself in Florence, I suggest visiting Enoteca Pitti Gola (maybe for a lunch before visiting the Pitti Palace) and do a flight of their aged CCs. It won’t set you back much but will be a revelation in the aging curves of relatively “anonymous” Chiantis.