This 95-Point, $42.99 Red is Chianti Classico at its Greatest!
This one kicked us back in our seat. We would have gotten it to you sooner, but our importer admitted he hadn’t shown it to us yet because he was drinking a significant portion of the imported quantity at home! Upon sticking our nose in the glass, we understand his sentiments precisely.
Wine Spectator's 95-Point assessment is in no way surprising. Nor is our own 94+ Point score. Piero Lanza's 2021 Bugialla is rare air for Chianti Classico. Rather than the $68 quoted by Wine Spectator, we bring it to you for a 37% better price that blows away every listing in the nation!
And, while on the topic of obscenely irresistible Italian reds, we announce today that THE Vin Chicago favorite is back. Believe it or not, this is our 19th straight vintage of Ghiomo “Lavai” Barbera d’Alba. In 2024, Giuseppino's wine is radiant, silky, vibrant and, as always, it is delicious.
Snag both of these beauties today with the Big Green Button. If you love these kind of wines and want to meet the authentically Italian importer who brings them to us, also sign up for tomorrow's Italy Night in Highland Park!
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2021 Poggerino “Bugialla” Chianti Classico Riserva
Tuscany, Italy
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From an organically-farmed vineyard planted in 1973, this is a startlingly good bottle of Chianti Classico.
Piero’s winemaking is classic. Indigenous yeast fermentation and initial élevage occur in concrete tank over the course of 55 days before tranfer to 2500 hectoliter Slavonian oak casks where the wine further develops for 18 months before being allowed to rest in bottle for an additional year prior to leaving the winery.
The 2021 Bugialla is a stunning wine that can hang with wines from Chianti and Montalcino at twice the price. There is a harmony and ethereal quality that exists within this wine, and we find it difficult to convey just how good it is!
“This juicy red delivers raspberry, cherry, pomegranate, underbrush, iron and rose hip aromas and flavors. Firm, powdery tannins and lively acidity take over by the finish, keeping this well-defined and long. Best from 2026 through 2042. 850 cases made, 425 cases imported.”
- 95 Points, Wine Spectator (10/15/2024)
“A saturated red color, the 2021 Chianti Classico Riserva Vigna Bugialla is expressive on the nose with aromas of preserved red cherries, roses, forest floor, and sage. The palate is elegantly structured, with ripe tannins, refreshing acidity, and balanced ripeness with a compact medium frame. It only improves as it opens and comes into focus with some air. Drink 2025-2037. Compared to the 2020, this 2021 has a leg up in terms of clarity and aging potential, and it has more focus and purity throughout.
- 94 Points, Jeb Dunnuck (10/20/2025)
“The 2021 Chianti Classico Riserva Bugialla is another superb offering from Poggerino. Dark, virile and strapping in nature, the 2021 is a big, dramatic wine. Macerated black cherry, licorice, dried herbs, lavender and spice are all amplified in the glass. The 2021 spent two years in cask, all of which it needed. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2036.”
- 94 Points, Vinous - Antonio Galloni (6/2024)
Wine Spectator quotes $68 for this superstar. The only two online listings we could find are both $64. Our price blows that all away. It is simply fantastic that this kind of quality and value still exists!
Vin Chicago Price: 42.99
2024 Ghiomo "Lavai" Barbera d’Alba
Piedmont, Italy
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With Vin Chicago customers snapping up roughly a quarter of the annual production of this wine, there has been no need for Giuseppino to submit Lavai to the press for review. For that we are thankful, at it keeps this great secret quiet from the rest of the wine world!
Giuseppino Anfossi harnesses the full scope of Barbera wonderfulness and projects it through the lens of each vintage. His 2024 is a particularly silky iteration that is pretty, clean and pristine. If you look up “charming” in the dictionary, you might just find a bottle of 2024 Lavai.
We found fresh red berries, cherry preserves, red poppies, menthol, fresh basil and a clay-soil complexity. Racy, invigorating and perfect for the dinner table, it’ll gulp down with some salumi or, dare we say, substitute as a more charismatic stand-in for Pinot Noir? With almost no tannin to speak of, the level of sleek structural finesse and ease of drinking showcased in this crystal clean bottling is awesome.
On the Vin Chicago scale this is 91 points and, when it comes to versatility, value and smiles-per-mile, it may as well be 100.
Vin Chicago Price: 19.99
