2021 Tuscany Vintage

The 2021 season read differently from one denomination to the next. In Chianti Classico the weather was quite regular: spring rains gave good foliage growth and abundant water for the drier summer, and the only spring event was slightly delayed bud development in the cooler areas after a few days of below average temperatures after Easter. Montepulciano had a decidedly out of the ordinary year, with particularly low minimum temperatures in March and above all April. On the night of 7 to 8 April, temperatures stayed below zero for many hours and reached -7 C on the valley floors, causing problems at budburst. Budbreak there ran from 28 March to 27 April and flowering from 2 to 15 June. In Montalcino, the April frosts affected the lower areas. The summer was dry. Chianti Classico had only sporadic rain in August, with spring reserves keeping the vines from suffering drought, and summer temperatures generally within the norm without excessive heatwaves. Montepulciano's rainfall for the year totaled 510 mm, about 25 percent below the zone's average. In Montalcino the summer was hot though not torrid, and Decanter's Michaela Morris called the lack of rain second only to 2003; mid-August rainstorms brought relief. From late August in Chianti Classico, hot days and much cooler nights brought the fruit to full ripeness. Veraison in Montepulciano ran from 27 July to 26 August, and the harvest there from mid-September to early October. In Chianti Classico the Sangiovese harvest began around 20 September and ended about a month later, in line with recent years. First estimates put the Montalcino crop at least 15 percent below 2020.

• Montepulciano, 7 to 8 April: frost down to -7 C on the valley floors, with up to 50 percent of nascent buds damaged

Chianti Classico: at Rocca delle Macie, a very cold, rather rainy winter protected water reserves through a fairly hot, very dry summer. At Montevertine in Radda, Martino Manetti lost 15 percent of the grapes against 2020 after the April frost, with no rain from June to September, peaks of 40 degrees in Radda in August, and powerful downpours in September. Montalcino: Consorzio director Michele Fontana called the harvest slightly below average, saying what was lost in quantity was made up for in truly high quality; warm weather with some August rain allowed a delayed ripening period in some areas. Early April frost caused losses upwards of 50 percent in some pockets, while for luckier growers it served as a natural green harvest. Montepulciano: Poliziano's Maria Stella Carletti said it did not rain at all after March, while consorzio data show less than 100 mm fell between budbreak and harvest. Poliziano had one week in July at 38 to 39 C, and the harvest was relatively early, in the second half of September. Bolgheri: Masseto director Axel Heinz credits blue clay that held water deep in the soil through the summer drought, and sea breezes that sheltered the vines from spring frost; the harvest ran from 30 August to 28 September without a drop of rain.

• Chianti Classico: a quite regular year overall, with producers reporting April frost and a hot, dry summer

The Consorzio Vino Nobile chose in 2022 to wait until the vintage reached the market before scoring it, and at the February 2024 Anteprima it rated 2021 at 4.5 stars out of 5. In the Consorzio's own assessment the wines are deeply colored, with intense aromas of ripe fruit and notable structure from abundant tannin and good acidity, and analytically high in color, alcohol, extract and total polyphenols, with medium acidity and pH. In Montalcino, Consorzio president Fabrizio Bindocci called the 2021 Brunello, "It is an excellent wine, I would say perfect" (translated), adding that every producer recorded a drop in production but all agreed on the very high quality, which the analytical data confirmed. Decanter's Morris found the 2021 Brunellos intense and characterful, with surprising balance and solid aging potential, and suggested a window of 10 to 15-plus years. For Vino Nobile, she found resolute tannins with many wines near 14.5 percent alcohol, and judged that they need a couple of years in the cellar and will be best over the following eight or so years. Not everyone called it historic: Tommaso Squarcia of Castello Tricerchi told Decanter, "It is good, but not legendary."

In Montalcino, Decanter's Morris picked out Canalicchio di Sopra, Le Chiuse, Le Potazzine, Poggio di Sotto and Salvioni as shining in 2021, and placed Le Ragnaie's Casanovina Montosoli and Pieve Santa Restituta's Sugarille in the running with Il Marroneto's classic Brunello for the top wine of the vintage. Canalicchio di Sopra picked its Vigna Montosoli, the first of its Brunellos, on 22 September. Argiano's Bernardino Sani declared, "2021 has the precision of 2016 with the concentration of 2019." In Montepulciano, Tenuta di Gracciano della Seta and Poliziano's Asinone shine in different styles, with the elegance of Boscarelli and the succulence of Tenuta Trerose also singled out.

By March 2022, more than 40 Vino Nobile estates had selected a lot from the 2021 harvest intended to become Pieve, a label mention tied to 12 zones defined as additional geographic units (UGA) and drawn from the area's ancient parish divisions; the Consorzio was awaiting final approval from the agriculture ministry's wine committee. Decanter wrote in June 2024 that the Pieve category, at the top of Vino Nobile's quality pyramid, would debut with the 2021 vintage the following year. In Montalcino, as of February 2026, changes include an increased allowance for Rosso di Montalcino production, the abolishment of the consorzio's five-star rating system for Brunello, and a first-ever consorzio-led vineyard map of every plot, backed by more weather stations.

• Pieve: more than 40 estates set aside 2021 lots; 12 UGA zones to carry the Pieve mention on the label
• Pieve: due to debut with the 2021 vintage, at the top of Vino Nobile's quality pyramid, as of June 2024
• Brunello: the consorzio's five-star rating system has been abolished
• Montalcino: first-ever vineyard map of every plot, with more weather stations