The Global Masters conducts monthly competitions featuring varietal wines from throughout the world. Experienced judges from the wine trade and with advanced degrees judge the wines blind. Scores are tallied and results issued. We’ve reported here before on Merlot, Chenin Blanc, and Pinot Noir Masters. Here are the latest stars from the Sangiovese Masters.
For background, the Sangiovese grape is the most cultivated red grape variety in Italy, known all over the world for the production of fine Chianti Classico, Brunello di Montalcino, and Super Tuscan wines. The Italian Finest Wines site provides these characteristics:
COLOR: a ruby color characterized by a slight transparency that tends to garnet with aging. Depending on the soil, the climate where it is grown, or the possible aging in wood, the color of Sangiovese can be more or less intense.
AROMAS: recognizable floral notes of violet and iris that mix with juicy red fruit (cherry, black cherry, raspberries), but also blood orange; spicy scents of black pepper; or hints of undergrowth, reminiscent of humus, fern, musk, and thyme. If aged in wood, more or less marked tertiary notes of vanilla, coffee, tobacco, chocolate, or leather will be added, depending on the wood used.
TASTE: on the palate, the Sangiovese wine is enveloping, warm and full-bodied, with a marked acidity and an important tannic structure, which sometimes, if unripe, can be astringent. It has a richness and a long and intense persistence.
Banfi Chianti Classic
Fine Aging Potential
As the judges discovered in the 2025 Global Sangiovese Masters, with the right clones and careful vine-growing and winemaking, this grape variety can provide wonderful expressions. The Masters judges noted that the moderate acidity and good tannic structure make Sangiovese a wine with an extraordinary aging power.
“Sometimes the varietal impetuousness of tannin and acidity can lead to gustatory imbalances, which is why it is often resorted to blending Sangiovese wine with other varieties capable of softening its character,” the judges noted. The Super Tuscan and IGT blends include Merlot, Cabernet, and Syrah, or with native varieties such as Canaiolo, Colorino, and Pugnitello.
The results included 16 Gold medals and three Masters singled out from 50 winning wines. The majority were from Tuscany, with a couple from Romagna and a few from elsewhere in Europe and globally, including Australia and the Americas.
Excellent Values
The judges found strong winners in the £20–£30 range from Chianti and the other zones of Tuscany. “Banfi’s Poggio alle Mura Rosso di Montalcino and Villa Saletta’s Chiave di Saletta both showed depth and complexity, and exhibited excellent value for money,” they noted.
Higher-rated wines appeared in the £30–£50 price bracket: Chianti Classico Riserva and Santa Caterina Chianti Classico Gran Selezione from Castello di Albola, and Tenuta Piccini’s Brunello, realized Gold medals. “Banfi’s classy Poggio alle Mura Brunello was honored as a Master,” they reported. “Above £50 included sensational wines from Chianti and Brunello di Montalcino, and a few Super-Tuscans too.”
“At the apex of this year’s competition, our Grand Master was San Felice’s Poggio Rosso Chianti Classico Gran Selezione, an ethereal wine with great balance, complexity and length,” the judges wrote. They praised two of the largest producers, Ruffino and Banfi, for making wines that achieve the heights of Gold and Master medals just as often as the small, artisanal producers.
Check for all winners on the Masters site. Here are the Gold and Master winners in Pounds Sterling (USD $1.36 as of Aug. 16, 2025):
Red Oaked 100% Sangiovese
Gold £15-£20: Poderi dal Nespoli, Il Nespoli, Emilia-Romagna, Italy, 2021.
Gold £20-£30: Cantina Vignaioli del Morellino di Scansano, Roggiano Riserva Morellino di Scansano Riserva DOCG, Tuscany, Italy, 2022; Banfi, Poggio alle Mura Rosso di Montalcino, DOCG Tuscany, Italy, 2022.
Master £30-£50: Banfi, Poggio alle Mura Brunello di Montalcino DOCG, Tuscany, Italy, 2020
Gold £30-£50: Piccini 1882, Brunello di Montalcino DOCG, Tuscany, Italy, 2020; Castello di Albola, Chianti Classico DOCG, Riserva, Toscana, Italy, 2022; Castello di Albola, Santa Caterina Chianti Classico Gran Selezione DOCG, Tuscany, Italy, 2021.
Grand Master £50-£70: San Felice Toscana AD 714, Poggio Rosso Chianti Classico Gran Selezione DOCG, Tuscany, Italy, 2020.
Gold £50-£70: Fattoria Villa Saletta, Saletta Riccardi, Tuscany, Italy, 2020; Castello di Meleto, Vigna Casi Chianti Classico Gran Selezione DOCG, Tuscany, Italy, 2020; Banfi, Vigna Marrucheto Brunello di Montalcino DOCG, Tuscany, Italy, 2020; Castello di Albola, Il Solatio Chianti Classico DOCG Gran Selezione, Tuscany, Italy, 2021; Banfi, Castello Banfi Brunello di Montalcino DOCG, Tuscany, Italy, 2020; San Felice Toscana AD 714, Campogiovanni Brunello Di Montalcino DOCG, Tuscany, Italy, 2020.
Gold £70-£100: Castello di Radda, Chianti Classico DOCG Gran Selezione Radda Vigna Il Corno, Tuscany, Italy, 2019; Argiano, Brunello di Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy, 2020; Banfi, Poggio alle Mura Brunello di Montalcino DOCG Riserva, Tuscany, Italy, 2019.
Gold £100+: Tenuta Sette Ponti, Vigna dell’Impero, Tuscany, Italy, 2019.
Red Oaked Sangiovese Blend
Master £70-£100: Ruffino, Romitorio di Santedame, Tuscany, Italy, 2022.
