Chianti Classico Collection 2026; The Gran Selezione
The series of tasting known as the Anteprime Toscane is one of the great tasting events of the year. It is well organized and features some of my absolute favorite wines, which I am fortunate to be able to follow year after year. The wines are served to seated journalists, and while this is a series of mega tastings, the format does allow for some time to be spent with each wine in an isolated and focused way.
Still mistakes will be made. I absolutely love the two days tasting Chianti Classico in the Chianti Classico Collection tastings, but there can be issues that arise. With 500 or so wines available to taste, I can not taste them all, and since it is held over two days the first pour one gets from a fresh bottle the morning of day one might not be the same as a last pour on day two from a bottle opened the previous day. Such is the price one pays for participating in an event like this.
Another point worth mentioning is that while this is not a blind tasting, you order wines 6 at a time through an app, the way it plays out leaves one roughly tasting blind. I have access to the wines available days prior to the event so I make a list of the reference numbers of the wines, and as I am finishing my last wine of a flight of 6 I type in my next six wines. When they are brought to me they are of course displayed to me, but I am usually more focused on setting up my tasting notes for the flight, and while I see the wines, I generally don’t remember them while tasting. I am not going to call it a blind tasting, but it at the very least it is visually impaired tasting.
This final report focuses on the Gran Selezione wines, a category of wine I was less than enthusiastic about when they were initially presented. Even today I find myself less enthused by the Gran Selezione wines than by the Riservas. Price is certainly a sticking point for me. Many of these wines were bottled as Riservas prior to the introduction of the Gran Selezione category, and yet their prices increased as the mention was added to the labels.
The category as a whole has seen some distinct improvement over the years, as you can see most of the wines are now 100% Sangiovese, which has brought some consistency to the line-up. Many wines are also now single vineyards, which is distinctly aligned with my thoughts on how this category should evolve. There are great wines here, but also ordinary wines, too many ordinary wines for what presumes to be the finest expression of Chianti Classico. Part of this comes from the pressure to produce something “better”. We all know how that can go. It take all kinds of course, but for me the best wines are simply the purest expression of terroir, while for others more is always better. This gives us choice in the marketplace, which is a fabulous thing, but at the same time I will call things as I see them. I am just not terribly enthusiastic about many of these wines. This is both cynical and self-centered of me, but we are under no obligation to praise what we don’t like.
At Chianti Classico Collection 2026 we had access to a broad selection of Chianti Classico Gran Selezione wines. I focused my attention on the more recent vintages,
2022 is a well recognized great vintage. I have some minor concerns, mostly at the Riserva and Gran Selezione levels but really across the board, where very hard tannins with their annoying green astringency mar some of the wines. The scorching hot summer caused some hydric stress, and while vines shuts down in some areas, there might have been an urge to pick based on sugar levels rather than phenolic ripeness. It’s the curse of global warming; your grapes ripen so well, but not evenly. It is definitely a step down from the preceding three vintages.
2021 is undoubtedly a great vintage for Chianti Classico, though I don’t know I would say it is materially better than 2019 or 2020, it really depends on what you are looking for. Near perfect weather and relatively low yields, though not drastically reduced, created quite a few rather dense, firmly structured examples of Chianti Classico Riserva. They need more time than the other two vintages mentioned, as they are not as pliant and expressive today. These are wines for the cellar. I searched out magnums of several of my favorite wines because I have tremendous faith in them, though at this point I have purchased more of both 2019 and 2020 for my midterm drinking “needs”.
2020 is simply an incredibly satisfactory vintage. It’s not super structured, though some wines have a fair amount of mass to them, it’s not too ripe, yet the wines tend to be full of fruit. In general it a vintage of restrained enthusiasm, freshness, and real pleasure. The wines are mostly on the verge of drinking well, speaking of the Gran Selezione bottlings, and should age quite well for 10-15 years. They might not last as long as the 2021s, but they are perhaps more delicious, if not quite as complex. Valuing one vintage over the other comes down to personal preferences but I can’t see going wrong with a top producer in either vintage.
Still mistakes will be made. I absolutely love the two days tasting Chianti Classico in the Chianti Classico Collection tastings, but there can be issues that arise. With 500 or so wines available to taste, I can not taste them all, and since it is held over two days the first pour one gets from a fresh bottle the morning of day one might not be the same as a last pour on day two from a bottle opened the previous day. Such is the price one pays for participating in an event like this.
Another point worth mentioning is that while this is not a blind tasting, you order wines 6 at a time through an app, the way it plays out leaves one roughly tasting blind. I have access to the wines available days prior to the event so I make a list of the reference numbers of the wines, and as I am finishing my last wine of a flight of 6 I type in my next six wines. When they are brought to me they are of course displayed to me, but I am usually more focused on setting up my tasting notes for the flight, and while I see the wines, I generally don’t remember them while tasting. I am not going to call it a blind tasting, but it at the very least it is visually impaired tasting.
This final report focuses on the Gran Selezione wines, a category of wine I was less than enthusiastic about when they were initially presented. Even today I find myself less enthused by the Gran Selezione wines than by the Riservas. Price is certainly a sticking point for me. Many of these wines were bottled as Riservas prior to the introduction of the Gran Selezione category, and yet their prices increased as the mention was added to the labels.
The category as a whole has seen some distinct improvement over the years, as you can see most of the wines are now 100% Sangiovese, which has brought some consistency to the line-up. Many wines are also now single vineyards, which is distinctly aligned with my thoughts on how this category should evolve. There are great wines here, but also ordinary wines, too many ordinary wines for what presumes to be the finest expression of Chianti Classico. Part of this comes from the pressure to produce something “better”. We all know how that can go. It take all kinds of course, but for me the best wines are simply the purest expression of terroir, while for others more is always better. This gives us choice in the marketplace, which is a fabulous thing, but at the same time I will call things as I see them. I am just not terribly enthusiastic about many of these wines. This is both cynical and self-centered of me, but we are under no obligation to praise what we don’t like.
At Chianti Classico Collection 2026 we had access to a broad selection of Chianti Classico Gran Selezione wines. I focused my attention on the more recent vintages,
2022 is a well recognized great vintage. I have some minor concerns, mostly at the Riserva and Gran Selezione levels but really across the board, where very hard tannins with their annoying green astringency mar some of the wines. The scorching hot summer caused some hydric stress, and while vines shuts down in some areas, there might have been an urge to pick based on sugar levels rather than phenolic ripeness. It’s the curse of global warming; your grapes ripen so well, but not evenly. It is definitely a step down from the preceding three vintages.
2021 is undoubtedly a great vintage for Chianti Classico, though I don’t know I would say it is materially better than 2019 or 2020, it really depends on what you are looking for. Near perfect weather and relatively low yields, though not drastically reduced, created quite a few rather dense, firmly structured examples of Chianti Classico Riserva. They need more time than the other two vintages mentioned, as they are not as pliant and expressive today. These are wines for the cellar. I searched out magnums of several of my favorite wines because I have tremendous faith in them, though at this point I have purchased more of both 2019 and 2020 for my midterm drinking “needs”.
2020 is simply an incredibly satisfactory vintage. It’s not super structured, though some wines have a fair amount of mass to them, it’s not too ripe, yet the wines tend to be full of fruit. In general it a vintage of restrained enthusiasm, freshness, and real pleasure. The wines are mostly on the verge of drinking well, speaking of the Gran Selezione bottlings, and should age quite well for 10-15 years. They might not last as long as the 2021s, but they are perhaps more delicious, if not quite as complex. Valuing one vintage over the other comes down to personal preferences but I can’t see going wrong with a top producer in either vintage.
Wines are listed in the order tasted
2022 Borratella - Sasso del Borro Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese 5,000 bottles
Gaiole
Good freshness on the nose, smells quite crisp and sweet with a subtle black spice, medicinal undertone and some dried herbal oregano character. The sweetness shows up on the leading edge of the palate but the bright acid and fine grained tannins quickly lends this verticality in the mouth, Well balanced if bright and tending more towards a structured style with filigreed red fruit on the palate and sandy soil and dried herbal notes lending some complexity to the moderately long finish which shows a touch of heat. Relatively ready though the tannins could benefit from 1-3 years to help soften them but there doesn’t seem to be enough material here for extended aging. 89pts
2022 Capraia - Effe 55 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 7,000 bottles
Castellina
Dark, leathery, animal, musky, juniper and black cherry. Smooth, medium plus weight in the mouth, lovely layered feel with a slightly angular and bitter disposition, though this has great cut and definition on the palate. This feels fantastic in the mouth, and the kernel of fruit takes its time expanding on the palate, revealing great limestone depth, old vine feel, bitter cherry and cherry skin fruit that extends across the long, succulent and tense finish which shows off an exciting juxtaposition between the sweet, ripe well defined fruit and the suggestion of bitterness. Has a hint of grapefruit pith drawn out from the bitterness. Already drinking well. 94pts
2022 Casa Emma Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 8,000 bottles
San Donato in Poggio
Sweet cocoa and baking spice notes greet the nose followed by damp soil and damp tobacco notes framing a core of red cherry fruit. Gains more fresh herbal, almost spearmint notes with air. Sweet tart on entry, modest tannins are bristly, rainier cherry, lots of older wood influence, old leather, a suggestion of sweetness,,tannins emerge on the modest finish, rather sweet fruit tannins, This is fruity and delicious but not terribly complicated and the fruit doesn’t full cover the mineral and lightly tannic finish, flirts with rusticity. But still kind of delicious. 89pts
2022 Castagnoli - Salita Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 1,500 bottles
Castellina
Dark, shaved chocolate, a fancy oak top note, sweet with jammy, blackberry fruit. Broad on the palate, definitely marked by oak. Compact with an excess of wood tannin obscuring much of the palate. This comes off as a touch muddy and indistinct with a rather modest finish. A bit anonymous but undoubtedly well made. 84pts
2022 Castello di Albola - Il Solatio Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 5,000 bottles
Radda
Aromatic, rosewood and ginseng, slightly braised vegetal on the nose with a eucalyptus slant to the aromatics. Smooth and ample in the mouth, but not particularly fruit driven as the palate stays true to the aromatics. It’s nicely proportioned, light on the palate with good acids and modest tannins but it is already a rather savory, if not evolved wine. I don’t mind it but it is definitely rather lean. 87pts
2022 Castello di Bossi Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 30,000 bottles
Castelnuovo Berardenga
Big note of candied violets greets the nose followed by cedary wood, dried strawberry and minty herbal notes. Big on entry with a fair amount of fruit up front. Black berry toned, black cherry followed by a hint of mustiness and then a moderately strong cedar notes. The finish in modest in length, tending toward tannic with a nice dark soil and incipient tobacco tone. It feels sophisticated, but is a bit too tannic at the moment, it’s not the most typical of wines, but offers up some nice bing cherry fruit one the midpalate in a rather international style. 91pts
2022 Castello di Ama - San Lorenzo Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
80% Sangiovese, 13% Merlot, 7% Malvasia Nera, 70,000 bottles
Gaiole
Sweet on the nose, slightly caroby, Tree bark, forest floor, a subtle candied undertone, burnished cherry and wild berry fruit, juniper, just a rounding note of wood influence. Smooth and fairly rich on entry but retaining good liveliness on the palate. This is a rather full and deep mouthful of CCGS, there’s lovely mineral depth here that draws out the finish, lots of black cherry fruit, subtle notes of tobacco and bay leaf, a moderate juiciness through the finish. It is structured but balanced, I like this a lot, tannins are nicely present and pleasantly abundant. Not the most complex but a fine lusty example. 93pts
2022 Castello di Cacchiano - Millennio Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 4,700 bottles
Gaiole
Subtle on the nose with subtle oak influence melding with a more mineral, soil driven complexion. Nuanced with a red fruited raspberry, tight core. Lighter bodied, fresh with good white and wild cherry fruit, the tannins are a little aggressive at this point and this doesn’t have terrific covering material so it feels a bit raw on the moderately long slightly citrus pith and mineral earth tinged finish. Pleasant 87pts
2022 Castello di Fonterutoli - Vicoregio 36 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 13,000 bottles
Castelnuovo Berardenga
Touch of blueberry greets the nose, rather compact oak, tobacco, and dried herb nose with a subtle black fruited foundation. Smaller scaled, Subtle, this is tight but the finish really reveals lovely purity of fruit, limestone minerality, polished tannins, There’s little more cocoa toned oak here than I would prefer but the finish is so lively and succulent with so much better clarity than the palate that I have to give this the benefit of the doubt. Time will be kind here. Understated beauty 93pts
2022 Castello di Fonterutoli - Castello Fonterutoli Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 42,000 bottles
Castellina
Classic CC nose, damp soil, touch of salty minerality, tobacco, prosciutto fat, dried herbs, and a briar back note. Lean on entry, strict in the mouth, definitely not overdone, I was hoping for a little more depth here, but this is very transparent and rather light on the palate, though with a lovely rather more fruit driven finish with hints of blueberry framing the core of ranier cherry fruit. A subtle wine, a touch short. 89pts
2022 Castello di Fonterutoli - Badiola Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 9,200 bottles
Radda
Another wine marked by oak, joined by candied violets, smells sweet and candied, with lots of candied plum and blackberry notes. A bit matte on entry and slightly languid across the palate, there’s a bit of chew here, its dense, and fairly rich though quite smooth and supple at the same time, the acids perk up on the modest finish, a wine that is easy to drink, cocktail wine with a nice core of fruit and some pretty minerality but lacks a bit of interest. 88pts
2022 Castello di Gabbiano - Vigneto Cerbaiola Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 1,700 bottles
San Donato in Poggio
Earthy, leathery, nutty oak influence, kind of candied walnut, but at the same time fine herbal nuance emerges from the glass along with a touch of mintiness. Smooth yet transparent in the mouth, A nice wine, neither terribly complex nor terribly detailed, It at least is not forced, feeling quite like it was meant to feel. There’s modest red fruit here, a touch of bricky earth, some dried citrus pith and herbal notes that grace the modest finish. I would drink this. 88pts
2022 Castello di Meleto Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 25,000 bottles
Gaiole
Gently wood toned on the nose but mostly fruity with dark cherry fruit, briar wood, ginseng, and a sweet, candied top note. This is almost opulent in the mouth, bigger wine, rich, polished and smooth, lovely mouthfeel in this style, well endowed with rich, dark cherry fruit, a sheen of oak spice, and bitter cherry skin notes on the moderately long finish. It’s not the most typical example, though it does have a lovely mineral draped and citrus framed finish with a vibrant pop of acidity. The midpalate leans a touch modern but this is very well done and quite pretty and I think it will gain decent complexity with some aging. 93pts
2022 Castello di Volpaia - Il Puro Casanova Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 2,000 bottles
Radda
Blood, smoke, ash, leather, now we’re talking. Fine cherry and lingonberry fruit accented with an almost black pepper spiciness and floral top notes. Juicy on entry, this is a touch loose, could use some more tension in the mouth, the tannins are almost lush and sweet, this flows across the palate with the gentle viscosity of sweet tea before turning transparent, and taut on the modest finish. It is totally refreshing to drink and will go down easily while delivering modest lovely of fruit though with good savory intensity. Lots of stoniness on the finish. Nothing wrong here, glue glue CCGS. 90pts
2022 Castello la Leccia - Bruciagna Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 4,500 bottles
Castellina
Blood, mushroom, bayleaf, rosewood, and smoky notes top a core of rather pure red cherry fruit. Clear on the palate, lighter weight, but so well balanced, effortless wine, has terrific length. Wow, this offers elegance and finesse. Blood framed red plum and cherry fruit on the palate yields to an almost salty, mineral laden finish with fine worn wood and leather undertones. This is terrific, sophisticated, subtle and complete. I want to drink this, needs a year or two to help fully integrate the tannins but will drink well for more than decade. 96pts
2022 Colombaio di Cencio - Montelodoli Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 2,600 bottles
Gaiole
Effusively balsamic, juniper, wild berry fruit, chalky stony notes, a sweet and candied edge with a fennel pollen undertone. This delivers such pure fruit on entry, its slight more than medium weight but has exceptional depth and purity of fruit while remaining crustal clear and fresh, later arriving pollen, stone, and dried herb notes lend admirably complexity to the long finish but this remains fruit driven from start to finish. Well balanced, just a hint of glycerine richness, great mouth grab with rather formidable tannins totally subsumed by this diaphanous fruit. It doesn’t get much better than this. 97pts
2022 Conti Capponi - Vigna La Fornace Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 1,500 bottles
Montefioralle
Dark on the nose with a dank, old wood note, roasted chestnuts, iodine, a deep and severe medicinal extract of flowers. With a menthol top note. Old School. Austere on entry, laden with dry tannins, there’s a modicum of fruit here, but this a particularly well structured wine. It shows decent balance and has some fruit and savory flavor complexity but the tannins are so outsized that harmony at any point in its evolution is doubtful. What fruit is there is red with mint and mushroom accents. This is too severe. 84pts
2022 Conti Capponi - Vigna Bastignano Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 1,000 bottles
Montefioralle
Sweetly herbal, with a touch of sun dried tomato fruitiness, red fruit, white soil, blond cigar wrapper, a touch of cocoa powder. Light and fresh in the mouth with good tension, this is rather pretty with gentle streak of austerity grounding it. It’s quite classical cut, taut, bright with a slight edge of rustic astringency, leading to a modernly long finish with pressed flower and pollen notes. Understated but classic. 92pts
2022 Conti Capponi - Vigna Contessa Luisa Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 1,500 bottles
Montefioralle
Has some old wood notes on the nose, casks and chestnuts, lends this a sweet and slightly medicinal tone with black cherry fruit, ash and dried herb base notes, gains a splash of muddiness as well. Supple and moderately rich this delivers plenty of fruit and depth on the palate with great cut on the finish. Tannins are abundant and generally quite ripe yet this still retains a vein of authoritative austerity. The finish is moderately long with some casky sweetness accenting the core of deep, burnished wild cherry fruit. Lovely wine, very classically CC, there’s powdery dustiness on the palate, that doesn’t detract from the core of slightly meaty, burnished cherry fruit with its herbal and mineral framing notes. Gains complexity. 94pts
2022 Famiglia Zingarelli - Sergio Zingarelli Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese 12,000 bottles
Castellina
Blood, dried herbs, balsamic herbs, dried mushroom, old wood, juniper, wild cherry, very intense and explosive nose. Cool on the palate, elegant and refined, this is a bit tight, has some wood tannin compressing it on the palate, rather sophisticated and much more savory on the palate than the nose, this is all about dried herb, mineral earth, and dried mushrooms, on the strict, austere and long palate. It’s seriously a food wine, but lacks the fruit and suppleness that most drinkers prefer. An anti-flavor elite wine. 89pts
2022 Fattoria di Valiano - 6.38 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
90% Sangiovese, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Merlot, 26,000 bottles
Vagliagli
Sweet, notably sweet wood, raw beefy, red lingonberry and candied cherry fruits, this smell interesting and pretty good but not very CC, a touch high toned, Smooth on entry, sleek, a touch compact, delivers some candied fruits on the palate as well, but the whole is rather wrapped up in its savoriness. I can see this being a pointy wine but I don’t get it, it feels rather assembled to me, still it retains great acidity so it at least is refreshing. 85pts
2022 Fattoria di Valiano - San Lazzaro Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 10,000 bottles
Vagliagli
Heathery with a touch of wood influence touched by juniper and wild blueberry fruit, rust, blood, lingonberry, complex and nuanced. Clean and fresh in the mouth modest length, Offers great freshness in a rather easy drinking style, white and red cherry fruit is juicy and fresh, accented by some chalky mineral notes, a rusty tone and a nicely sapid finish. Not going to attract much attention but does the job fairly well, lacks a bit of covering material on the finish though. 90pts
2022 Fèlsina Colonia Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 6,000 bottles
Castelnuovo Berardenga
Underbrush, cherry fruit, some chalky stone, lots of dried herbal nuance. Smells enticing. Taut on the palate, lighter weight but with some depth, plenty of incredibly ripe and sweet tannins. This is verging on plush, delivers a fine core of herb streaked red cherry fruit that leads to a long, slightly hard, stony finish. Perfectly proportioned, lovely wine, not going to wow you but this should age exceptionally well, and is so succulent already. 94pts
2022 Fontodi - Vigna del Sorbo Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 25,000 bottles
Panzano
Earthy, balsamic, seashells, ginseng, sour cherry fruit, salted plums. Smells slightly dark and forbidding. Lighter on the palate than the nose suggests, though this delivers some serious concentration even if it is medium plus bodied. Great depth, old vines, terrific resonance on the long finish. Tannins are powerful, but ripe, acidity is perfectly balance. This is rich with dark cherry and wild berry fruits, framed with hints of dried herbs , strong clay soil tones and an incipient sottobosco note. Candied plum notes emerge on the backplate with some air. This is great, I will look forward to seeing how this evolves in the cellar. Give it 3-5 years and enjoy it for at least the decade following. 95pts
2022 Fontodi - San Leolino Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 5,000 bottles
Panzano
Smoky, slightly briary and meaty, rosewood, talc, and red berry fruit. Smooth and rich on entry, dark woodsy fruit is supported by angular and lightly astringent tannins, medium plus weight, good acidity keeps this fresh though it feels a touch dark and anonymous in the mouth, There’s lovely earthiness to this, the finish is a touch short, but all in all its’s a nice, bold, if uncomplicated wines. 90pts
2022 Fontodi - Pastrolo Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 2,000 bottles
Lamole
Floral, meaty, black cherry and tobacco nose. With a balsamic forest floor base note. Smooth, polished and elegant, this has two natures the front is all polished, modestly rich and fairly supple delivering nice burst of dark slightly plummy fruit, then this transition into a tense, slightly salty mineral laden and slightly austere finish, where the fruit turns gently redder. A wine with cut that already offers a certain approachability. It leans towards the modern style, and I think this will age well, but has little innate complexity so I expect this to turn fruitier with cellaring until the tertiary notes kick in. A safe bet. 92pts
2022 Isola delle Falcole - Le Falcole Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 3,000 bottles
Panzano
Dark, musky and rather floral on the nose with notes of tobacco and ink, deep earthiness, smells masculine. A touch compact but rather well endowed. There’s not too much weigh here but this has great depth and an old vine feel to it. Its fabulous on the palate with this twisted herb, earth, leather, and spicy black fruit core that pulsates between the ripe tannins on the long finish. Finishes with more weight and authority than it starts with. Love this, it alternates savory and fruity dominance through the long finish. Give it 3-5 years in the cellar then enjoy it for two decades. The tannins are so fine grained and this offers real succulent with a certain degree of authority. But is not tiring. A bit of a powerhouse but so well balanced. 95pts
2022 Istine - Vigna Casanova dell'Aia Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 3,900 bottles
Radda
Leather, briar, dried spice drawer, fenugreek, savory and slightly roast meaty with a core of spicy red berry red hots fruit. Enters with a suggestion of sweetness and roundness, Lovely understated wine, lots of minerality really grounds the palate. This is already approachable, it’s got a lovely combination of sweet red fruits, and assertive minerality with a long, elegant and austere finish. It is delicious, intense if not terribly complex. 92pts
2022 La Vigna di San Martino ad Argiano Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 375 bottles
San Casciano
Smells caroby, dates, figs, all dried fruit, root beer candy, dried meaty, lacks aromatic freshness. Powerful and very burnished in the mouth. One could charitably call this old school but it is austere, bitter, chewy, and slightly dull on the palate, There is some interest here but no pleasure. Too tannic, too ripe, and too oxidized. 75pts
2022 Le Filigare - Lorenzo Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 6,000 bottles
San Donato in Poggio
Tight and reticent on the nose, what one can sense is a certain fruitiness, some wood accents, and some dusty soil tones with a sense of notable ripeness coming from the candied, and slightly dried fruit overtone. Fairly large scaled and equally closed in the mouth. Formidable, tannic but the tannins are ripe, lots of suggestion of ripe, dark fruits, good length with supple tannins on the finale. It is slightly medicinal and the impression I get on the palate is also of a very ripe, dark fruited and slightly medicinal wine. JR but this is not convincing.
2022. Le Fonti/Panzano - Le Fonti Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 2,500 bottles
Panzano
Pretty nose, nice floral top notes, crystalline candied lingonberry and raspberry fruit, a hint of green olive or maybe caper berry, sage, Lighter styled, has a suggestion of sweetness to it, a gentle wine, still with good underlying structure, but modest yellow cherry fruit, paired with some stone, cherry pit, and gently green herbal notes. A fine wine but nothing notable, needs another 2 years or so but his is quite a classic if modest wine. 89pts
2022 Nittardi Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 9,000 bottles
Castellina
Meaty and leathery though also quite reticent, with vigorous aeration one can sense green herbal notes paired with a slightly cooked black cherry fruitiness. Chewy on entry, bigger scaled, fills the mouth but is also a touch hollow on the palate, big dark fruit dissipates quickly on the finish leaving drying tannins. A wine that make an impression with its mass but chooses to not leave an impression. Dry, not pleasant, and extracted. With bitter tannins. 78pts
2022 Pomona - L'Omino Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 2,500 bottles
Castellina
Tasted twice
Reticent on the nose, seems a bit closed, shows off some candied black cherry fruit and a polleny, floral note but subtly. Big, large scaled, smooth, deep, old vineyard. This is a powerhouse, it strikes me as a bit too extracted but we won’t know for years. There’s a lot of fruit here, along with mineral earthiness and an almost hickory nut core, but this is monstrously tannic. The finish is long and black fruited and while the tannins are ever present the fruit is holding on until end at the moment. I don’t know where this goes, it’s an extreme wine difficult to judge today. It’s easy to be impressed by its sheer mass today but I wonder if this has the fruit to outlast the tannins. A very tentative 93pts
2022 Pomona - Vigna del Termine Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 2,000 bottles
Vagliagli
Bright, floral and soil driven nose, blue flowers with a sapid white minerality, red cherry fruit and a white pepperiness. Lightish on the palate, smooth and generally supple, with modest tannins lending good support through the moderately long finish. This is a terroir marked wine, its so defined by its minerality and soil tones, that the fresh, delicate, floral, red fruit is easily overlooked. A wine of nuance, but one that should develop well in the cellar, such great cut here and refinement of the tannins. Underrated and easy to pass over. 93pts
2022 Querceto di Castellina - Sei Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 6,500 bottles
Castellina
Quite aromatic in a savory, herbal, damp earthen register, which I do like. Gains notes of tobacco, dried tomato, and spicy red berry fruit. Smooth, opulent, already light burnished fruit on the palate, good length, tannins are abundant yet soft, A bit larger scaled, easy drinking style with good complexity though it drinks a little more advanced than I would expect. It’s a good candidate for nearer term consumption. Enjoy it for its aromatic complexity which translates to fine inner mouth perfumes and a lovely core of feathery, red berry fruit that seems to grow in the glass. This might surprise over the medium term. I Am enjoying this more than might appear. 92pts
2022 Riecine - Vigna Gittori Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 6,000 bottles
Gaiole
Tight on the nose, shows some modest wood influence along with deep wild cherry fruit, ferrous minerality, orange rind and strong floral top notes. Smooth and compact on entry, this is very youthful, the tannins shift from fruit driven up front to a slight excess of wood tannin on the finish. But this remains elegant and refined. With wonderful balance. It remains quite tight but you can sense the depth of fruit, rich but not over-ripe and herbal and soil driven complicating notes struggle to emerge along with a white soil note on the relatively long finish. There is a touch of a lactic note early on the palate that needs to dissipate, but this a super example of a totally refined, elegant modern CCGS 95pts
2021 Acquadiaccia Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
90% Sangiovese, 10% Canaiolo, 2,000 bottles
Panzano
Sweet, slightly caroby accented, sweet root beer laced. jammy black cherry fruit. Opulent in the mouth, very supple tannins do offer some support, decent acidity, this is designed to be easy drinking, it offers plenty of dense dark fruits, framed with a light minty wood spice tone and some underlaying dark soil flavors. It really is not bad, a bit overdone perhaps but it manages to pair the effusive fruitiness with decent complexity in package that offers an approachable CC experience. I wouldn’t buy this but it has a distinct market niche. 90pts
2022 Ruffino - Riserva Ducale Oro Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
80% Sangiovese, 10% Merlot, 10% Colorino, 250,000 bottles
Castellina
Slightly subdued but quite classic aromatic profile of cherries, dried herbs, some older wood and a touch of dried meatiness. Lovely bitter cherry appears early on the palate followed by a rather tannic, slightly austere finish with leather and black spice notes. It’s gently smoky on the palate. Offers medium weight with the classic austerity of sangiovese. A textbook example of CC 91pts
2022 San Felice Toscana A.D. 714 - La Pieve Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
93% Sangiovese, 7% Pugnitello, 13,000 bottles
Castelnuovo Berardenga
Smoky, chestnut, marked by old wood with a depp herbal extract core, supporting dark, frutti del bosco fruits and a damp tobacco top note. A bit loose on the palate. This is leaning into its leatheriness, it’s a nice austere glass of CC, with enough gently sweet red fruit to offer enjoyment, but is slightly unforgiving in style. It’s nuanced and also leans towards the elegant side of things with subtle, but lovely and distinct herbal extract, sweet wild cherry and leather flavors. Quite classic. Will not impress many but this is a terrific wine for the dinner table. 91pts
2022 Terra di Seta - Assai Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 3,000 bottles
Vagliagli
Meaty, sulphur, smells of strong reduction. Fresh, lively and medium plus, almost full bodied. This is going to be lovely, it has great balance with lovely ripe tannins and firm acidity supporting a rather crystalline, if well endowed palate full of rich wild cherry berry fruit, dark soil tones, raspberry seeds, with great length, great tannins perfectly framing the finish, a blend of sweetness of fruit and austerity. Too bad about the reduction but I think this turn out to be moderately powerful in style but terrific. 94pts
2022 Terreno - ASofia Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 3,500 bottles
Greve
Chalky, floral, lighter on the nose, loose, sandy soil notes, a saline breezy seaside aspect to the nose, lovely. Lighter bodied in the mouth, not much length here but this is a pretty wine, shows modest detail but the palate doesn’t live up to the promise of the nose. I would guess it’s faithfully expressing its terroir, A lively wine, easy to drink but ultimately rather simple. 87pts
2022 Terreno - Sillano Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 3,000 bottles
Montefioralle
Dark, saline, brined olives, floral extract, a touch of shoe polish VA, black fruit, and meatiness. Sleek on entry, this is fairly coiled up on the palate, its a sleek, dark wine that shows some finesse, pairing its rather pure and fresh, if dark, black berry toned fruits with a mean streak of minerality. Strict austere style in a slightly modern package. This is a wine for the cellar. It’s slightly chewy today but you can sense the depth of that fruit. Not necessarily my style but you can sense the quality here. 93pts
2021 Altiero Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 1,500 bottles
Montefioralle
Rosewood, forest floor, walnut, wild berry fruit. Full bodied, deep, dark, tannic, leather dried fruit style of CC. This is rather front loaded with its aged fruit profile, the finish is dominated by very important tannins. It is old school and comes off as rustic, chewy and juicy. A throwback wine. Interesting to taste but not pleasurable. Very dry tannins. 83pts
2021. Arillo in Terrabianca - Vigna Terrabianca Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 3,300 bottles
Radda
There’s bit of eucalyptus here layered over a base of leather, slight VA inflected, white soil and balsamic tinged dark small berried fruit. A rather earthy and leathery example of well made classic CC. This is structured but approachable. And offers a nice balance of fresh and burnished fruit paired with gentle earth and mineral tones that all wraps up on a gently austere and tannin driven moderately long finish. Not great but appealingly classic. 89pts
2021 Ca' di Pesa - Burrone Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 3,000 bottles
Panzano
Nutty older oak notes frame the core of lingonberry/raspberry fruit here with its fine briar and stone base notes. Slightly understated, cool, and elegant, this is a wine of nuance, it offers great mineral cut on the palate, and fine length with a sheen of finely ripened fruit accenting the slightly thistly and leathery notes this picks up with air before it returns to a lovely finale of red fruit and dark minerality. This is lovely, a sneaky wine with appealing nuance and finesse. 92pts
2021 Cafaggio - Basilica Solatìo Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 10,000 bottles
Panzano
Big, fruity bowl of cherries nose well framed by notes of bay, walnut, green olive, and gentle sweet floral honeysuckle notes. This smells terrific. Lovely in the mouth modest if firm tannins, good acidity all tense across the palate, this offers real finesse, the clarity of the palate is so very attractive, the fruit is firmly it the red berry camp with just tthe mildest astringent lingonberry note. It’s all very firmly grounded by a fine mineral filagree and scented with a sweet pecan nuttiness, and some oily herbal nuance. The finish is long, graced with powdery tannins and dusty overall sheen. This is not powerful but is classic and impressive. It does need a year or three to round out, though there is no denying its current appeal. 95pts
2021 Carpineta Fontalpino - Vigna Dofana Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 5,000 bottles
Castelnuovo Berardenga
Dark, leathery, slightly oily and balsamic on the nose. Poppy seeds, dried beef, a little black fruits in spirits top note, Smooth and powerful, rich with dark fruits, smooth, rich with relatively soft tannins, this is a mouthful, while it is well balanced and remains fresh it lacks nuance and complexity. It has the dark complexion promised by the nose, black cherry fruit, oily wood, dark earth, tree bark, and a touch of black spices. If you prefer a powerful CC, this is for you. It’s not bad, as the fruit does redden up slightly with air but this is too tannic and too drastic for my palate. It does make a bold statement. 87pts
2021 Carpineta Fontalpino - Vigna Montaperto Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 5,000 bottles
Castelnuovo Berardenga
Sweetly green herbal on the nose with a powdery floral overtone and a core of spicy, dark, frutti del bosco laced with porcini dust. Sleek and rather polished on entry, though this feels a little closed. It does have lovely burnished yellow and red cherry fruit that gains a spicy nuance on the backend before transitioning to a modest finish graced with powdery tannins. A bit understated, cut from rather classical cloth, this is appealing with its vague sanguine and bitter notes gracing the moderately long finish. Slightly more structural than flavor intensity makes this a little difficult to pair with food, it needs simple and slightly fatty dishes, but should age into something more refined over the medium term. 90pts
2021 Casale dello Sparviero - Paronza Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 20,000 bottles
Castellina
Bright, high toned, butcher’s wax, slightly smoky, grapevine smoke, herbal, yellow flowers, rainier cherry. Rather lighter weight but deep with a fine vein of slightly bitter minerality accenting the core of fruit on the palate, with its uncovered structural elements which somehow regroups on the finish where the fruit, floral, and gently leather nature of the wine returns. This is not for everybody, it might be for almost nobody, but I find it fascinating., crunchy, slightly bitter, mineral laden then a burst of sweet fruit followed by fine grained and almost ripe tannins. It needs food but has everything else for a lovely terroir driven experience. 92pts
2021 Castelli del Grevepesa/Valvirginio - Clemente VII Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 8,000 bottles
San Casciano
Slightly jammy on the nose, pollen and floral over a base of sweet wild raspberry fruit. There’s a suggestion of smokiness here along with a dusty soil tone. Relatively highly styled, a bit chewy though, The fruit is just about covered by bitter herbal and soil tones with a prosciutto fat note on the backend leading to pollen and sandy notes on the fishes. Pleasant if undistinguished. 86pts
2021 Castello di Monsanto - Vigna Il Poggio Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
95% Sangiovese, 3% Colorino, 2% Canaiolo, 25,000 bottles
San Donato in Poggio
Earthy, leathery, huge notes of herbal extract, ricola, along with a hint of barnyard and smoky, burnt toast notes layered over jammy black cherry fruit. Smooth, rather on the richer side of things. This shows super herbal extract notes on the palate, braised leafy greens paired with rather pure, if slightly jammy red cherry fruit, followed by touches of blood, a dried citrus twist, and some subtle mineral laced soil tones. Really engaging, This remains admirably transparent on the mouth with perfect acidity and tannins that are firm, slightly austere but totally unobtrusive. A classic wine. Not the most fruit driven, give it 3-4 years to settle down. 95pts
2021 Dievole - Vigna Sessina Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 9,000 bottles
Vagliagli
Very perfumed, very floral but also fairly medicinal with powdery vitamin notes paired with a touch of blood orange, lilac, fresh wild strawberry, complex, airy, smells high altitude. Lightish on entry, sparse willowy tannins, fruit that shows great freshness and subtlety, clear on the palate, rather sandy undertones, floral again in the mouth. Totally refined, elegant and understated. This is delicious, it finishes with golden and red raspberry fruits, floral notes, those sparse tannins that lend this its airiness, A rather lightweight wine, so keep that in mind, and not the most complex, but what it offers is lovely balance and definition. 93pts
2021 Frescobaldi - Rialzi Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 15,000 bottles
Gaiole
Concentrated and extracted fruitiness greets the nose, black cherry jamminess, a little lime zest, some seeds. Nicely concentrated but light-footed in the mouth. Wow this is not what the nose sets you up for. Lovely small core of wild cherry fruit, fine grained tannins, a subtle juiciness, then a moderately filigreed finish. There is a little lactic streak to this that I am not a fan of, but this is showing quite well with immediate appeal, due to its pronounced fresh red berry fruitiness. It’s a touch short, but goes down easily with enough structure to warrant a few years cellaring. 92pts
2021 Gagliole - Pecchia Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 2,000 bottles
Panzano
Tasted twice with consistent results
A little sweet and nutty on the nose, boiled chestnut, dark, oily, slightly oxidized, soapy florals and dark extract of fruit nose. A bit larger scaled though without the requisite depth of flavor. This is large, a bit sweetly fruited up front, then a bit hollow with a fully exposed tannic finish there’s a smidge too much oxidation here and it’s just too tannic. 83pts
2021 La Croce Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 1,500 bottles
Castellina
Warm leather wrapped, spicy frutti del bosco fruitiness, showing earthy herb notes of caraway seeds, fennel, and rosewood. Bright, juicy wine shows some aged character. This is pleasant if a bit lean, It’s got good structural elements but the fruit is very light on the palate, which reveals a more savory fennel seed, and dried herb, dried rosemary character. Finishes on the short and austere side. 84pts
2021 Lamole di Lamole - Vigna Grospoli Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 7,000 bottles
Lamole
Dark, woodsy, balsamic aromas emerge from the glass along with dried spice notes and a damp soil tone. This is bright and juicy in the mouth. Very well proportioned, offering up lovely floral inflected bitter cherry fruit that shows fine persistence through the fairly long finish. It also displays a pronounced mineral character lending some verticality and bitterness through the finish. The palate gain a shade darker fruit as well as some deep tobacco notes. Lovely, just slightly understated, but with length, classical style and a strict elegance. 92pts
2021 Lamole di Lamole - Vigneto di Campolungo Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 19,000 bottles
Lamole
Heathery, almost a honey toned sweetness on the nose, black cherry fruit, black spices briar wood, perhaps a hint of the sea shore as well as some jerked beef. Smooth, rich, just this slightest impression of pleasant warmth on the entry. Taut on the palate, quite a classic impression here, a bit short, but it delivers a fairly important load of fruit, mushroom, leather, and stone on the palate and through the modest finish. Almost flamboyant. With a pretty traditional flavor profile. 91pts
2021 Le Cinciole - Aluigi Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 5,000 bottles
Panzano
Spicy and herbal on the nose, with rather dark, verging on back cherry fruit. Cedary top notes. Smooth and polished in the mouth. Good clarity to this with excellent cut and energy through the fairly long, succulent and saline finish. There’s a fine floral extract note wrapped up in this, it’s a bit coiled in on itself today but shows terrific balance and persistence to the fruit which has a wild edge, but is decidedly less dark than the nose suggests. The finish is driven by the tannins, but the fruit returns on the finale. This is very good, slightly modern feeling. With great balance, lift and persistence. 93pts
2021 Le Miccine Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 1,500 bottles
Gaiole
Briar, pipe tobacco, damp earth and slightly pruny aromas greet the nose, along with hints of blackberry, sage, and green peppercorn. Oh this is lovely. It’s just a bit past medium bodied, but it fills the mouth with etched, black berry fruit that is voluminous, yet diaphanous. Back cherry skins, fine soil notes, a hint of dried citrus peel, and then dried herbal notes take turns across the palate as this leads to a long, focused finish with terrific balance between the juicy acidity and the polished fine grained tannins. Nothing is out of place, it has the very unusually nature of filling the mouth then offering great focus on the finish. 95pts
2021 Monteraponi - Bragantino Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 1,500 bottles
Radda
Attested twice with consistent results
Very mineral and dusty on the nose, chalky, tobacco, smoke, lighter toned, wild berry fruit, green sage herbs, Smooth on entry, not large scaled but a bit dense, dark, burnished fruit, shows its time in wood, a touch of warmth on the finish, A bit extracted if rather traditional feeling, a pleasant balance of red fruit, Christmas cake, and leather and herb notes make for pleasant drinking, It’s pleasant with plenty of glycerine to fill the most and round out the palate, but it just bit clumsy, seems just a bit too oxidized as well. 84pts
2021. Nardi Viticoltori - Vigna del Pino Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 1,500 bottles
Castellina
Focused, bay leaf, tobacco leaf, lingonberry wild cherry fruited nose, with a suggestion of green fennel seed. Restrained on entry, lovely balance, there’s bit of bloodiness to this early on the palate followed by a racy mid palate laced with red fruit with touches of pomegranate, followed by some subtle wood spice and then dried herbal tones. Finishing with good length and focus. The wood is subtle but present, notably marking the finish but not intrusive. I rather like this, it has good weight and good energy, it’s a touch leaning toward the savory end of the spectrum, but does not lack fruit, the tannins are present but quite refined. It’s a bit modern but not overly polished. 92pts
2021 Ormanni Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 1,500 bottles
San Donato in Poggio
Very floral, hints of blood, fresh herbs, heather, and balsamic notes grace the nose. Cool and compact on entry. This is rather reserved at the moment, you can sense the fruit, quite pure, if lightly spicy and wild berry toned as it tries to push through the mid-palate and the moderately long finish but the tannins, finely grated and relatively sweet, are holding it back. This needs more time, its got excellent balance, and while the flavors struggle to make themselves known there is enough inner mouth perfume to offer decent conviction that this will blossom with 2-3 years of cellar time. It comes off as a gently mineral driven, balanced classic example of CC 93pts
2021. Podere Il Palazzino - Argentna Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 25,000 bottles
Gaiole
Sweet caroby wood greets the nose followed by a touch of latex, some bitter herbal notes and a distinct beefiness. Smooth and compact on entry, this is somewhat matte across the palate. There’s some nice fruit here, but it is rather firmly framed by its oak treatment. A lovely wine that perhaps spent too much time in wood. The finish feels extracted with excessive wood tannin. Make a statement but is not pleasurable. 83pts
2021. Rocca di Castagnoli - Stielle Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 15,000 bottles
Gaiole
Green herbs, dried lime zest, dried blood orange, very fresh smelling, briar, black cherry, a bit spicy, peppery, Smooth and polished on entry, this is a rather sleek wine. Lots of wild cherry fruit is well framed with dried blood orange, peppery, and green herbal nuances. It’s rather packed with fine grained sweetish tannins, and offers a lovely vein of minerality that emerges on the back end and grounds the long, wild berry fruit filled finish. A lovely wine that will please fruit lovers as well as those looking for something more complex. It is a bit dark and serious though. 93pts
2021. San Fabiano Calcinaia - Cellole Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
90% Sangiovese, 5% Canaiolo, 5% Colorino, 9,000 bottles
Castellina
Rich with aromas of dried tobacco, cigar tobacco, dried herbs, dried mushroom, light toast, and wild berry jam. Notably fresh on entry with an initial wave of fresh red frutti del bosco that is followed by a gently bitter twist of herb, then a layer of candied cherry, before yielding to a dusty light clay mineral note. This is fairly rich but light on its feet, delivers terrific depth of flavor and good persistence with lovely layered complexity. I like this maybe more than I should, its quite a gutsy glass of wine, it seem like it could age fairly well but I’m not sure this gets much better as it feels rather well designed. 93pts
2021 San Felice Toscana A.D. 714 - Poggio Rosso Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 8,000 bottles
Castelnuovo Berardenga
A bit inky and dark on the nose with a streak of walnut and a blend of asphalt and terpine herbal notes. There’s a light line of wood that is peaking out on top as well. Round, fairly opulent, more fruity in the mouth than the nose suggests with a lingering edge of sweetness to the candied cherry fruit. Medium plus bodied but not terribly firm, tannin comes off as on the softer side, barely. there A leatheriness emerges with air and the palate gains briary notes and a white chalky soil tone. The nuttiness remains and offers fine contrast to the delicate wild cherry fruit. This is greater than the sum of its parts. It shows a whisper of heat on the finish, but is a rather big, fairly bold rambunctious style of wine that is fun, if slightly challenging to drink. 91pts
2021. Savignola Paolina - 360° Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
90% Sangiovese, 10% Colorino, 3,400 bottles
Greve
Sweet, roasted sausages, pork fat, rosewood, rose petals, very sort of old lady florality,, some waxy lipstick notes. Focused at first then turns a bit too heavy lacks lift in the mouth, is full of dry, earth, old woody flavors, with decent length, but this comes off as a bit ponderous in the mouth. It’s got plenty of intensity to the flavors, with good mineral cut on the dry, modestly long finish. Just too Heavy. 82pts
2021 Tenuta Casenuove Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 2,900 bottles
Panzano
Tasted twice with consistent results
Grapefruit and sawdust aromas great the nose followed by cedar and red fruits. Smells like cheap pinot noir. Smooth, short, tannic, extracted. There is some sangiovese typicity struggling to emerge here but this just too tannic and extracted. 75pts
2021 Tenuta di Bibbiano - Vigna del Capannino Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 12,000 bottles
Castellina
Blood, flowers, sweet berry fruits, a strongly earthy, tobacco top note emerges with air, this smells like it comes from rich, damp soils. Tarry top note. Smooth, rich in the mouth, has a bloody leading edge followed by fine wild berry fruit flavors and then the soil note from the nose emerges and picks up steam. This has lovely acid driven energy across the moderately long finish. It’s well balanced, shows some hints of evolution already and pairs rather fresh orange oil tinged red fruits with that layered soil impression rather deftly. I don’t know that this is an ager but a safe bet over the short term. 91pts
2021 Tenuta di Lilliano Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 5,000 bottles
Castellina
Very herbal laced, dried herb, and dried spice scented nose, high toned and fresh, shows a lovely flinty, smoky, mineral top note layered over a meaty and juniper laced wild berry fruit. Medium bodied, quite poised and elegant on the palate. This lacks a bit of length but delivers a very pure, lightly mineral inflected mouthful of fresh wild berry fruits. There’s a sense of delicacy here, it’s not an intense wine but one that shows impressive finesse I love this for its nuance and delicacy. 90pts
2021 Tenuta di Nozzole - Giovanni Folonari Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 4,000 bottles
Greve
A bit dark on the nose, but also somewhat grapey and primary, The oak influence is obvious here with a spicy framing note slightly topping the intensity of the menthol, tobacco, and blood orange laced red fruits. Smooth, almost a bit compact in the mouth. This is bloody on the palate and quite long, tannins are very well judged lending support but never becoming intrusive, the acidity is refreshing, flavors shows hints of brick and roasted chestnut but remain quite red fruit driven across the palate. Gaining nuance and depth on the moderately long finish. This has all the pieces, it’s already delicious and fascinating but should improve at least over the next 2-4 years and drink well for the following decade. I like this, it is not particularly easy to drink but is absolutely not tiring to drink. 93pts
2021 Vecchie Terre di Montefili Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 5,000 bottles
Panzano
Sweet fruit, butchers wax, slightly high toner and floral on the nose, with a little oily seed base note. Rich and yet not large scaled, a lovely wine with a soft density filled with slightly confected red berry wild cherry fruit that lingers on the moderately long finish, where there are fine grained tannins offering good mouth grab. This is an easy to enjoy style, It’s not particular complex, has a subtle vanilla sweetness to it framing the fruit very well. Classic tannins paired with modern purity and intensity of fruit. Not my style but quite ood for what it is. It gains some more depth and strawberry seed bitterness on the lengthening finish. 91pts
2021 Viticcio - Prunaio Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 20,000 bottles
Montefioralle
High toned, floral slightly waxy with yellow fruits, bright, fresh, and gently herbal, tending towards green fennel seeds. Cool and composed in the mouth, lovely balance to this, it is fairly seamless, could be a bit brighter, but the flavors from its fine wash of minerality to the core of dried herb laced wild berry fruit is so well defined and the finish just floats along, The tannins ae very well managed here, almost fully integrated lending this a sleek, gently lush feel. The fruit is slightly understated at times, then gains lift from the support of the dusty, yellow mineral soil tones. This is a wonderful glass to drink, Perfectly proportioned, so well balanced, it’s far from a powerhouse but entices you with its finesse. 94pts
2020 Bindi Sergardi - Mocenni 89 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 7,000 bottles
Vagliagli
Deeply fragrant with lots of gently spicy red fruits greeting the nose, followed by jammy lingonberry notes, and some dried spice base notes. Sweet entry on the palate, a touch of cooked quality to the fruit up front, but this remains quite red, cherry pie filling toned. Very prominent fruit, might be the fruitiest wine of the day, it shows off the fruit nicely with a green herbal contrast note and some gentle clay and balsamic notes offering support. Turns more balsamic on the backplate with a roasted meat accent that leads to the clay, balsamic, and fresh tannin finish. Very well balanced, with a richness of flavors that is deceptive since this remains a well behaved medium bodied wine. With air the fruit does calm down a little but still stand above the soil, balsamic and herbal elements. 92pts
2020 Castellinuzza - Claudia Cinuzzi Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 1,500 bottles
Lamole
Very fragrant, pretty, very floral decidedly red fruited, some sandy soil tones and a hint of fruitwood smoke. I like this nose. A touch of sweet fruit on entry is followed by a rather restrained midpalate that stresses delicacy over intensity. A very light hand here indeed. It has no shortage of tannin or acid, and delivers its load of delicate fresh red fruit and citrus flavors, kind of candied tangerine with gentle floral nuances quite well. A sneaky wine, not sure where this goes but it is appealing for its nuance, delicacy, and sheerness. A contemplative wine to enjoy on its own or with light fare. 92pts
2020 Castello di Radda - Vigna il Corno Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 5,000 bottles
Radda
Dark with some forest floor and menthol notes accenting the core of wild and black cherry fruit. This has a coal, black spice note to it. Polished, very fine grained tannins, and fairly rich on the palate with terrific minerality washing across the moderately long finish. This has definite imprinted style to it, its rich, supple, voluptuous abut also firm enough and with an array of fruit, floral, candied spice and orange laced flavors. I think should prove to be quite popular though it feels a little forced to me. 89pts
2020 Castello di Verrazzano - Sassello Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 10,000 bottles
Montefioralle
Rather floral and high toned on the nose, this combines a gentle roasted edge of red fruit with fresher highlights, and fine pressed flower notes. Cool on the palate, a bit broad but not soft, almost strict with good transparency to the pollen laced, deep, wonderfully pure and bright wild berry fruit. It’s got only moderate length, but great lift and energy across the palate. The fruit is well framed by subtle soil driven elements and everything is laced together with these wonderful fresh tannins. Loose sandy soil tones and white mineral notes complete the package. Great freshness and zestiness here. 92pts
2020. Fattoria Santo Stefano - Santo Stefano Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
90% Sangiovese, 10% Colorino, 4,000 bottles
Greve
Cedary, VA, fruit leaning a bit towards blueberry, too much VA, Sweet fruited entry, soft tannins, VA is better contained on the palate, which is packed with fruit and fairly soft tannins. It’s a bit of a one two punch here, the fruit followed by leathery earthiness. Gains a smoky note on the nose. Rather ordinary and short 85pts
2020 Fabbri/Susanna Grassi - I Fabbri Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 1,300 bottles
Lamole
Earthy, floral, and minty on the nose, rather like peonies, with a dried grass top note and a core of red curranty fruit. Crisp, delicate up front, not lacking in flavors but definitely lightweight and airy, high elevation, wonderful nuance here, the tannins are crisp and firmly anchor the palate which reveals layers of yellow and fresh red fruit, polleny floral notes, hints of dandelion leaves, and sandy, saline soil tones run the finish. Very drinkable, already approachable but well balanced enough to age well for a decade. 92pts
2020 Rocca di Montegrossi - Vigneto San Marcellino Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
88% Sangiovese, 12% Pugnitello, 14,000 bottles
Gaiole
A bit tight on the nose, shows some echoes of oak aging, baked clay, slightly pruney fruit, seems like a hot site, dark woodsy fruit, oily, basil stem notes. Fresher in the mouth than the nose suggests, this is medium plus weight but fairly compact, it’s rich but not heavy. There’s a lot of depth to this on the palate, it is packed with very ripe and fine tannins, has a real cast of clay soil to it under the core of blackberry, black currant fruit. The soil tones and incipient tobacco notes really reverberate on the long, structured finish. A powerhouse though not overdone. Has a touch of a coffee bean streak running through it. This is totally. Impressive but less approachable than many of the wines tried today. Cellar it for 4-6 years then serve it with assertively flavored foods. 94pts
2020 Vecchie Terre di Montefili - Vinea Vecchia Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 2,500 bottles
Panzano
Tasted twice with consistent results
Smoky, heathery, sweet lingonberry and wild berry fruits, a bit spicy as well with a spicy soil driven base note. Sweetly fruited on entry, plumey,and purple, and still grapey fruit, quite bright on the attack, and then this really tightens up, the tannins are not massive yet they clamp down on the midpalate and feel very exposed on the moderately long finish, very dry. There’s enough fruit up front to suggest this will evolve well enough, but the tannins remain too firm to pass judgement.
2019 Losi Querciavalle - Losi Millennium Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
90% Sangiovese, 5% Canaiolo, 5% Malvasia Nera, 5,000 bottles
Castelnuovo Berardenga
A bit minty, menthol, balsamic, and leather on the nose, with some rosewood framing notes. Smooth, slightly monolithic in the mouth, a touch of a cooked feel here. Fresher on the finish with nice red fruits, but this is a very soil driven wine packed with ripe tannins,. It has a roasted, toasty cast to the palate which is rather particular and then that heavy grey clay feel to it. You have to want a heavy powerful wine to like this. Not for my palate. 85pts
2019 Podere Il Palazzino - Grosso Sanese Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 10,000 bottles
Gaiole
Subdued, a bit on the sour fruit side of things, sour leather notes, pressed flowers, fine lingonberry fruits, pleasantly aromatic and showing early signs of maturity with an incipient mushroom note. Lovely entry, balanced, rich , showing softening tannins, Then the tannins reassert themselves on the long finish. Nice wine shows off plenty of sweet, wild berry ,and slightly friary wild berry fruits topped with some dried mushroom and gentle herbal notes before transitioning to a lightly baked clay, ginger, dusty, gently austerely tannic finish. This has more than enough fruit to last, and is already a fun drink though it would benefit from being paired with good bistecca. 92pts
2019 Podere Lecci e Brocchi - Celerarium MCMLXVII Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 3,000 bottles
Castelnuovo Berardenga
Softly aromatic, gently floral, river water sort of petrichor, an oily nutty tone, all layered over small juniper tinger and slightly grapey fruit tones. Rather open and broad in the mouth, delivering a lovely blend of fresh and even grapey fruit with framing notes of pressed flowers, some soft soil tones a hit of pollen on the backend and a little streak of minerality running through the finish. A slightly pillowy wine, willowy tannins are still holding it together but it is gaining real volume in the mouth. The freshness of the fruit is attractive, and this does offer rather compelling inner mouth perfumes. 92pts
2018 Carus Gaudio Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
90% Sangiovese, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2,000 bottles
San Casciano
Tasted twice with consistent notes
Heavy, dark, and oily on the nose, very dark soil, tree bark and tar inflected aromatics. Has an oxidative edge on entry, showing fairly autumnal already. And yet it’s notably tannic. This is not going to end well. This tastes 5 years older and feels a year younger. Tasted twice with consistent notes. 75pts
2018 Fattoria di Lamole - Paolo Socci Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Castello di Lamole
100% Sangiovese, 2,000 bottles
Lamole
Very fragrant, starts off with a squirt of pomegranate followed by pollen floral notes, rich wild strawberry fruit, and this gentle sagey undertone. Smooth and polished in the mouth. There’s lovely earthiness to this, it’s got plenty of wild berry fruit with an animal sort of edge to it, but feels so unfettered, and pure. The tannins are present but small and fine grained, there is good lift through the palate and the moderately long, transparent and stony finish. This is great stuff. Pure, delicate but with some power, and wonderfully fragrant in the mouth. This feels like Lamole. 94pts
2016 Livernano Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Purosangue
100% Sangiovese, 4,000 bottles
Radda
A bit too woody on the nose, balsamic and woodsy, has some nice underlying fruit as well with a spicy character but tough to tell if that isn’t just the wood talking. Delivers quite the mouthful of fruit to the palate, fairly bright, nicely structured, a coulis of raspberry and wild cherry, its a touch short perhaps but a bit of fun, though its fairly front loaded there’s plenty of juicy acidity here, but the wood tannin also edges out the fruit on the finish. Not for me, but I can see the audience for this. 88pts
2022 Castellinuzza e Piuca Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Vigna Piuca
90% Sangiovese, 10% Canaiolo, 6,000 bottles
Lamole
Deep, white minerals, a powerful floral and fruit extract note, deep, old vines aromatics, briar wood, This smells distinct and compelling. Fairly rich on entry but not terribly weighty, just tons of depth and minerality on the palate, very particular, not an easy going wine but a huge terroir statement. There's so much depth here, the tannins are fine grained the acidity bright yet well integrated, lots of dry extract, the finish is a little short, but the palate is a bomb of minerality, fruit, briar, bitter cherry, and floral extracts. This is not for everyone, too much for many, Its an experience as much as its a wine. This will probably be very long lived, 3 decades. 95pts
2022 Borratella - Sasso del Borro Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese 5,000 bottles
Gaiole
Good freshness on the nose, smells quite crisp and sweet with a subtle black spice, medicinal undertone and some dried herbal oregano character. The sweetness shows up on the leading edge of the palate but the bright acid and fine grained tannins quickly lends this verticality in the mouth, Well balanced if bright and tending more towards a structured style with filigreed red fruit on the palate and sandy soil and dried herbal notes lending some complexity to the moderately long finish which shows a touch of heat. Relatively ready though the tannins could benefit from 1-3 years to help soften them but there doesn’t seem to be enough material here for extended aging. 89pts
2022 Capraia - Effe 55 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 7,000 bottles
Castellina
Dark, leathery, animal, musky, juniper and black cherry. Smooth, medium plus weight in the mouth, lovely layered feel with a slightly angular and bitter disposition, though this has great cut and definition on the palate. This feels fantastic in the mouth, and the kernel of fruit takes its time expanding on the palate, revealing great limestone depth, old vine feel, bitter cherry and cherry skin fruit that extends across the long, succulent and tense finish which shows off an exciting juxtaposition between the sweet, ripe well defined fruit and the suggestion of bitterness. Has a hint of grapefruit pith drawn out from the bitterness. Already drinking well. 94pts
2022 Casa Emma Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 8,000 bottles
San Donato in Poggio
Sweet cocoa and baking spice notes greet the nose followed by damp soil and damp tobacco notes framing a core of red cherry fruit. Gains more fresh herbal, almost spearmint notes with air. Sweet tart on entry, modest tannins are bristly, rainier cherry, lots of older wood influence, old leather, a suggestion of sweetness,,tannins emerge on the modest finish, rather sweet fruit tannins, This is fruity and delicious but not terribly complicated and the fruit doesn’t full cover the mineral and lightly tannic finish, flirts with rusticity. But still kind of delicious. 89pts
2022 Castagnoli - Salita Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 1,500 bottles
Castellina
Dark, shaved chocolate, a fancy oak top note, sweet with jammy, blackberry fruit. Broad on the palate, definitely marked by oak. Compact with an excess of wood tannin obscuring much of the palate. This comes off as a touch muddy and indistinct with a rather modest finish. A bit anonymous but undoubtedly well made. 84pts
2022 Castello di Albola - Il Solatio Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 5,000 bottles
Radda
Aromatic, rosewood and ginseng, slightly braised vegetal on the nose with a eucalyptus slant to the aromatics. Smooth and ample in the mouth, but not particularly fruit driven as the palate stays true to the aromatics. It’s nicely proportioned, light on the palate with good acids and modest tannins but it is already a rather savory, if not evolved wine. I don’t mind it but it is definitely rather lean. 87pts
2022 Castello di Bossi Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 30,000 bottles
Castelnuovo Berardenga
Big note of candied violets greets the nose followed by cedary wood, dried strawberry and minty herbal notes. Big on entry with a fair amount of fruit up front. Black berry toned, black cherry followed by a hint of mustiness and then a moderately strong cedar notes. The finish in modest in length, tending toward tannic with a nice dark soil and incipient tobacco tone. It feels sophisticated, but is a bit too tannic at the moment, it’s not the most typical of wines, but offers up some nice bing cherry fruit one the midpalate in a rather international style. 91pts
2022 Castello di Ama - San Lorenzo Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
80% Sangiovese, 13% Merlot, 7% Malvasia Nera, 70,000 bottles
Gaiole
Sweet on the nose, slightly caroby, Tree bark, forest floor, a subtle candied undertone, burnished cherry and wild berry fruit, juniper, just a rounding note of wood influence. Smooth and fairly rich on entry but retaining good liveliness on the palate. This is a rather full and deep mouthful of CCGS, there’s lovely mineral depth here that draws out the finish, lots of black cherry fruit, subtle notes of tobacco and bay leaf, a moderate juiciness through the finish. It is structured but balanced, I like this a lot, tannins are nicely present and pleasantly abundant. Not the most complex but a fine lusty example. 93pts
2022 Castello di Cacchiano - Millennio Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 4,700 bottles
Gaiole
Subtle on the nose with subtle oak influence melding with a more mineral, soil driven complexion. Nuanced with a red fruited raspberry, tight core. Lighter bodied, fresh with good white and wild cherry fruit, the tannins are a little aggressive at this point and this doesn’t have terrific covering material so it feels a bit raw on the moderately long slightly citrus pith and mineral earth tinged finish. Pleasant 87pts
2022 Castello di Fonterutoli - Vicoregio 36 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 13,000 bottles
Castelnuovo Berardenga
Touch of blueberry greets the nose, rather compact oak, tobacco, and dried herb nose with a subtle black fruited foundation. Smaller scaled, Subtle, this is tight but the finish really reveals lovely purity of fruit, limestone minerality, polished tannins, There’s little more cocoa toned oak here than I would prefer but the finish is so lively and succulent with so much better clarity than the palate that I have to give this the benefit of the doubt. Time will be kind here. Understated beauty 93pts
2022 Castello di Fonterutoli - Castello Fonterutoli Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 42,000 bottles
Castellina
Classic CC nose, damp soil, touch of salty minerality, tobacco, prosciutto fat, dried herbs, and a briar back note. Lean on entry, strict in the mouth, definitely not overdone, I was hoping for a little more depth here, but this is very transparent and rather light on the palate, though with a lovely rather more fruit driven finish with hints of blueberry framing the core of ranier cherry fruit. A subtle wine, a touch short. 89pts
2022 Castello di Fonterutoli - Badiola Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 9,200 bottles
Radda
Another wine marked by oak, joined by candied violets, smells sweet and candied, with lots of candied plum and blackberry notes. A bit matte on entry and slightly languid across the palate, there’s a bit of chew here, its dense, and fairly rich though quite smooth and supple at the same time, the acids perk up on the modest finish, a wine that is easy to drink, cocktail wine with a nice core of fruit and some pretty minerality but lacks a bit of interest. 88pts
2022 Castello di Gabbiano - Vigneto Cerbaiola Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 1,700 bottles
San Donato in Poggio
Earthy, leathery, nutty oak influence, kind of candied walnut, but at the same time fine herbal nuance emerges from the glass along with a touch of mintiness. Smooth yet transparent in the mouth, A nice wine, neither terribly complex nor terribly detailed, It at least is not forced, feeling quite like it was meant to feel. There’s modest red fruit here, a touch of bricky earth, some dried citrus pith and herbal notes that grace the modest finish. I would drink this. 88pts
2022 Castello di Meleto Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 25,000 bottles
Gaiole
Gently wood toned on the nose but mostly fruity with dark cherry fruit, briar wood, ginseng, and a sweet, candied top note. This is almost opulent in the mouth, bigger wine, rich, polished and smooth, lovely mouthfeel in this style, well endowed with rich, dark cherry fruit, a sheen of oak spice, and bitter cherry skin notes on the moderately long finish. It’s not the most typical example, though it does have a lovely mineral draped and citrus framed finish with a vibrant pop of acidity. The midpalate leans a touch modern but this is very well done and quite pretty and I think it will gain decent complexity with some aging. 93pts
2022 Castello di Volpaia - Il Puro Casanova Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 2,000 bottles
Radda
Blood, smoke, ash, leather, now we’re talking. Fine cherry and lingonberry fruit accented with an almost black pepper spiciness and floral top notes. Juicy on entry, this is a touch loose, could use some more tension in the mouth, the tannins are almost lush and sweet, this flows across the palate with the gentle viscosity of sweet tea before turning transparent, and taut on the modest finish. It is totally refreshing to drink and will go down easily while delivering modest lovely of fruit though with good savory intensity. Lots of stoniness on the finish. Nothing wrong here, glue glue CCGS. 90pts
2022 Castello la Leccia - Bruciagna Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 4,500 bottles
Castellina
Blood, mushroom, bayleaf, rosewood, and smoky notes top a core of rather pure red cherry fruit. Clear on the palate, lighter weight, but so well balanced, effortless wine, has terrific length. Wow, this offers elegance and finesse. Blood framed red plum and cherry fruit on the palate yields to an almost salty, mineral laden finish with fine worn wood and leather undertones. This is terrific, sophisticated, subtle and complete. I want to drink this, needs a year or two to help fully integrate the tannins but will drink well for more than decade. 96pts
2022 Colombaio di Cencio - Montelodoli Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 2,600 bottles
Gaiole
Effusively balsamic, juniper, wild berry fruit, chalky stony notes, a sweet and candied edge with a fennel pollen undertone. This delivers such pure fruit on entry, its slight more than medium weight but has exceptional depth and purity of fruit while remaining crustal clear and fresh, later arriving pollen, stone, and dried herb notes lend admirably complexity to the long finish but this remains fruit driven from start to finish. Well balanced, just a hint of glycerine richness, great mouth grab with rather formidable tannins totally subsumed by this diaphanous fruit. It doesn’t get much better than this. 97pts
2022 Conti Capponi - Vigna La Fornace Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 1,500 bottles
Montefioralle
Dark on the nose with a dank, old wood note, roasted chestnuts, iodine, a deep and severe medicinal extract of flowers. With a menthol top note. Old School. Austere on entry, laden with dry tannins, there’s a modicum of fruit here, but this a particularly well structured wine. It shows decent balance and has some fruit and savory flavor complexity but the tannins are so outsized that harmony at any point in its evolution is doubtful. What fruit is there is red with mint and mushroom accents. This is too severe. 84pts
2022 Conti Capponi - Vigna Bastignano Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 1,000 bottles
Montefioralle
Sweetly herbal, with a touch of sun dried tomato fruitiness, red fruit, white soil, blond cigar wrapper, a touch of cocoa powder. Light and fresh in the mouth with good tension, this is rather pretty with gentle streak of austerity grounding it. It’s quite classical cut, taut, bright with a slight edge of rustic astringency, leading to a modernly long finish with pressed flower and pollen notes. Understated but classic. 92pts
2022 Conti Capponi - Vigna Contessa Luisa Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 1,500 bottles
Montefioralle
Has some old wood notes on the nose, casks and chestnuts, lends this a sweet and slightly medicinal tone with black cherry fruit, ash and dried herb base notes, gains a splash of muddiness as well. Supple and moderately rich this delivers plenty of fruit and depth on the palate with great cut on the finish. Tannins are abundant and generally quite ripe yet this still retains a vein of authoritative austerity. The finish is moderately long with some casky sweetness accenting the core of deep, burnished wild cherry fruit. Lovely wine, very classically CC, there’s powdery dustiness on the palate, that doesn’t detract from the core of slightly meaty, burnished cherry fruit with its herbal and mineral framing notes. Gains complexity. 94pts
2022 Famiglia Zingarelli - Sergio Zingarelli Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese 12,000 bottles
Castellina
Blood, dried herbs, balsamic herbs, dried mushroom, old wood, juniper, wild cherry, very intense and explosive nose. Cool on the palate, elegant and refined, this is a bit tight, has some wood tannin compressing it on the palate, rather sophisticated and much more savory on the palate than the nose, this is all about dried herb, mineral earth, and dried mushrooms, on the strict, austere and long palate. It’s seriously a food wine, but lacks the fruit and suppleness that most drinkers prefer. An anti-flavor elite wine. 89pts
2022 Fattoria di Valiano - 6.38 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
90% Sangiovese, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Merlot, 26,000 bottles
Vagliagli
Sweet, notably sweet wood, raw beefy, red lingonberry and candied cherry fruits, this smell interesting and pretty good but not very CC, a touch high toned, Smooth on entry, sleek, a touch compact, delivers some candied fruits on the palate as well, but the whole is rather wrapped up in its savoriness. I can see this being a pointy wine but I don’t get it, it feels rather assembled to me, still it retains great acidity so it at least is refreshing. 85pts
2022 Fattoria di Valiano - San Lazzaro Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 10,000 bottles
Vagliagli
Heathery with a touch of wood influence touched by juniper and wild blueberry fruit, rust, blood, lingonberry, complex and nuanced. Clean and fresh in the mouth modest length, Offers great freshness in a rather easy drinking style, white and red cherry fruit is juicy and fresh, accented by some chalky mineral notes, a rusty tone and a nicely sapid finish. Not going to attract much attention but does the job fairly well, lacks a bit of covering material on the finish though. 90pts
2022 Fèlsina Colonia Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 6,000 bottles
Castelnuovo Berardenga
Underbrush, cherry fruit, some chalky stone, lots of dried herbal nuance. Smells enticing. Taut on the palate, lighter weight but with some depth, plenty of incredibly ripe and sweet tannins. This is verging on plush, delivers a fine core of herb streaked red cherry fruit that leads to a long, slightly hard, stony finish. Perfectly proportioned, lovely wine, not going to wow you but this should age exceptionally well, and is so succulent already. 94pts
2022 Fontodi - Vigna del Sorbo Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 25,000 bottles
Panzano
Earthy, balsamic, seashells, ginseng, sour cherry fruit, salted plums. Smells slightly dark and forbidding. Lighter on the palate than the nose suggests, though this delivers some serious concentration even if it is medium plus bodied. Great depth, old vines, terrific resonance on the long finish. Tannins are powerful, but ripe, acidity is perfectly balance. This is rich with dark cherry and wild berry fruits, framed with hints of dried herbs , strong clay soil tones and an incipient sottobosco note. Candied plum notes emerge on the backplate with some air. This is great, I will look forward to seeing how this evolves in the cellar. Give it 3-5 years and enjoy it for at least the decade following. 95pts
2022 Fontodi - San Leolino Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 5,000 bottles
Panzano
Smoky, slightly briary and meaty, rosewood, talc, and red berry fruit. Smooth and rich on entry, dark woodsy fruit is supported by angular and lightly astringent tannins, medium plus weight, good acidity keeps this fresh though it feels a touch dark and anonymous in the mouth, There’s lovely earthiness to this, the finish is a touch short, but all in all its’s a nice, bold, if uncomplicated wines. 90pts
2022 Fontodi - Pastrolo Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 2,000 bottles
Lamole
Floral, meaty, black cherry and tobacco nose. With a balsamic forest floor base note. Smooth, polished and elegant, this has two natures the front is all polished, modestly rich and fairly supple delivering nice burst of dark slightly plummy fruit, then this transition into a tense, slightly salty mineral laden and slightly austere finish, where the fruit turns gently redder. A wine with cut that already offers a certain approachability. It leans towards the modern style, and I think this will age well, but has little innate complexity so I expect this to turn fruitier with cellaring until the tertiary notes kick in. A safe bet. 92pts
2022 Isola delle Falcole - Le Falcole Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 3,000 bottles
Panzano
Dark, musky and rather floral on the nose with notes of tobacco and ink, deep earthiness, smells masculine. A touch compact but rather well endowed. There’s not too much weigh here but this has great depth and an old vine feel to it. Its fabulous on the palate with this twisted herb, earth, leather, and spicy black fruit core that pulsates between the ripe tannins on the long finish. Finishes with more weight and authority than it starts with. Love this, it alternates savory and fruity dominance through the long finish. Give it 3-5 years in the cellar then enjoy it for two decades. The tannins are so fine grained and this offers real succulent with a certain degree of authority. But is not tiring. A bit of a powerhouse but so well balanced. 95pts
2022 Istine - Vigna Casanova dell'Aia Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 3,900 bottles
Radda
Leather, briar, dried spice drawer, fenugreek, savory and slightly roast meaty with a core of spicy red berry red hots fruit. Enters with a suggestion of sweetness and roundness, Lovely understated wine, lots of minerality really grounds the palate. This is already approachable, it’s got a lovely combination of sweet red fruits, and assertive minerality with a long, elegant and austere finish. It is delicious, intense if not terribly complex. 92pts
2022 La Vigna di San Martino ad Argiano Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 375 bottles
San Casciano
Smells caroby, dates, figs, all dried fruit, root beer candy, dried meaty, lacks aromatic freshness. Powerful and very burnished in the mouth. One could charitably call this old school but it is austere, bitter, chewy, and slightly dull on the palate, There is some interest here but no pleasure. Too tannic, too ripe, and too oxidized. 75pts
2022 Le Filigare - Lorenzo Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 6,000 bottles
San Donato in Poggio
Tight and reticent on the nose, what one can sense is a certain fruitiness, some wood accents, and some dusty soil tones with a sense of notable ripeness coming from the candied, and slightly dried fruit overtone. Fairly large scaled and equally closed in the mouth. Formidable, tannic but the tannins are ripe, lots of suggestion of ripe, dark fruits, good length with supple tannins on the finale. It is slightly medicinal and the impression I get on the palate is also of a very ripe, dark fruited and slightly medicinal wine. JR but this is not convincing.
2022. Le Fonti/Panzano - Le Fonti Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 2,500 bottles
Panzano
Pretty nose, nice floral top notes, crystalline candied lingonberry and raspberry fruit, a hint of green olive or maybe caper berry, sage, Lighter styled, has a suggestion of sweetness to it, a gentle wine, still with good underlying structure, but modest yellow cherry fruit, paired with some stone, cherry pit, and gently green herbal notes. A fine wine but nothing notable, needs another 2 years or so but his is quite a classic if modest wine. 89pts
2022 Nittardi Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 9,000 bottles
Castellina
Meaty and leathery though also quite reticent, with vigorous aeration one can sense green herbal notes paired with a slightly cooked black cherry fruitiness. Chewy on entry, bigger scaled, fills the mouth but is also a touch hollow on the palate, big dark fruit dissipates quickly on the finish leaving drying tannins. A wine that make an impression with its mass but chooses to not leave an impression. Dry, not pleasant, and extracted. With bitter tannins. 78pts
2022 Pomona - L'Omino Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 2,500 bottles
Castellina
Tasted twice
Reticent on the nose, seems a bit closed, shows off some candied black cherry fruit and a polleny, floral note but subtly. Big, large scaled, smooth, deep, old vineyard. This is a powerhouse, it strikes me as a bit too extracted but we won’t know for years. There’s a lot of fruit here, along with mineral earthiness and an almost hickory nut core, but this is monstrously tannic. The finish is long and black fruited and while the tannins are ever present the fruit is holding on until end at the moment. I don’t know where this goes, it’s an extreme wine difficult to judge today. It’s easy to be impressed by its sheer mass today but I wonder if this has the fruit to outlast the tannins. A very tentative 93pts
2022 Pomona - Vigna del Termine Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 2,000 bottles
Vagliagli
Bright, floral and soil driven nose, blue flowers with a sapid white minerality, red cherry fruit and a white pepperiness. Lightish on the palate, smooth and generally supple, with modest tannins lending good support through the moderately long finish. This is a terroir marked wine, its so defined by its minerality and soil tones, that the fresh, delicate, floral, red fruit is easily overlooked. A wine of nuance, but one that should develop well in the cellar, such great cut here and refinement of the tannins. Underrated and easy to pass over. 93pts
2022 Querceto di Castellina - Sei Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 6,500 bottles
Castellina
Quite aromatic in a savory, herbal, damp earthen register, which I do like. Gains notes of tobacco, dried tomato, and spicy red berry fruit. Smooth, opulent, already light burnished fruit on the palate, good length, tannins are abundant yet soft, A bit larger scaled, easy drinking style with good complexity though it drinks a little more advanced than I would expect. It’s a good candidate for nearer term consumption. Enjoy it for its aromatic complexity which translates to fine inner mouth perfumes and a lovely core of feathery, red berry fruit that seems to grow in the glass. This might surprise over the medium term. I Am enjoying this more than might appear. 92pts
2022 Riecine - Vigna Gittori Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 6,000 bottles
Gaiole
Tight on the nose, shows some modest wood influence along with deep wild cherry fruit, ferrous minerality, orange rind and strong floral top notes. Smooth and compact on entry, this is very youthful, the tannins shift from fruit driven up front to a slight excess of wood tannin on the finish. But this remains elegant and refined. With wonderful balance. It remains quite tight but you can sense the depth of fruit, rich but not over-ripe and herbal and soil driven complicating notes struggle to emerge along with a white soil note on the relatively long finish. There is a touch of a lactic note early on the palate that needs to dissipate, but this a super example of a totally refined, elegant modern CCGS 95pts
2021 Acquadiaccia Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
90% Sangiovese, 10% Canaiolo, 2,000 bottles
Panzano
Sweet, slightly caroby accented, sweet root beer laced. jammy black cherry fruit. Opulent in the mouth, very supple tannins do offer some support, decent acidity, this is designed to be easy drinking, it offers plenty of dense dark fruits, framed with a light minty wood spice tone and some underlaying dark soil flavors. It really is not bad, a bit overdone perhaps but it manages to pair the effusive fruitiness with decent complexity in package that offers an approachable CC experience. I wouldn’t buy this but it has a distinct market niche. 90pts
2022 Ruffino - Riserva Ducale Oro Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
80% Sangiovese, 10% Merlot, 10% Colorino, 250,000 bottles
Castellina
Slightly subdued but quite classic aromatic profile of cherries, dried herbs, some older wood and a touch of dried meatiness. Lovely bitter cherry appears early on the palate followed by a rather tannic, slightly austere finish with leather and black spice notes. It’s gently smoky on the palate. Offers medium weight with the classic austerity of sangiovese. A textbook example of CC 91pts
2022 San Felice Toscana A.D. 714 - La Pieve Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
93% Sangiovese, 7% Pugnitello, 13,000 bottles
Castelnuovo Berardenga
Smoky, chestnut, marked by old wood with a depp herbal extract core, supporting dark, frutti del bosco fruits and a damp tobacco top note. A bit loose on the palate. This is leaning into its leatheriness, it’s a nice austere glass of CC, with enough gently sweet red fruit to offer enjoyment, but is slightly unforgiving in style. It’s nuanced and also leans towards the elegant side of things with subtle, but lovely and distinct herbal extract, sweet wild cherry and leather flavors. Quite classic. Will not impress many but this is a terrific wine for the dinner table. 91pts
2022 Terra di Seta - Assai Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 3,000 bottles
Vagliagli
Meaty, sulphur, smells of strong reduction. Fresh, lively and medium plus, almost full bodied. This is going to be lovely, it has great balance with lovely ripe tannins and firm acidity supporting a rather crystalline, if well endowed palate full of rich wild cherry berry fruit, dark soil tones, raspberry seeds, with great length, great tannins perfectly framing the finish, a blend of sweetness of fruit and austerity. Too bad about the reduction but I think this turn out to be moderately powerful in style but terrific. 94pts
2022 Terreno - ASofia Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 3,500 bottles
Greve
Chalky, floral, lighter on the nose, loose, sandy soil notes, a saline breezy seaside aspect to the nose, lovely. Lighter bodied in the mouth, not much length here but this is a pretty wine, shows modest detail but the palate doesn’t live up to the promise of the nose. I would guess it’s faithfully expressing its terroir, A lively wine, easy to drink but ultimately rather simple. 87pts
2022 Terreno - Sillano Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 3,000 bottles
Montefioralle
Dark, saline, brined olives, floral extract, a touch of shoe polish VA, black fruit, and meatiness. Sleek on entry, this is fairly coiled up on the palate, its a sleek, dark wine that shows some finesse, pairing its rather pure and fresh, if dark, black berry toned fruits with a mean streak of minerality. Strict austere style in a slightly modern package. This is a wine for the cellar. It’s slightly chewy today but you can sense the depth of that fruit. Not necessarily my style but you can sense the quality here. 93pts
2021 Altiero Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 1,500 bottles
Montefioralle
Rosewood, forest floor, walnut, wild berry fruit. Full bodied, deep, dark, tannic, leather dried fruit style of CC. This is rather front loaded with its aged fruit profile, the finish is dominated by very important tannins. It is old school and comes off as rustic, chewy and juicy. A throwback wine. Interesting to taste but not pleasurable. Very dry tannins. 83pts
2021. Arillo in Terrabianca - Vigna Terrabianca Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 3,300 bottles
Radda
There’s bit of eucalyptus here layered over a base of leather, slight VA inflected, white soil and balsamic tinged dark small berried fruit. A rather earthy and leathery example of well made classic CC. This is structured but approachable. And offers a nice balance of fresh and burnished fruit paired with gentle earth and mineral tones that all wraps up on a gently austere and tannin driven moderately long finish. Not great but appealingly classic. 89pts
2021 Ca' di Pesa - Burrone Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 3,000 bottles
Panzano
Nutty older oak notes frame the core of lingonberry/raspberry fruit here with its fine briar and stone base notes. Slightly understated, cool, and elegant, this is a wine of nuance, it offers great mineral cut on the palate, and fine length with a sheen of finely ripened fruit accenting the slightly thistly and leathery notes this picks up with air before it returns to a lovely finale of red fruit and dark minerality. This is lovely, a sneaky wine with appealing nuance and finesse. 92pts
2021 Cafaggio - Basilica Solatìo Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 10,000 bottles
Panzano
Big, fruity bowl of cherries nose well framed by notes of bay, walnut, green olive, and gentle sweet floral honeysuckle notes. This smells terrific. Lovely in the mouth modest if firm tannins, good acidity all tense across the palate, this offers real finesse, the clarity of the palate is so very attractive, the fruit is firmly it the red berry camp with just tthe mildest astringent lingonberry note. It’s all very firmly grounded by a fine mineral filagree and scented with a sweet pecan nuttiness, and some oily herbal nuance. The finish is long, graced with powdery tannins and dusty overall sheen. This is not powerful but is classic and impressive. It does need a year or three to round out, though there is no denying its current appeal. 95pts
2021 Carpineta Fontalpino - Vigna Dofana Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 5,000 bottles
Castelnuovo Berardenga
Dark, leathery, slightly oily and balsamic on the nose. Poppy seeds, dried beef, a little black fruits in spirits top note, Smooth and powerful, rich with dark fruits, smooth, rich with relatively soft tannins, this is a mouthful, while it is well balanced and remains fresh it lacks nuance and complexity. It has the dark complexion promised by the nose, black cherry fruit, oily wood, dark earth, tree bark, and a touch of black spices. If you prefer a powerful CC, this is for you. It’s not bad, as the fruit does redden up slightly with air but this is too tannic and too drastic for my palate. It does make a bold statement. 87pts
2021 Carpineta Fontalpino - Vigna Montaperto Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 5,000 bottles
Castelnuovo Berardenga
Sweetly green herbal on the nose with a powdery floral overtone and a core of spicy, dark, frutti del bosco laced with porcini dust. Sleek and rather polished on entry, though this feels a little closed. It does have lovely burnished yellow and red cherry fruit that gains a spicy nuance on the backend before transitioning to a modest finish graced with powdery tannins. A bit understated, cut from rather classical cloth, this is appealing with its vague sanguine and bitter notes gracing the moderately long finish. Slightly more structural than flavor intensity makes this a little difficult to pair with food, it needs simple and slightly fatty dishes, but should age into something more refined over the medium term. 90pts
2021 Casale dello Sparviero - Paronza Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 20,000 bottles
Castellina
Bright, high toned, butcher’s wax, slightly smoky, grapevine smoke, herbal, yellow flowers, rainier cherry. Rather lighter weight but deep with a fine vein of slightly bitter minerality accenting the core of fruit on the palate, with its uncovered structural elements which somehow regroups on the finish where the fruit, floral, and gently leather nature of the wine returns. This is not for everybody, it might be for almost nobody, but I find it fascinating., crunchy, slightly bitter, mineral laden then a burst of sweet fruit followed by fine grained and almost ripe tannins. It needs food but has everything else for a lovely terroir driven experience. 92pts
2021 Castelli del Grevepesa/Valvirginio - Clemente VII Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 8,000 bottles
San Casciano
Slightly jammy on the nose, pollen and floral over a base of sweet wild raspberry fruit. There’s a suggestion of smokiness here along with a dusty soil tone. Relatively highly styled, a bit chewy though, The fruit is just about covered by bitter herbal and soil tones with a prosciutto fat note on the backend leading to pollen and sandy notes on the fishes. Pleasant if undistinguished. 86pts
2021 Castello di Monsanto - Vigna Il Poggio Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
95% Sangiovese, 3% Colorino, 2% Canaiolo, 25,000 bottles
San Donato in Poggio
Earthy, leathery, huge notes of herbal extract, ricola, along with a hint of barnyard and smoky, burnt toast notes layered over jammy black cherry fruit. Smooth, rather on the richer side of things. This shows super herbal extract notes on the palate, braised leafy greens paired with rather pure, if slightly jammy red cherry fruit, followed by touches of blood, a dried citrus twist, and some subtle mineral laced soil tones. Really engaging, This remains admirably transparent on the mouth with perfect acidity and tannins that are firm, slightly austere but totally unobtrusive. A classic wine. Not the most fruit driven, give it 3-4 years to settle down. 95pts
2021 Dievole - Vigna Sessina Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 9,000 bottles
Vagliagli
Very perfumed, very floral but also fairly medicinal with powdery vitamin notes paired with a touch of blood orange, lilac, fresh wild strawberry, complex, airy, smells high altitude. Lightish on entry, sparse willowy tannins, fruit that shows great freshness and subtlety, clear on the palate, rather sandy undertones, floral again in the mouth. Totally refined, elegant and understated. This is delicious, it finishes with golden and red raspberry fruits, floral notes, those sparse tannins that lend this its airiness, A rather lightweight wine, so keep that in mind, and not the most complex, but what it offers is lovely balance and definition. 93pts
2021 Frescobaldi - Rialzi Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 15,000 bottles
Gaiole
Concentrated and extracted fruitiness greets the nose, black cherry jamminess, a little lime zest, some seeds. Nicely concentrated but light-footed in the mouth. Wow this is not what the nose sets you up for. Lovely small core of wild cherry fruit, fine grained tannins, a subtle juiciness, then a moderately filigreed finish. There is a little lactic streak to this that I am not a fan of, but this is showing quite well with immediate appeal, due to its pronounced fresh red berry fruitiness. It’s a touch short, but goes down easily with enough structure to warrant a few years cellaring. 92pts
2021 Gagliole - Pecchia Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 2,000 bottles
Panzano
Tasted twice with consistent results
A little sweet and nutty on the nose, boiled chestnut, dark, oily, slightly oxidized, soapy florals and dark extract of fruit nose. A bit larger scaled though without the requisite depth of flavor. This is large, a bit sweetly fruited up front, then a bit hollow with a fully exposed tannic finish there’s a smidge too much oxidation here and it’s just too tannic. 83pts
2021 La Croce Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 1,500 bottles
Castellina
Warm leather wrapped, spicy frutti del bosco fruitiness, showing earthy herb notes of caraway seeds, fennel, and rosewood. Bright, juicy wine shows some aged character. This is pleasant if a bit lean, It’s got good structural elements but the fruit is very light on the palate, which reveals a more savory fennel seed, and dried herb, dried rosemary character. Finishes on the short and austere side. 84pts
2021 Lamole di Lamole - Vigna Grospoli Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 7,000 bottles
Lamole
Dark, woodsy, balsamic aromas emerge from the glass along with dried spice notes and a damp soil tone. This is bright and juicy in the mouth. Very well proportioned, offering up lovely floral inflected bitter cherry fruit that shows fine persistence through the fairly long finish. It also displays a pronounced mineral character lending some verticality and bitterness through the finish. The palate gain a shade darker fruit as well as some deep tobacco notes. Lovely, just slightly understated, but with length, classical style and a strict elegance. 92pts
2021 Lamole di Lamole - Vigneto di Campolungo Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 19,000 bottles
Lamole
Heathery, almost a honey toned sweetness on the nose, black cherry fruit, black spices briar wood, perhaps a hint of the sea shore as well as some jerked beef. Smooth, rich, just this slightest impression of pleasant warmth on the entry. Taut on the palate, quite a classic impression here, a bit short, but it delivers a fairly important load of fruit, mushroom, leather, and stone on the palate and through the modest finish. Almost flamboyant. With a pretty traditional flavor profile. 91pts
2021 Le Cinciole - Aluigi Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 5,000 bottles
Panzano
Spicy and herbal on the nose, with rather dark, verging on back cherry fruit. Cedary top notes. Smooth and polished in the mouth. Good clarity to this with excellent cut and energy through the fairly long, succulent and saline finish. There’s a fine floral extract note wrapped up in this, it’s a bit coiled in on itself today but shows terrific balance and persistence to the fruit which has a wild edge, but is decidedly less dark than the nose suggests. The finish is driven by the tannins, but the fruit returns on the finale. This is very good, slightly modern feeling. With great balance, lift and persistence. 93pts
2021 Le Miccine Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 1,500 bottles
Gaiole
Briar, pipe tobacco, damp earth and slightly pruny aromas greet the nose, along with hints of blackberry, sage, and green peppercorn. Oh this is lovely. It’s just a bit past medium bodied, but it fills the mouth with etched, black berry fruit that is voluminous, yet diaphanous. Back cherry skins, fine soil notes, a hint of dried citrus peel, and then dried herbal notes take turns across the palate as this leads to a long, focused finish with terrific balance between the juicy acidity and the polished fine grained tannins. Nothing is out of place, it has the very unusually nature of filling the mouth then offering great focus on the finish. 95pts
2021 Monteraponi - Bragantino Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 1,500 bottles
Radda
Attested twice with consistent results
Very mineral and dusty on the nose, chalky, tobacco, smoke, lighter toned, wild berry fruit, green sage herbs, Smooth on entry, not large scaled but a bit dense, dark, burnished fruit, shows its time in wood, a touch of warmth on the finish, A bit extracted if rather traditional feeling, a pleasant balance of red fruit, Christmas cake, and leather and herb notes make for pleasant drinking, It’s pleasant with plenty of glycerine to fill the most and round out the palate, but it just bit clumsy, seems just a bit too oxidized as well. 84pts
2021. Nardi Viticoltori - Vigna del Pino Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 1,500 bottles
Castellina
Focused, bay leaf, tobacco leaf, lingonberry wild cherry fruited nose, with a suggestion of green fennel seed. Restrained on entry, lovely balance, there’s bit of bloodiness to this early on the palate followed by a racy mid palate laced with red fruit with touches of pomegranate, followed by some subtle wood spice and then dried herbal tones. Finishing with good length and focus. The wood is subtle but present, notably marking the finish but not intrusive. I rather like this, it has good weight and good energy, it’s a touch leaning toward the savory end of the spectrum, but does not lack fruit, the tannins are present but quite refined. It’s a bit modern but not overly polished. 92pts
2021 Ormanni Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 1,500 bottles
San Donato in Poggio
Very floral, hints of blood, fresh herbs, heather, and balsamic notes grace the nose. Cool and compact on entry. This is rather reserved at the moment, you can sense the fruit, quite pure, if lightly spicy and wild berry toned as it tries to push through the mid-palate and the moderately long finish but the tannins, finely grated and relatively sweet, are holding it back. This needs more time, its got excellent balance, and while the flavors struggle to make themselves known there is enough inner mouth perfume to offer decent conviction that this will blossom with 2-3 years of cellar time. It comes off as a gently mineral driven, balanced classic example of CC 93pts
2021. Podere Il Palazzino - Argentna Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 25,000 bottles
Gaiole
Sweet caroby wood greets the nose followed by a touch of latex, some bitter herbal notes and a distinct beefiness. Smooth and compact on entry, this is somewhat matte across the palate. There’s some nice fruit here, but it is rather firmly framed by its oak treatment. A lovely wine that perhaps spent too much time in wood. The finish feels extracted with excessive wood tannin. Make a statement but is not pleasurable. 83pts
2021. Rocca di Castagnoli - Stielle Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 15,000 bottles
Gaiole
Green herbs, dried lime zest, dried blood orange, very fresh smelling, briar, black cherry, a bit spicy, peppery, Smooth and polished on entry, this is a rather sleek wine. Lots of wild cherry fruit is well framed with dried blood orange, peppery, and green herbal nuances. It’s rather packed with fine grained sweetish tannins, and offers a lovely vein of minerality that emerges on the back end and grounds the long, wild berry fruit filled finish. A lovely wine that will please fruit lovers as well as those looking for something more complex. It is a bit dark and serious though. 93pts
2021. San Fabiano Calcinaia - Cellole Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
90% Sangiovese, 5% Canaiolo, 5% Colorino, 9,000 bottles
Castellina
Rich with aromas of dried tobacco, cigar tobacco, dried herbs, dried mushroom, light toast, and wild berry jam. Notably fresh on entry with an initial wave of fresh red frutti del bosco that is followed by a gently bitter twist of herb, then a layer of candied cherry, before yielding to a dusty light clay mineral note. This is fairly rich but light on its feet, delivers terrific depth of flavor and good persistence with lovely layered complexity. I like this maybe more than I should, its quite a gutsy glass of wine, it seem like it could age fairly well but I’m not sure this gets much better as it feels rather well designed. 93pts
2021 San Felice Toscana A.D. 714 - Poggio Rosso Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 8,000 bottles
Castelnuovo Berardenga
A bit inky and dark on the nose with a streak of walnut and a blend of asphalt and terpine herbal notes. There’s a light line of wood that is peaking out on top as well. Round, fairly opulent, more fruity in the mouth than the nose suggests with a lingering edge of sweetness to the candied cherry fruit. Medium plus bodied but not terribly firm, tannin comes off as on the softer side, barely. there A leatheriness emerges with air and the palate gains briary notes and a white chalky soil tone. The nuttiness remains and offers fine contrast to the delicate wild cherry fruit. This is greater than the sum of its parts. It shows a whisper of heat on the finish, but is a rather big, fairly bold rambunctious style of wine that is fun, if slightly challenging to drink. 91pts
2021. Savignola Paolina - 360° Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
90% Sangiovese, 10% Colorino, 3,400 bottles
Greve
Sweet, roasted sausages, pork fat, rosewood, rose petals, very sort of old lady florality,, some waxy lipstick notes. Focused at first then turns a bit too heavy lacks lift in the mouth, is full of dry, earth, old woody flavors, with decent length, but this comes off as a bit ponderous in the mouth. It’s got plenty of intensity to the flavors, with good mineral cut on the dry, modestly long finish. Just too Heavy. 82pts
2021 Tenuta Casenuove Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 2,900 bottles
Panzano
Tasted twice with consistent results
Grapefruit and sawdust aromas great the nose followed by cedar and red fruits. Smells like cheap pinot noir. Smooth, short, tannic, extracted. There is some sangiovese typicity struggling to emerge here but this just too tannic and extracted. 75pts
2021 Tenuta di Bibbiano - Vigna del Capannino Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 12,000 bottles
Castellina
Blood, flowers, sweet berry fruits, a strongly earthy, tobacco top note emerges with air, this smells like it comes from rich, damp soils. Tarry top note. Smooth, rich in the mouth, has a bloody leading edge followed by fine wild berry fruit flavors and then the soil note from the nose emerges and picks up steam. This has lovely acid driven energy across the moderately long finish. It’s well balanced, shows some hints of evolution already and pairs rather fresh orange oil tinged red fruits with that layered soil impression rather deftly. I don’t know that this is an ager but a safe bet over the short term. 91pts
2021 Tenuta di Lilliano Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 5,000 bottles
Castellina
Very herbal laced, dried herb, and dried spice scented nose, high toned and fresh, shows a lovely flinty, smoky, mineral top note layered over a meaty and juniper laced wild berry fruit. Medium bodied, quite poised and elegant on the palate. This lacks a bit of length but delivers a very pure, lightly mineral inflected mouthful of fresh wild berry fruits. There’s a sense of delicacy here, it’s not an intense wine but one that shows impressive finesse I love this for its nuance and delicacy. 90pts
2021 Tenuta di Nozzole - Giovanni Folonari Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 4,000 bottles
Greve
A bit dark on the nose, but also somewhat grapey and primary, The oak influence is obvious here with a spicy framing note slightly topping the intensity of the menthol, tobacco, and blood orange laced red fruits. Smooth, almost a bit compact in the mouth. This is bloody on the palate and quite long, tannins are very well judged lending support but never becoming intrusive, the acidity is refreshing, flavors shows hints of brick and roasted chestnut but remain quite red fruit driven across the palate. Gaining nuance and depth on the moderately long finish. This has all the pieces, it’s already delicious and fascinating but should improve at least over the next 2-4 years and drink well for the following decade. I like this, it is not particularly easy to drink but is absolutely not tiring to drink. 93pts
2021 Vecchie Terre di Montefili Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 5,000 bottles
Panzano
Sweet fruit, butchers wax, slightly high toner and floral on the nose, with a little oily seed base note. Rich and yet not large scaled, a lovely wine with a soft density filled with slightly confected red berry wild cherry fruit that lingers on the moderately long finish, where there are fine grained tannins offering good mouth grab. This is an easy to enjoy style, It’s not particular complex, has a subtle vanilla sweetness to it framing the fruit very well. Classic tannins paired with modern purity and intensity of fruit. Not my style but quite ood for what it is. It gains some more depth and strawberry seed bitterness on the lengthening finish. 91pts
2021 Viticcio - Prunaio Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 20,000 bottles
Montefioralle
High toned, floral slightly waxy with yellow fruits, bright, fresh, and gently herbal, tending towards green fennel seeds. Cool and composed in the mouth, lovely balance to this, it is fairly seamless, could be a bit brighter, but the flavors from its fine wash of minerality to the core of dried herb laced wild berry fruit is so well defined and the finish just floats along, The tannins ae very well managed here, almost fully integrated lending this a sleek, gently lush feel. The fruit is slightly understated at times, then gains lift from the support of the dusty, yellow mineral soil tones. This is a wonderful glass to drink, Perfectly proportioned, so well balanced, it’s far from a powerhouse but entices you with its finesse. 94pts
2020 Bindi Sergardi - Mocenni 89 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 7,000 bottles
Vagliagli
Deeply fragrant with lots of gently spicy red fruits greeting the nose, followed by jammy lingonberry notes, and some dried spice base notes. Sweet entry on the palate, a touch of cooked quality to the fruit up front, but this remains quite red, cherry pie filling toned. Very prominent fruit, might be the fruitiest wine of the day, it shows off the fruit nicely with a green herbal contrast note and some gentle clay and balsamic notes offering support. Turns more balsamic on the backplate with a roasted meat accent that leads to the clay, balsamic, and fresh tannin finish. Very well balanced, with a richness of flavors that is deceptive since this remains a well behaved medium bodied wine. With air the fruit does calm down a little but still stand above the soil, balsamic and herbal elements. 92pts
2020 Castellinuzza - Claudia Cinuzzi Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 1,500 bottles
Lamole
Very fragrant, pretty, very floral decidedly red fruited, some sandy soil tones and a hint of fruitwood smoke. I like this nose. A touch of sweet fruit on entry is followed by a rather restrained midpalate that stresses delicacy over intensity. A very light hand here indeed. It has no shortage of tannin or acid, and delivers its load of delicate fresh red fruit and citrus flavors, kind of candied tangerine with gentle floral nuances quite well. A sneaky wine, not sure where this goes but it is appealing for its nuance, delicacy, and sheerness. A contemplative wine to enjoy on its own or with light fare. 92pts
2020 Castello di Radda - Vigna il Corno Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 5,000 bottles
Radda
Dark with some forest floor and menthol notes accenting the core of wild and black cherry fruit. This has a coal, black spice note to it. Polished, very fine grained tannins, and fairly rich on the palate with terrific minerality washing across the moderately long finish. This has definite imprinted style to it, its rich, supple, voluptuous abut also firm enough and with an array of fruit, floral, candied spice and orange laced flavors. I think should prove to be quite popular though it feels a little forced to me. 89pts
2020 Castello di Verrazzano - Sassello Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 10,000 bottles
Montefioralle
Rather floral and high toned on the nose, this combines a gentle roasted edge of red fruit with fresher highlights, and fine pressed flower notes. Cool on the palate, a bit broad but not soft, almost strict with good transparency to the pollen laced, deep, wonderfully pure and bright wild berry fruit. It’s got only moderate length, but great lift and energy across the palate. The fruit is well framed by subtle soil driven elements and everything is laced together with these wonderful fresh tannins. Loose sandy soil tones and white mineral notes complete the package. Great freshness and zestiness here. 92pts
2020. Fattoria Santo Stefano - Santo Stefano Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
90% Sangiovese, 10% Colorino, 4,000 bottles
Greve
Cedary, VA, fruit leaning a bit towards blueberry, too much VA, Sweet fruited entry, soft tannins, VA is better contained on the palate, which is packed with fruit and fairly soft tannins. It’s a bit of a one two punch here, the fruit followed by leathery earthiness. Gains a smoky note on the nose. Rather ordinary and short 85pts
2020 Fabbri/Susanna Grassi - I Fabbri Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 1,300 bottles
Lamole
Earthy, floral, and minty on the nose, rather like peonies, with a dried grass top note and a core of red curranty fruit. Crisp, delicate up front, not lacking in flavors but definitely lightweight and airy, high elevation, wonderful nuance here, the tannins are crisp and firmly anchor the palate which reveals layers of yellow and fresh red fruit, polleny floral notes, hints of dandelion leaves, and sandy, saline soil tones run the finish. Very drinkable, already approachable but well balanced enough to age well for a decade. 92pts
2020 Rocca di Montegrossi - Vigneto San Marcellino Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
88% Sangiovese, 12% Pugnitello, 14,000 bottles
Gaiole
A bit tight on the nose, shows some echoes of oak aging, baked clay, slightly pruney fruit, seems like a hot site, dark woodsy fruit, oily, basil stem notes. Fresher in the mouth than the nose suggests, this is medium plus weight but fairly compact, it’s rich but not heavy. There’s a lot of depth to this on the palate, it is packed with very ripe and fine tannins, has a real cast of clay soil to it under the core of blackberry, black currant fruit. The soil tones and incipient tobacco notes really reverberate on the long, structured finish. A powerhouse though not overdone. Has a touch of a coffee bean streak running through it. This is totally. Impressive but less approachable than many of the wines tried today. Cellar it for 4-6 years then serve it with assertively flavored foods. 94pts
2020 Vecchie Terre di Montefili - Vinea Vecchia Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 2,500 bottles
Panzano
Tasted twice with consistent results
Smoky, heathery, sweet lingonberry and wild berry fruits, a bit spicy as well with a spicy soil driven base note. Sweetly fruited on entry, plumey,and purple, and still grapey fruit, quite bright on the attack, and then this really tightens up, the tannins are not massive yet they clamp down on the midpalate and feel very exposed on the moderately long finish, very dry. There’s enough fruit up front to suggest this will evolve well enough, but the tannins remain too firm to pass judgement.
2019 Losi Querciavalle - Losi Millennium Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
90% Sangiovese, 5% Canaiolo, 5% Malvasia Nera, 5,000 bottles
Castelnuovo Berardenga
A bit minty, menthol, balsamic, and leather on the nose, with some rosewood framing notes. Smooth, slightly monolithic in the mouth, a touch of a cooked feel here. Fresher on the finish with nice red fruits, but this is a very soil driven wine packed with ripe tannins,. It has a roasted, toasty cast to the palate which is rather particular and then that heavy grey clay feel to it. You have to want a heavy powerful wine to like this. Not for my palate. 85pts
2019 Podere Il Palazzino - Grosso Sanese Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 10,000 bottles
Gaiole
Subdued, a bit on the sour fruit side of things, sour leather notes, pressed flowers, fine lingonberry fruits, pleasantly aromatic and showing early signs of maturity with an incipient mushroom note. Lovely entry, balanced, rich , showing softening tannins, Then the tannins reassert themselves on the long finish. Nice wine shows off plenty of sweet, wild berry ,and slightly friary wild berry fruits topped with some dried mushroom and gentle herbal notes before transitioning to a lightly baked clay, ginger, dusty, gently austerely tannic finish. This has more than enough fruit to last, and is already a fun drink though it would benefit from being paired with good bistecca. 92pts
2019 Podere Lecci e Brocchi - Celerarium MCMLXVII Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese, 3,000 bottles
Castelnuovo Berardenga
Softly aromatic, gently floral, river water sort of petrichor, an oily nutty tone, all layered over small juniper tinger and slightly grapey fruit tones. Rather open and broad in the mouth, delivering a lovely blend of fresh and even grapey fruit with framing notes of pressed flowers, some soft soil tones a hit of pollen on the backend and a little streak of minerality running through the finish. A slightly pillowy wine, willowy tannins are still holding it together but it is gaining real volume in the mouth. The freshness of the fruit is attractive, and this does offer rather compelling inner mouth perfumes. 92pts
2018 Carus Gaudio Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
90% Sangiovese, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2,000 bottles
San Casciano
Tasted twice with consistent notes
Heavy, dark, and oily on the nose, very dark soil, tree bark and tar inflected aromatics. Has an oxidative edge on entry, showing fairly autumnal already. And yet it’s notably tannic. This is not going to end well. This tastes 5 years older and feels a year younger. Tasted twice with consistent notes. 75pts
2018 Fattoria di Lamole - Paolo Socci Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Castello di Lamole
100% Sangiovese, 2,000 bottles
Lamole
Very fragrant, starts off with a squirt of pomegranate followed by pollen floral notes, rich wild strawberry fruit, and this gentle sagey undertone. Smooth and polished in the mouth. There’s lovely earthiness to this, it’s got plenty of wild berry fruit with an animal sort of edge to it, but feels so unfettered, and pure. The tannins are present but small and fine grained, there is good lift through the palate and the moderately long, transparent and stony finish. This is great stuff. Pure, delicate but with some power, and wonderfully fragrant in the mouth. This feels like Lamole. 94pts
2016 Livernano Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Purosangue
100% Sangiovese, 4,000 bottles
Radda
A bit too woody on the nose, balsamic and woodsy, has some nice underlying fruit as well with a spicy character but tough to tell if that isn’t just the wood talking. Delivers quite the mouthful of fruit to the palate, fairly bright, nicely structured, a coulis of raspberry and wild cherry, its a touch short perhaps but a bit of fun, though its fairly front loaded there’s plenty of juicy acidity here, but the wood tannin also edges out the fruit on the finish. Not for me, but I can see the audience for this. 88pts
2022 Castellinuzza e Piuca Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Vigna Piuca
90% Sangiovese, 10% Canaiolo, 6,000 bottles
Lamole
Deep, white minerals, a powerful floral and fruit extract note, deep, old vines aromatics, briar wood, This smells distinct and compelling. Fairly rich on entry but not terribly weighty, just tons of depth and minerality on the palate, very particular, not an easy going wine but a huge terroir statement. There's so much depth here, the tannins are fine grained the acidity bright yet well integrated, lots of dry extract, the finish is a little short, but the palate is a bomb of minerality, fruit, briar, bitter cherry, and floral extracts. This is not for everyone, too much for many, Its an experience as much as its a wine. This will probably be very long lived, 3 decades. 95pts