More than a century ago, politics diluted the meaning of Chianti, and for years the challenges of Sangiovese’s firm tannins were met with dilution by large doses of white blending wine.

The quality of wine made in Chianti has improved in the last three decades as much as any wine in the world. Today the percentage of white grapes allowed is only 2  – down from 30 in the mid 1980s – and the best producers add none at all.

Nestled in the most charming hills of Tuscany, Radda-in-Chianti was one of the four towns included in the region’s original limits set in 1761 by Cosimo III de Medici. The Fattoria Poggerino is on the way out of town, and winemaker Piero Lanza’s Chianti Classico is from pure Sangiovese.

Named for its inky color – the name translates to “blood of Jove” – this dense, tannic grape produces powerful wine with beautiful floral aromas in the hands of a skilled winemaker with the courage to let it ripen fully. Piero Lanza is such a man, and this Classico shows just how elegant the wine can be.

Not only does it solve the thorny food-pairing problem of tomato-based sauces, it’s remarkably graceful and approachable in a glass by itself. Decant it twenty minutes before serving, and see just how far Chianti has come.

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POGGERINO CHIANTI CLASSICO 09
Ansonia Retail: $22
offer price: $17.29

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While we understand their desire to protect the brand, there are plenty of bubbles to go around. We’re fond of many sparkling wines made elsewhere in France with exactly the same method. These wines, called crémant, are sometimes less complex, but almost always far less expensive.

Champagne and crémant are both made using the méthode traditionnelle (known as the méthode champenoise until the Champenois called in their lawyers). The process involves two fermentations: first in regular vats or barrels, and then a second in bottle under cork. The CO2 produced in the second fermentation can’t escape the bottle, and is dissolved into the wine.

A favorite example of trustworthy, inexpensive crémant is Albert Sounit’s Crémant de Bourgogne. This is pure chardonnay, made in the methode traditionnelle. It shows fine bubbles, refreshing apple and pear acidity, and a pleasant toastiness. We like to serve sparkling wines as aperitifs; and because this one is simple and dry, it is a great candidate for a kir. But this wine also works nicely with mild seafood, such as cod or scallops.

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SOUNIT CRÉMANT DE BOURGOGNE
Ansonia Retail: $19
offer price: $15.95

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The tiny adjoining town of Vougeot, with a population of perhaps a hundred, is home to Christian Clerget and his wife Isabel – rising stars in the world of fine red Burgundy. They farm minuscule plots of land (we’re only ever offered very limited quantities of their wine) with skill and a distinct style.

Their Vougeot 1er cru “Les Petits Vougeots” has long been a favorite of ours. The vineyard, which borders the Clos Vougeot to the north (and Le Musigny to the east), is in a lower lying area that requires much care and attention. But while this microclimate may be difficult to farm, the results couldn’t be easier to like. Aside from the vineyard’s relative size, there’s nothing petit about this wine.

We’ve been holding onto Clerget’s 2006 Petits Vougeots, and we’re pleased to release some today. Clerget’s style is one of smoothness and elegance – their wines are often described as aristocratic. There’s fullness and ripeness in this wine, but also a precision that shows the fine terroir.

This Premier Cru from 2006 doubtless has years of life ahead. While it should be entering a nice drinking window now, there’s no rush. Pick up an extra bottle or two now, and we’ll send you notes when we open our next bottle.

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CLERGET VOUGEOT 1ER CRU 2006
Ansonia Retail: $85
offer price: $69.95

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Lettie Teague recently called Sancerre the Tom Hanks of wines – something that everyone can agree on. If that’s the case, then perhaps white Graves is Sean Penn: often more complex, and in its best appearances truly memorable.

Our white Graves of the moment is the 2011 from the Chateau Léhoul. It’s a blend of 70/30 Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon. When this wine first arrived early last year it was a bit rough around the edges (see Sean Penn c. 1982).  But with a year in the bottle, it has really blossomed into a delightful wine.

The bite of its youth has been replaced with a pleasant grapefruit nose and softened but still very crisp acidity, showing lime and melon. This should pair well with grilled shrimp and scallops, or chicken kabobs. We’re planning to open some when we try this eggplant recipe from yesterday’s Times.

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LEHOUL GRAVES BLANC 2011
Ansonia Retail: $22
offer price: $17.95

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Our new favorite is in St. Joseph, an appellation known for its extremely steep vineyards. Newcomer Denis Basset, who is based down the road in Crozes-Hermitage, also has a tiny plot in St. Joseph. This plot is so steep that he named his cuvée “Abimes d’Enfer,” or “Abyss of Hell.”

With that rather Dantean name you might imagine a dark wine with lots of depth. And you’d be right. This is a delicious St. Joseph, made of pure syrah showing lovely dark fruit with notes of mint and licorice.

Basset, who started making wine from his family’s vines just a few years ago, has only an acre of land here.  And though we’re one of his early customers, the most recent issue of Decanter contains his smiling photo in a piece featuring the dynamic new generation of producers in Crozes-Hermitage.  That suggests that it will become increasingly difficult to get our share of his tiny production.

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ST. CLAIR ST. JOSEPH 2010
Ansonia Retail: $34
offer price: $29.95

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At Poggerino, Piero Lanza grows Sangiovese masterfully in the beautiful Tuscan hamlet of Radda-in-Chianti, about half-way between Siena and Florence. His vines range in age from 8 to 35 years old, and today’s offer is for “Il Labirinto,” from his youngest plots.

Though young-vine Sangiovese can be rough, Poggerino’s is somehow very approachable. Dark, dense, and inky, the Labirinto shows roasted cherries, dark chocolate, and a strong backbone. You can enjoy the meaty punch of this wine from the moment you open it, but half an hour in a carafe this wine will round it out and remind you that the wine technically could be labeled Chianti Classico.

We brought a bottle over to friends making homemade pasta on Thursday, where the juicy red sauce competed with Labirinto for dominance of fruit and freshness. Open a bottle the next time you start cutting tomatoes, and you’ll wonder (as we sometimes do) why we don’t visit Italy more often.

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POGGERINO LABIRINTO 2011
Ansonia Retail $17
offer price $14.95

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It took 68 years for the papacy to return to Rome, but in the interim, Châteauneuf-du-Pape was born. And it wasn’t until the 1980s that the world (i.e. Robert Parker) discovered the infallibly blessed appellation. Since then, it’s become a source for a unique sort of red wine – often delicious, usually expensive, and potentially enchanting.

Last week we introduced the Domaine de Nalys (NAH-leese), and their delicious white Châteauneuf-du-Pape; today we’re introducing their red. While red from the appellation is much more common than white, Nalys’s red is a bit atypical.

Elegant is not often a word people use to describe reds from Châteauneuf-du-Pape, but it’s applicable here. Nalys’s Rouge 2009 is dominantly Grenache and Syrah, but has a less solemn feel to it – there’s fresh ripe fruit, nice minerality, and notes of dark, chewy cherries.

This wine has the depth of a Chateauneuf, with the joie-de-vivre of a Gigondas. Parker’s notes on the 09 Nalys refer to “an undeniably sexy style of wine.”

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NALYS CHÂTEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE RED 09
Parker Suggested Retail: $36
Ansonia Retail: $34
offer price: $29.95

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One wine currently on its way over to the States is the 2012 Sincerité Rosé, an easy-drinking pinot noir rosé from the Loire Valley. This is simple, refreshing, inexpensive – in our house it’s drunk early and often throughout the summer. But for those of you who can’t wait that long, we’re offering the last few cases of the 2011.

We drank a bottle (or two) of the 2011 over the weekend – it’s crisp, clean, and delicious. The wine has softened ever so slightly, but it’s still much fresher than many rosés on the market. On Saturday, our impressions were of strawberries, grapefruit, and a summer evening on the banks of the Loire. 

“Blowout sales” aren’t really our thing, but this is probably the closest we come. $8 a bottle (under 100 a case) means it can be something that’s always cold in your fridge. Split a bottle with a friend and it’ll cost you less than a trip to Starbucks.

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SINCERITÉ ROSÉ 2011
Ansonia Retail: $12
offer price: $8

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Note: For this wine free shipping/delivery kicks in after 12 bottles, not six.

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Perhaps the biggest increase has been in Chablis, which we think is among the purest expressions of the Chardonnay grape. The best Chablis draws its character and energy from the stony soil in which it grows, without relying on oak barrels for complexity.

Our favorite examples of Chablis are often from older vines, which produce more concentrated, tension-filled wines. Jean Collet’s unoaked old vine Chablis is just such a wine. Particularly in 2010, it’s full of crisp lemon and apple fruit, with freshness and length in the mouth. According to Clive Coates MW, the 2010s from Chablis were “the best of the white wines produced [that year] in Burgundy.”

Even if you’re not a seafood person, Chablis has a lot going for it. Because the name was sullied by California jug wine, true Chablis remains an excellent value. And with the weather warming up (even in Boston), you’d be hard pressed to find a more refreshing glass of anything.

But if raw oysters, bluefin tuna sushi, or a bowl of steamers stirs your heart as it does ours, Collet’s old vine chardonnay might be the best accompaniment around.

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COLLET Chablis Vieilles Vignes 2010
Ansonia Retail: $25
offer price: $19.95

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For us, the best Côte-du-Rhônes are dark and full of fruit – with balanced alcohol and mild tannins. For dense and hearty, we like Goubert’s Côtes du Rhône, made near Gigondas. But for classic and full of fruit, our pick is from the Domaine Coulange.

Located at the northern end of the Southern Rhône Valley, Coulange’s “Cuvée Mistral” is clean, uncomplicated, delicious wine. We think of it as our at-home by-the-glass wine – and at $11.95 it’s easy to do so. We reach for a glass of it after a long day of work, looking for something that’s easy to drink. It’s a glass to drink while making dinner, or while curling up to read the paper as someone else makes it.

Cuvée Mistral is 4/5 Grenache, 1/5 Syrah – full of the fresh, unoaked fruit we love in a good Côte du Rhone. It’s neither heavy nor hot, but the syrah contributes depth and food-pairing potential. Besides keeping a bottle open in our fridge, we often serve Mistral at dinner parties, particularly with charcuterie.

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COULANGE MISTRAL 2011
Ansonia Retail: $13.5
offer price: $11.95

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