The 2022 Pèppoli Chianti Classico by Marchesi Antinori offers standout value and classic Tuscan charm. Made mostly from Sangiovese, it bursts with crunchy cherry, dark berries, orange peel, and a hint of flint. With its medium-light body, crisp acidity, and a touch of oak, it’s vibrant, food-friendly, and approachable now. Bright, fresh, and full of character, it’s an excellent everyday red from one of Italy’s most respected producers.

Jamessuckling.com | JS 93
Published: Aug 15, 2024

This is a wonderful value, with crunchy cherry and dark fruit, as well as orange peel and a hint of flint. Medium to light body, crisp acidity and brightness on the palate. Real Tuscan character. Drink and enjoy.

Decanter | D 90
Published: Jul 30, 2024
Drink: 2024-2028

Located just a few kilometres from the Tenuta Tignanello estate, Pèppoli has been owned by the Antinori family since 1985. This Chianti Classico is a blend of Sangiovese with complementary varieties, vinified separately in stainless steel then aged in large Slavonian oak barrels, with a small percentage in barriques and stainless steel vats. From a hot and dry year, it combines ripe, dark berries with fresh and dried herb aromas. The fruit is concentrated and plump, although the wood sticks out a bit at this stage. Acidity is good, coming in as menthol freshness on the cheeks. Considering production is just shy of one million bottles, quality is impressive.
Closure: Cork
Alcohol: 13.50%
Body: Medium
Oak: Lightly Oaked
Grapes: 80% Sangiovese

The Wine Advocate | RP 89
Published: Mar 21, 2024
Date: 2024-2027

This wine is like that adoring pesky little sibling who always manages to offer levity and good cheer. The Marchesi Antinori 2022 Chianti Classico Pèppoli offers an evergreen taste profile that features Sangiovese under an almost Pinot Noir-like spotlight. The wine is bright and pretty with Rainier cherry, orange peel, violet and earth. If you really want to push those buttons, you could interpret Pèppoli as the equivalent of a Langhe Nebbiolo or a good Valpolicella.

Marchesi Antinori General Manager Renzo Cotarella tells me that 2021 is the best vintage he has ever overseen. Ever. He prefers it to recent classics like 2016 and 2010. There was frost in the spring, and the growing cycle was very long. This is something that most grapes, and especially Sangiovese, need in order to exhibit aromatic depth and flavor complexity. "This is an exceptional year," he says, citing the inner energy certainly exhibited by the wines from 2021.

I agree, mostly, but not unequivocally. I love the precision and tension inherent to these wines, but I didn't encounter that same breathless vertical lift and linearity that I remember so well in 2016, for example. That was a vintage that managed to effortlessly balance both power and elegance, which is by no means an easy feat. To me, 2021 has the elegance but not the same piercing power that you only get in cooler vintages when sugar and phenolic ripening line up seamlessly. So, while I love these wines, especially the Chianti Classico Riserva Marchese Antinori and the outstanding Tignanello, my money is still on 2016 as the better vintage, speaking generally. But zoom in on one wine and my money is on the 2021 Tignanello over everything else.