San Giorgio a Lapi, Bandecca Chianti Classico Riserva, 2021
San Giorgio a Lapi, Bandecca Chianti Classico Riserva, 2021
- 75cl
- 14%
- Red Still
- Sangiovese, Canaiolo
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Optimal drinking window: 2026 - 2035
San Giorgio a Lapi sits in the hills to the north-east of Siena, and this Bandecca Riserva is their most serious statement: a Chianti Classico built around Sangiovese's natural gifts of high acidity, grippy tannin, and a savoury, iron-edged character that makes it one of Italy's great food wines.
The 2021 vintage was excellent across Chianti Classico: warm and dry enough for concentration, cool enough for freshness. Think tart cherry, dried herbs, a whisper of leather and dark spice, and a finish that doesn't let go.
Whether you're pairing it with a classic bistecca alla fiorentina, a hearty pasta dish, or just enjoying a glass on its own, this Chianti Classico Riserva has heaps of Tuscan charm.
Right now the wine is in an interesting middle phase — the primary fruit is still bright but the structure is beginning to integrate, and there's real pleasure to be had at the table in 2026. Over the next two or three years the tannins will continue to soften and secondary notes of dried fig, leather, and earth will push forward more confidently. We'd expect it to hold well until 2035.
Tasting Notes
AppearanceDeep ruby with a garnet rim and good clarity — still youthful for a 2021.
NoseSour cherry, dried rose petal, and iron lead the way, with dark spice and a faint earthiness underneath — the kind of smell that already tells you this wine means business. A little air opens up some leather and dried tobacco leaf.
PalateFirm, structured Sangiovese with real grip: the tannins are ripe but purposeful, and the acidity cuts clean through the mid-palate. Flavours of cherry, black olive, and dried herbs, with a mineral, almost saline edge that keeps everything focused.
FinishLong and savoury, with iron and dried herb lingering well past the last sip.
Overall impressionA classically built Riserva that rewards the table and rewards patience in roughly equal measure.
Food Pairings
In Siena, this is exactly the wine you'd pour with bistecca alla fiorentina — a thick-cut T-bone over charcoal, barely seasoned, the fat and char needing something with genuine tannic backbone to stand up to it. Equally at home with wild boar ragu on pappardelle, the richness of the meat pulling the wine's savoury edges into focus. Pecorino stagionato, the aged sheep's milk cheese of the region, is a natural partner: salty, crumbly, and unapologetically bold. A slow-roasted Cinta Senese pork shoulder, the heritage breed prized across Tuscany, would be another excellent call.
We think this wine would go well with
Serve at 17-18°C — too warm and the alcohol flattens the acidity that makes this wine sing. Decanting is worthwhile: 45 minutes to an hour will soften the edges and let the nose open properly. A large-bowled Burgundy-style glass works well, giving the aromatics room to develop without dispersing too quickly.
The vineyards around Lapi sit at moderate altitude in the Sienese hills, where galestro — the crumbly, schist-like limestone stone that defines the best Chianti Classico soils — combines with alberese clay to give wines their characteristic mineral bite and firm backbone. The elevation brings cool nights that preserve acidity in Sangiovese, which struggles in warmer, flatter ground. The 2021 growing season delivered a long, dry summer followed by well-timed rain in August, producing grapes with good concentration and natural freshness.
Chianti Classico Riserva is a step up from the standard Classico, requiring a minimum of 24 months' ageing including at least three months in bottle, which in practice means the wines see more oak and more time before release. The Classico zone — the historic heartland between Florence and Siena — is distinct from the broader Chianti appellation: stricter yields, higher minimum Sangiovese content, and soils that genuinely shape the wine's character rather than just its postcode. Riserva wines from good producers and good vintages are some of the most age-worthy expressions of Sangiovese you can find at a reasonable price.
FAQs
What does this wine taste like?
This is classic, structured Chianti Classico: sour cherry, dried herbs, iron, and dark spice with firm tannins and a clean, savoury finish. It has the kind of grip and acidity that make it a natural partner for food rather than solo drinking.
When should I drink it?
It is approachable now, particularly with a good 45-minute decant. The best drinking window is probably 2029 until 2035, when the tannins will have softened and the secondary complexity will have filled in.
What food should I serve with it?
Think Tuscan and think bold: bistecca alla fiorentina, wild boar ragu on pappardelle, slow-roasted pork, or aged Pecorino. The firm tannins and high acidity cut through fat and richness brilliantly. Avoid anything too delicate — this wine will overwhelm it.
How should I serve it?
At 17-18°C, in a large-bowled glass, with a 45-minute decant. The wine opens up considerably with air and can be a little closed straight from the bottle, particularly if it has been stored for some time.
Is this a well-known producer?
San Giorgio a Lapi is a small, quietly run Sienese estate rather than a marquee name — which in our experience usually means the quality-to-price ratio is solidly in the buyer's favour. The Bandecca Riserva is their flagship red, and the 2021 vintage gives it an excellent foundation to work from.
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