Chianti & Chianti Classico 2019

Cellole Gran Selezione impresses with its usual elegance and sophistication. Its masterfully balanced flavour profile of wild berry and blackberry with cassis, blueberry and candied rose is fantastic. On closer inspection, the wine reveals orange peel, rosemary and iron ore. It is a silky and elegant wine with some firm tannin, lots of bright fruit and a hint of crisp acidity. Undoubtedly a great wine with great potential! SUPERIORE.DE

Cultus is Latin for "cultivation, care and veneration". The name says it all: this wine honours tradition by reinterpreting it. Where the house's classic Riserva relies on tried and tested structures, Cultus dares to take a longer breath. Forty days of maceration instead of the usual three weeks, Sangiovese supplemented by the historical companions Colorino, Canaiolo and Ciliegiolo – all from massalselection of the estate's oldest vines. The vineyards are located at an altitude of 250 to 330 metres, on clayey loam over limestone, organically farmed since 1995 and certified since 2003. The 2019 vintage brought ideal conditions: early budding in the warm spring, balancing rainfall into the summer, then perfect ripeness.

A tribute to Luigi, Valeria's father, without whose support the life project of Valeria Viganò and Luca Orsini in Panzano would never have been realised. Aluigi embodies the highest level of the art of Sangiovese from Le Cinciole – only 4,000 bottles are produced annually from the single vineyard "Campo ai Peri". This Gran Selezione comes from organically cultivated vineyards at an altitude of 440 metres, where south-west-facing vines are rooted in the characteristic Galestro soil over sandstone. The traditionally dense planting of 9,000 vines per hectare and the cool, high-altitude climate give the wine its characteristic elegance and complexity. Vinification follows the original principles of the estate: hand-picking and careful selection of the grapes, spontaneous fermentation with wild yeasts in cement tanks for four weeks. After malolactic fermentation, the wine matures for 24 months in French oak barrels of 25 hectolitres, followed by a further year in concrete and twelve months of bottle ageing.

Vigna San Marcellino Gran Selezione is both youthfully fresh and ripe and complexly muscular. It contains a healthy dose of the deeply coloured Pugnitello grape, and on the nose liquorice, tarragon and broom mingle with lush plum and subtle roasted aromas that are highly seductive in their complexity. Deep, taut and lively on the palate, loaded with black cherry and rich, velvety tannins. The texture is silky, while subtle chalky notes and a salty minerality give it plenty of energy and lead it into a juicy, refreshing finish. Vigna San Marcellino is a convincing wine with enormous ageing potential every year. SUPERIORE.DE

Poggio Rosso Gran Selezione has an enormous abundance of fruit that is beautifully layered. A very beautiful interpretation of the Sangiovese grape with a dense core and plenty of padding around it. Rich ruby-garnet colour, very fine texture and structure on the palate, which only reveals itself fully with the necessary time in the glass. It is full of tension and power in its youth, the acidity and the well-built tannins are programmed for development, as it will only develop its full elegance and greatness in a few years. SUPERIORE.DE

Deep ruby red colour, as expected from a good traditionally and organically produced wine. A wonderful, elegant and open-hearted aroma spectrum between sour cherry and nutmeg. Clear and savoury on the palate, beautifully balanced and with plenty of youthful freshness and minerality on the long finish. This medium-bodied Riserva is already drinking well today, but also has enough energy to develop positively in the bottle for at least a handful of years. SUPERIORE.DE

Cellole Gran Selezione impresses with its usual elegance and sophistication. Its masterfully balanced flavour profile of wild berry and blackberry with cassis, blueberry and candied rose is fantastic. On closer inspection, the wine reveals orange peel, rosemary and iron ore. It is a silky and elegant wine with some firm tannin, lots of bright fruit and a hint of crisp acidity. Undoubtedly a great wine with great potential! SUPERIORE.DE

Deep, dark Riserva with a powerful berry bouquet and intense spicy notes and hints of damp forest floor. Taut on the palate, crisp fruit, solid tannins, good length. Lots of energy, nice spice and great potential! SUPERIORE.DE

Gallule – a name that wafts over the hills of Castellina like a gentle breeze from times long past. It is the Lombard name for what was once the heart of this magical place: the Galla, the fruit of the centuries-old oaks that dominate the wide valley at the foot of the hills. Here, where the son of the Longobard king Berengario gave this land to his bride as a wedding gift back in 994, one of the most extraordinary Chianti Classico wines in the region is produced today. The vines that give life to this Gran Selezione are rooted in terraces that were created by man centuries ago – stone witnesses to a time when viticulture was still a craft. These UNESCO-protected terraces, nestled between olive trees and cypresses, create a microclimate of unique harmony. The Galestro-rich soils, interspersed with limestone and sedimentary stones, allow the Sangiovese roots to penetrate deep into the earth and extract the minerality that gives the wine its unmistakable signature.

Here it is, the impressive first Gran Selezione from Riecine, showing more grace than muscle and delivering a Riecine-typical and very precise Burgundian interpretation of the Sangiovese grape.

When you hear the story of the effort that went into the Colonia vineyard, you have to wonder if the fine people of Fèlsina are absolutely crazy. It took them two years to remove the imposing rock that had forced previous generations of the Poggiali family to practically abandon this noble location. But it is thanks to the ambitious Giovanni Poggiali that this spectacular vineyard (Vigneto Colonia) has become what it is today. It has reddish-brown soils, is rich in magnesium and iron and is therefore very different from all other Fèlsina vineyards.

Dievoles Gran Selezione Vigna Sessina is dark, brooding and with wonderfully powerful cherry and blackberry flavours. Very defined and precise on the palate with an archetypal interpretation of the grape variety. Everything is in the right place here, the balance and clarity impresses with every sip. The finish has terrificlength and depth. This is Sangiovese in its purest form with infinite energy and expression. SUPERIORE.DE

Coltassala Gran Selezione is an impeccable representative of the royal class in Chianti Classico. The immensely fragrant bouquet shows black fruits, spices and ploughed earth. All the aromas are on the dark and spicy side, but the wine always remains fresh, dense, buoyant and very linear. Shows rich volume and a strong personality and precision. SUPERIORE.DE

Vigna San Marcellino Gran Selezione is both youthfully fresh and ripe and complexly muscular. It contains a healthy dose of the deeply coloured Pugnitello grape, and on the nose liquorice, tarragon and broom mingle with lush plum and subtle roasted aromas that are highly seductive in their complexity. Deep, taut and lively on the palate, loaded with black cherry and rich, velvety tannins. The texture is silky, while subtle chalky notes and a salty minerality give it plenty of energy and lead it into a juicy, refreshing finish. Vigna San Marcellino is a convincing wine with enormous ageing potential every year. SUPERIORE.DE

Poggio Rosso Gran Selezione has an enormous abundance of fruit that is beautifully layered. A very beautiful interpretation of the Sangiovese grape with a dense core and plenty of padding around it. Rich ruby-garnet colour, very fine texture and structure on the palate, which only reveals itself fully with the necessary time in the glass. It is full of tension and power in its youth, the acidity and the well-built tannins are programmed for development, as it will only develop its full elegance and greatness in a few years. SUPERIORE.DE

The Vigna del Sorbo vineyard is located directly in front of the winery. The south-west facing vineyard with Galestro soils covers 8 hectares at an altitude of 450 metres. The Riserva was first produced in 1985 and has been labelled Gran Selezione since the 2010 vintage.

Back in 2007, the winery embarked on the cru project with the aim of emphasising the natural elegance and vitality of Sangiovese and the essential value of what the Latins call the "genius loci". What began as an experiment and a challenge evolved into years of constant but calculated work to identify the best vineyards in Chianti Classico. The best winemaking and ageing methods were then applied to enhance the particular influence of the origin on the texture, flavour and character of the wine.

Here it is, the impressive first Gran Selezione from Riecine, showing more grace than muscle and delivering a Riecine-typical and very precise Burgundian interpretation of the Sangiovese grape.

This wine from the single vineyard of the same name is probably the most opulent of the house's selection line. On the nose, an almost brushstroke-wide presence of ripe fruit, spices and hints of crushed rock. On the palate, impressive suppleness, complexity and richness, plus a whole bouquet of dark fruit flavours flanked by firm, structured tannin. The Merlot content gives it additional depth and power. SUPERIORE.DE

The Gran Selezione from the single vineyard Bellavista is rich and dark with aromas of wild cherry, smoke, liquorice, menthol and tobacco. Extremely attractive and rich on the palate, firm tannins form the backbone of this virile, potent wine. SUPERIORE.DE

Vigna San Marcellino Gran Selezione is both youthfully fresh and ripe and complexly muscular. It contains a healthy dose of the deeply coloured Pugnitello grape, and on the nose liquorice, tarragon and broom mingle with lush plum and subtle roasted aromas that are highly seductive in their complexity. Deep, taut and lively on the palate, loaded with black cherry and rich, velvety tannins. The texture is silky, while subtle chalky notes and a salty minerality give it plenty of energy and lead it into a juicy, refreshing finish. Vigna San Marcellino is a convincing wine with enormous ageing potential every year. SUPERIORE.DE

Il Poggio 2019 slowly unfolds its breathtaking aromas of cherry blossom, blood orange, eucalyptus and raspberry. Initially taut and straightforward, it then unfolds on the palate with ripe wild berries underpinned by slate. The chalky tannins keep it firmly under control. This wine will continue to unfold its complex nuances for at least a few decades. Fantastic depth and energy. Incidentally, Il Poggio Gran Selezione was the first Chianti Classico in the appellation to be vinified and bottled as a single-vineyard wine (Cru) in 1962 - a revolution at the time! SUPERIORE.DE

With this single-vineyard Sangiovese, the Mazzei family pursues no less a goal than to make the best wine in the Chianti Classico appellation. Seven different Sangiovese clones, four of them from their own 50 years of research, form the basis for a Gran Selezione that is produced at an altitude of up to 350 m in the single vineyard Il Caggio not far from Castellina (and only in the best vintages).