Same grape, same corner of Tuscany, two very different wines.
Both wines are built on Sangiovese, Tuscany’s signature red grape — which is exactly why they’re so often compared, and so easy to mix up if you’re new to the region.
Made from a minimum of 80% Sangiovese, with other approved varieties filling out the blend — sometimes including Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot at estates influenced by the Super Tuscan movement. It’s typically released relatively young, with Riserva bottlings aged longer. Look for the Gallo Nero (black rooster) seal on the neck.
Made from 100% Sangiovese (locally called Sangiovese Grosso), and required to age significantly longer before release than Chianti Classico — several years, partly in oak — producing a bigger, more age-worthy wine. Biondi-Santi, on our map in Montalcino, is historically credited as the estate that established Brunello as a wine in its own right in the 19th century. Castello Banfi, on Montalcino’s southern slopes, is the easiest Brunello estate to visit — public tours run Monday to Saturday, with a wine shop, restaurants and a hotel in the castle hamlet.
Short on time, stick to Chianti Classico — Antinori, Castello di Ama, Ricasoli’s Castello di Brolio, Fontodi and Castello di Volpaia all sit within about an hour of Florence. Montalcino is further south and, honestly, deserves a dedicated stop rather than a rushed add-on to a Chianti day.