£9.99, Co-op
It speaks volumes both about the quality of this wine and the quality of the producers from which the Co-op sources its wines that the other retailer of a Chianti Classico produced by Bibbiano is Berry Bros & Rudd. Wine merchants don’t come with greater pedigree or authority than Berry Bros of London St James’s. The Co-op, in contrast, is a retailer to the masses, with 2,800 stores at the price-conscious end of the market. But the Co-op’s wine buyers care about the quality of what they put on the shelves in a way that some other big supermarkets, endlessly trading down and cutting corners, don’t appear to do. Well done, Coop. As for its Bibbiano Chianti, it’s a classic, polished Chianti Classico, with perfumed cherry, pomegranate and spice flavours, a hint of herbs, a soft texture, then a characteristic dry finish. It’s perfect now, but could be kept in cool, dark cellar conditions for five years, and it’s red meat, duck and game-friendly, but you could easily drink it with a pizza or tomatoey pasta.
Bibbiano di Fattoria Chianti Classico 2014, Tuscany, Italy
£9.99, Co-op; Berry Bros & Rudd's 2012 Bibbiano Chianti Classico is £14.95