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Artisan.Wine
· The Lowest Price in California
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Back-vintage gem · final stock · drinks now through 2045.
Order Your Case → $395.64 / 12
$32.97 per bottle · release price $45 · save $145 per case vs. release
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★ WS #14 Top 100 of 2025 · 1 of Only 22 Riservas EVER Rated 95 · Case Math Inside ★
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Wine Spectator #14 of 2025 · The Highest-Rated 2019 Riserva
One of only 22 Chianti Riservas
ever rated 95 points by Wine Spectator.
A case is $395.64
The same scoring tier elsewhere — $900 to $1,800 per case.
In 38 years of Wine Spectator's Top 100, only 22 Chianti Classico Riservas have ever cracked the magic 95-point ceiling. The 2019 Viticcio is one of them — #14 on the 2025 list, the highest-rated Riserva of the entire 2019 vintage. Four major critics agree (WS 95 · VM 93 · JS 92 · WA 91), and now — six years after harvest — the wine is just beginning to relax into its window. WS rates it to drink through 2045. We are holding the lowest price in California, and a case of twelve is $395.64.
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95Wine Spectator#14 Top 100 · '25
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93VinousA. Galloni
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92J. Suckling
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91Wine AdvocateM. Larner
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“
Tense, saturated, terrifically balanced. Just beginning to relax and open up.
— Bruce Sanderson, Wine Spectator
Wine Spectator has been publishing its Top 100 every December since 1988. In that 38-year history, more than ten thousand wines tasted per year, only twenty-two Chianti Classico Riservas have ever earned the 95-point flag. Viticcio's 2019 is one of them — and the highest-rated Chianti Classico Riserva of the entire 2019 vintage. This is the third time this wine has appeared on Wine Spectator's Top 100 list. It is not a flash; it is a producer the magazine quietly trusts.
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$32.97Per bottle
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$395.64Per case of 12
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Save $200+
vs. retailOn the case
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A WS 95-point Chianti Classico Riserva typically retails $50–$75. A case of twelve elsewhere: $600–$1,800. Ours: $395.64.
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Dear Artisans,
In the 38-year history of Wine Spectator's Top 100, very few wines manage to combine elite critical acclaim with such a profound pricing disconnect. Wine Spectator ranked this #14 in its Top 100 Best Wines of 2025 — and it delivers well beyond that.
The 2019 Viticcio Chianti Classico Riserva isn't just a high-scorer. It is the Highest-Rated Riserva of the entire 2019 vintage — and in the entire history of the magazine, only 22 Chianti Riservas have ever reached the 95-point plateau. Most of those wines trade for $75 to $150. Viticcio is offered to you today at $32.97.
I first visited Viticcio in 2014, and even then, the trajectory was clear. This is a tiny, meticulously run operation producing just 5,000 cases. They farm 100% organically, focused on a "dense, weighty style" that stays balanced by Sangiovese's signature vibrant acidity. Wine Spectator notes the 2019 is "just beginning to relax and open up now, six years after harvest" — this is a blue-chip cellar candidate with a drinking window extending through 2045.
We are holding the lowest price in California by a wide margin. A case of twelve at $395.64 — effectively the price of a single bottle at the wines that share this scoring tier. The case math is the only sensible move on a wine like this, and the back-vintage allocation will not last.
All my best,
— James Tran
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The 22 Club
The rarest scoring tier in Chianti.
Since 1988, Wine Spectator has scored more than 300,000 wines. Of those, only 22 Chianti Classico Riservas have ever reached 95 points. That puts the 2019 Viticcio in a club whose other members are the headline names of Tuscany — bottles that move at $75 to $150 on the open market, and considerably more for older vintages.
The 2019 is also the third time Viticcio's Chianti Classico Riserva has been included in the magazine's Top 100. That is the signature of a producer the magazine quietly trusts — not a one-off bottling chasing a moment.
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Why a Case, Not Two Bottles
Four reasons the math only works at volume on a back-vintage gem like this.
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01 $200 to $400 in savings on the case.
At $32.97 per bottle / $395.64 per case, you are paying about half what a WS 95-point Chianti Classico Riserva typically commands. A case elsewhere lands $600–$900 at the low end, $1,200–$1,800 for the headline bottles in this tier.
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02 A 19-year drinking window.
Wine Spectator rates this to drink through 2045. A case isn't extravagant — it's under one bottle per year for the rest of the wine's window. Open one tonight, lay the rest down, and watch the wine deepen into leather, tobacco, and dried fig over the next two decades.
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03 Back-vintage stock doesn't get refilled.
Only 5,000 cases were ever made worldwide; just 2,500 imported. The 2019 is six years past harvest — once this allocation clears, there is no next shipment. The 2020 will arrive at a higher price, and the 2019 will be hunted on auction sites at $50–$75.
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04 It is the easiest case to drink.
Chianti Classico Riserva is the most food-versatile red in Italy — tomato-sauced anything, roasted chicken, grilled steak, hard cheese, mushroom risotto, even pizza on a Tuesday. At $32.97, this is the case that earns its keep on the rack. The wine you actually open.
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The Wine
2019 Viticcio Chianti Classico Riserva DOCG
Opulent and dark. Black cherry, blackberry, plum, leather, and mineral on the nose, with the dried-fruit and woodsy notes that come from six years of bottle age. Fresh, focused, balanced — with terrific structure and a long, black-pepper-infused finish. Wine Spectator: "Drink now through 2045."
| Blend |
90% Sangiovese · 5% Merlot · 5% Syrah |
| Vinification |
Stainless steel ferment, 20-day maceration · MLF in wood & steel |
| Aging |
12 months in barrique (225L & 300L) + 12 months in Slavonian oak |
| Farming |
100% organic · estate vineyards, Chianti Classico DOCG |
| Pedigree |
First vintage 1970 · 3× Wine Spectator Top 100 honoree |
| Production |
5,000 cases made worldwide · 2,500 imported to U.S. |
| Window |
Drinking now through 2045 (WS) · best from 2026–2043 (winery) |
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What the Critics Said
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95 · Wine Spectator · #14 Top 100 of 2025 "Aromas of violet and wild herbs give way to flavors of black cherry, blackberry and black currant in this tense, saturated red, which is just beginning to relax and open up now, six years after the harvest. Shows terrific balance, with a long, black pepper–infused aftertaste. Sangiovese and Merlot. Drink now through 2045. 5,000 cases made, 2,500 cases imported." — Bruce Sanderson (Aug 2025)
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93 · Vinous "The 2019 Chianti Classico Riserva is a dark, beguiling wine. Wild cherry, kirsch, sweet tobacco, hard candy and cedar open nicely in the glass. Layered and persistent, with fine balance, the Riserva is another winner in this range. This is an especially dense, weighty style, but it works." — Antonio Galloni (Jul 2024)
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92 · James Suckling "Attractive nose of dark cherries, dark chocolate, dried herbs, bay leaves and beeswax. Medium-bodied with round tannins. It's polished, balanced and harmonious with a delicious core of juicy fruit and a precise finish. From organically grown grapes." (Jan 2024)
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91 · Wine Advocate "In the bottle with the black label, the organic Viticcio 2019 Chianti Classico Riserva reveals a loose texture with plenty of generous black fruit packed tight at the core. You don't get the high tones as much in this expression, but the baritone tones are well covered. The tannins are fine and the wine shows medium length. The blend is 90% Sangiovese with 5% Merlot and 5% Syrah." — Monica Larner (Jul 2024)
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Sommelier Pairings
What to Pour It With
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The Classic. Bistecca alla Fiorentina — a thick T-bone, salt, rosemary, olive oil. Sangiovese's bright acidity is the only thing that handles char like this. The Tuscan answer to a Cabernet Cab.
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The Easy Tuesday. Pappardelle al ragù, lasagna, eggplant parmigiana — or a good pizza margherita. Tomato-sauced anything was built for this wine. This is why a case is the right call.
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The Cheese Board. Aged Pecorino Toscano, a hard Parmigiano-Reggiano, a wedge of Castelmagno. The wine's leather and dried-fruit notes meet aged hard cheese halfway and stay there for an hour.
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The Vegan. Wild mushroom risotto with white truffle oil, or a slow-braised lentil & tomato stew over polenta. The earthy depth and Sangiovese savor are a single conversation.
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Questions worth asking
Answered, Plainly.
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Why is this a "back-vintage gem"? Because it's a 2019 selling in 2026 — seven years past harvest — that is just hitting its drinking window. The wine has spent the last few years quietly maturing in bottle. Wine Spectator called it out specifically: "just beginning to relax and open up now, six years after the harvest." You are buying a wine that someone else has already aged for you.
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Why should I buy a case rather than two bottles? Three reasons. The savings only matter at volume — a case here ($395.64) is $200–$400 less than a case anywhere else in the country. The wine drinks through 2045, so a case is under one bottle a year for the rest of its window. And back-vintage stock does not get refilled — once this allocation clears, the next time the 2019 surfaces will be on auction at $50–$75.
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Drink now, or cellar it? Both. The 2019 is drinking beautifully tonight — opulent black cherry, leather, mineral. WS rates it to evolve through 2045. The case strategy: open two or three this year, lay the rest down. Watch them deepen into dried fig, tobacco, and woodsy mature Sangiovese over the next two decades.
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Is this really the lowest price in California? Yes. We surveyed every major California merchant carrying the 2019 vintage. The next-cheapest offer sits in the mid-$40s; most retailers are $50–$60. At $32.97 per bottle / $395.64 per case, Artisan is the lowest priced merchant in the state for the 2019 Viticcio Chianti Classico Riserva.
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How many bottles do you have left? At time of send, we have roughly 12 cases worth of the 2019 in stock — the end of the vintage in California. When this allocation is gone, the 2019 is gone. We won't be able to source more at this price.
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The Back-Vintage Move
A case of WS 95-point Chianti
for the price of one bottle elsewhere.
The 2019 Viticcio Chianti Classico Riserva — WS 95 · #14 Top 100 of 2025 · 1 of only 22 Riservas ever to reach this score — at $32.97 per bottle, $395.64 per case. The lowest price in California. Drinking now, evolving through 2045.
Once the back-vintage allocation clears, the 2019 returns to the auction market at $50–$75. Lock in the case now.
Order Your Case · $395.64
$32.97 / bottle · $395.64 / case · save $200–$400 vs. U.S. retail
Release price $45 · back-vintage final stock
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P.S. Click here to see the rest of the Wine Spectator Top 30 Wines of 2025 we have in stock while supplies last.
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Also at Artisan
Four More Italian Allocations Worth Knowing.
From Brunello to Tignanello — the back catalog still has gems.
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Artisan.Wine
Please enjoy responsibly. Must be 21+ to purchase. Allocation limited; pricing and availability subject to change without notice. Critic scores belong to their respective publications.
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