Monteraponi, Chianti Classico Riserva “Il Campitello”

Anyone who thinks the greatest examples of Tuscan Sangiovese must (a) hail from Montalcino and (b) cost hundreds of dollars a bottle has not yet been acquainted with today’s wine. I’ll put it as plainly as I can: Monteraponi’s “Il Campitello,” a Chianti Classico Riserva from a single vineyard in the village of Radda, is one of the greatest, most cellar-worthy Tuscan reds on the market right now. Much like its celebrated neighbor across the valley, Montevertine, Monteraponi is there to remind everyone how exceptional the wines of Chianti Classico can be—and, unlike Montevertine, which long ago abandoned the use of the Chianti Classico DOCG designation on its labels, Monteraponi still proudly flies the flag. As I’ve said before, I always feel compelled to litigate the case for Chianti wine every time a transcendent bottle like this one comes my way: I keep thinking, perhaps mistakenly, that people think of Chianti Classico as a place for tart, cheap red wine bottled in straw-covered flas