Marchese Antinori Chianti Classico Riserva 2021 Review

There are some cracking wines out there, its just a shame that you have to look for so long to find them as is the amount of rubbish that the supermarkets have you wading through.

Then there are wines like this, where the more time you spend with them, the more they reveal.

The Antinori Marchese Antinori Chianti Classico Riserva 2021 is a cracker!

This is not a loud wine. It doesn’t try to overwhelm you with fruit or oak from the first sip. Instead, it slowly unfolds, and by the end of the evening I realised I was drinking one of the most complete Italian wines I’ve had in a long time.

On the Nose

Straight away, the nose gives you concentrated cherry, but it’s refined rather than jammy. There’s depth here, but also restraint. As it opened up, cedar notes started to appear alongside a savoury edge that instantly made it feel serious.

In the glass, the fruit became more muted and layered. The cherry moved into something darker and more savoury, backed up by earthy notes and an umami richness that reminded me why top Italian wines can be so captivating.

This is where the wine really separates itself from simpler styles. It isn’t relying on pure fruit intensity. It’s built around balance, structure and length.

Structure Over Power

The tannins were definitely present, especially early on. There’s grip here, but it’s fine and controlled rather than aggressive. If anything, the structure tells you this wine still has plenty of life ahead of it.

At times it actually felt youthful, almost like the wine was holding something back. That’s not a criticism either. It’s part of the appeal.

The acidity keeps everything fresh, while the finish just keeps evolving long after you swallow. That lingering savoury note is what really stood out to me. It’s the sort of length that makes you immediately recognise you’re drinking something a level above everyday wine.

The Lamb Pairing Changed Everything

This wine came alive with food.

I paired it with lamb chops and suddenly everything clicked into place. The tannins softened beautifully, the fruit lifted, and the savoury complexity became even more expressive.

With the lamb, the wine felt complete.

That’s one of the things I love most about wines from Chianti Classico. They’re not always designed to impress on the first sip. They’re built for the table and this absolutely proved that point.

Final Thoughts

The Marchese Antinori Chianti Classico Riserva 2021 feels like a wine that rewards patience.

It’s elegant rather than flashy, savoury rather than fruit-driven, and the quality really shows itself in the length and overall balance. There’s a maturity to the winemaking that makes every part feel intentional.

More than anything though, this wine helped me understand something I’ve been trying to describe for a while now.

That high end flavour in great wine isn’t necessarily about power or concentration.

It’s about evolution, texture, savoury complexity and the way the wine lingers long after the sip has finished.

And this bottle delivered all of that beautifully.