There are wine releases, and then there are the bottles that make you want to know the story behind what you’re drinking. San Felice’s Vitiarium collection falls into the second camp. The historic Chianti Classico producer has introduced four wines that blend old-school Tuscan winemaking with a cleaner, more contemporary point of view, and the whole thing feels made for people who care as much about what’s on the table as what’s in the glass.
The Story Goes Deeper Than the Label
Vitiarium takes its name from San Felice’s experimental vineyard project, created to study and preserve Tuscan grape varieties that were in danger of disappearing. The estate has been working with the Universities of Florence and Pisa on this research since the 1980s, and that work helped bring attention back to grapes like Pugnitello, which now appears throughout the new collection.
The lineup includes Borgo Chianti Classico DOCG, La Pieve Chianti Classico Gran Selezione, Pugnitello Toscana IGT, and In Avane Chardonnay Toscana IGT, giving you everything from classic Chianti to a more unexpected indigenous red and a Tuscan white.
Start With Borgo
If you’re looking for the easiest introduction, Borgo Chianti Classico 2023 is the move. Made from Sangiovese and Pugnitello, it’s fresh, floral, fruit-forward, and balanced, with sweet tannins and enough structure to hold its own at dinner.
And if this bottle makes you want the full Tuscan experience, San Felice also has a five-star Relais & Châteaux resort on the estate, plus the Michelin-starred Poggio Rosso restaurant. In other words, this is one of those wines that can easily turn into a travel plan.
