Chianti Classico Gran Selezione

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

It was at the Omino vineyard that Monica Raspi took her first steps as a winemaker after closing her veterinary practice. The vines were planted in the 1990s; they face west, are situated at an altitude of 360 metres and are organically farmed. The soil is poor, consisting of limestone and clay, but primarily Alberese – a limestone dating from the Eocene epoch – and the roots reach deep into the ground. The harvest begins by hand at the end of September; the must remains in contact with the skins for 21 days at 25 degrees. Ageing takes place partly in large oak barrels – 15 months in Slavonian oak – and partly in concrete tanks for 12 months. Just 2,500 bottles are produced, made from 100% Sangiovese.

The vines of the Vigna del Termine face east, surrounded by woodland, with downy oaks, broom and juniper growing amongst the vines. Zoe the dog accompanies Monica Raspi, who has been running the estate since 2007, through the vineyard here, provided it isn't raining. The plot is situated in the Vagliagli sub-zone of Chianti Classico, at an altitude of 360 metres. The soil is calcareous marl with some sand, and the vineyard is cultivated organically. Only 2,000 bottles are produced from the Sangiovese grown here: the harvest are harvest by hand in the fourth week of September; the must remains on the skins for 21 days at 25 degrees, followed by two years' ageing, half in large Slavonian oak barrels and half in concrete tanks.

There are wines that define an appellation. And there are wines that show where an appellation can go. The Gran Selezione from Lilliano belongs to the second category. When the Chianti Classico producers created the new top of the quality pyramid in 2010, there was a great deal of scepticism: is there really a need for another category above the Riserva? Lilliano answered this question with deeds rather than words. While other estates defined their Gran Selezione with an international use of wood and concentrated opulence, Lilliano remained true to its line: tradition, terroir, typicity. The Gran Selezione comes exclusively from the two best single vineyards of the Tenuta – piagge and Casina, both situated at an altitude of around 300 metres, both characterised by the calcareous Alberese soils that make Castellina in Chianti one of the most mineral terroirs in the entire appellation. Piagge is south-facing, fully exposed to the sun, and produces Sangiovese of concentration and vigour. Casina, on the other hand, exposed to the east-south-east, produces Colorino and Sangiovese of elegance and aromatic finesse. Together they produce a cuvée of 90% Sangiovese and 5% each of Colorino and Merlot – an assemblage that seeks perfection within the rules rather than innovation.

Monica Raspi remembers: "I took my first steps as a winemaker in the Omino vineyard. The grapes grown here produce the wine that is the absolute benchmark for my very personal interpretation of the Sangiovese grape."

A wine that takes its name from the estate's last noble family – and thus from a man who left his mark far beyond the world of wine. Count Guido Chigi Saracini, born in Siena in 1880, was not only the lord of Poggio Bonelli, but also a passionate patron of the arts. In 1932, he founded the Accademia Musicale Chigiana, which remains one of the world's most renowned centres for musical education to this day. He spent the milder seasons at his estate in Castelnuovo Berardenga – where the grapes for this Gran Selezione ripen today. It represents the pinnacle of the Chianti Classico hierarchy: exclusively Sangiovese from the finest south-facing slopes at altitudes of between 280 and 360 metres, where sun and wind ensure consistent ripening and aromatic complexity. Strictly limited yields of 50 quintals per hectare, twelve days of temperature-controlled fermentation, followed by a further ten days of maceration on the skins. Then patience: at least 24 months in French oak, followed by ageing in the bottle.

The history of the Campolungo vineyard blends millennia of Tuscan wine-growing culture with a visionary dedication to perfection. These historic terraces, situated at altitudes of between 420 and 580 metres, were already recognised by the Romans as exceptional and have been regarded as one of the cradles of fine Chianti since the 19th century. The 2018 vintage tells the story of a particularly favourable climate: following a hot, dry summer, Lamole's extreme altitude preserved that crystalline freshness which makes Campolungo one of Tuscany's most exceptional single-vineyard sites. A pure Sangiovese made from hand-picked grapes of exceptional aromatic intensity. Following careful hand-harvesting and visual selection of the finest berries, the wine undergoes a two-week fermentation with skin contact in traditional wooden vats. Thirty months' ageing in oak casks, complemented by a small proportion in French barriques, results in a wine of multi-layered complexity and elegance.

Historically, the vineyards of Castello di Fonterutoli are situated in the territories of three neighbouring municipalities within the Chianti Classico region: Castellina in Chianti, Castelnuovo Berardenga and Radda in Chianti. With the 2017 vintage, the Mazzei family vinified all three major vineyards separately as Chianti Classico Gran Selezione for the first time, in order to reflect the diversity of the terroir: Castello di Fonterutoli, Vicoregio 36 and Badiola.

A Gran Selezione is strictly defined in the production regulations: only grapes from the estate's own vineyards, a minimum of 30 months' ageing, and a more rigorous assessment by the Consorzio's commission than for any Riserva. At Vecchie Terre di Montefili, this requirement begins right from the selection process in the cellar: Every year, Serena Gusmeri selects from the best plots of the 12.5-hectare estate those barrels which, when combined, yield a better result than any single vineyard on its own – an approach that is rarely pursued so consistently in Panzano. The grapes grow at altitudes of between 480 and 550 metres on Galestro and Alberese soils with limestone and clay inclusions, which give the Sangiovese its structure long before the wine even enters the cellar. There, following spontaneous fermentation, the wine matures in large, used wooden barrels for considerably longer than the production regulations require; as is the case throughout the estate, barriques are not used.

In 2014, Tenuta Perano near Gaiole became the first Frescobaldi estate in Chianti Classico – the appellation's historic heartland, where the family had not previously owned an estate of its own. Rialzi takes its name from the three natural terraces on which it grows, at an altitude of 500 metres and above, in south-west-facing Alberese soils, nestled within a natural amphitheatre of steep slopes. Harvested by hand and selected again in the cellar, the Sangiovese ferments in temperature-controlled stainless-steel tanks with skin contact and gentle pumping over to ensure gentle extraction. This is followed by 24 months in barriques, before a further period in the bottle completes the 36-month ageing process, thereby significantly exceeding the minimum ageing period of 30 months required for the Gran Selezione.

The year was 1090, the year in which Leif Erikson discovered North America, the Chinese discovered gunpowder and Pope Urban II conquered Jerusalem. On that day, the notary Bellundo recorded a contract in the Siena state archives: two capons, three loaves of bread and six coins of good silver as an annual lease for a vineyard in the divine valley of Dievole. "Dio vuole" – god wants it. This is the etymological root of this name, which has symbolised the special connection between man and nature in this corner of Tuscany for over nine centuries.

Since summer 2023, Chianti Classico producers have been permitted to include the eleven additional geographical indications (UGA = unità geografiche aggiuntive), introduced in 2021, on the labels of the top-tier Gran Selezione category. For Chianti Classico winegrowers, this is a logical step towards producing wines that reflect the region in which they were made as authentically as possible. And it enables customers to deepen their understanding of the relationship between the wines and their region of origin – a real added value.

Since summer 2023, Chianti Classico producers have been permitted to include the eleven additional geographical indications (UGA = unità geografiche aggiuntive), introduced in 2021, on the labels of the top-tier Gran Selezione category. For Chianti Classico winegrowers, this is a logical step towards producing wines that reflect the region in which they were made as authentically as possible. And it enables customers to deepen their understanding of the relationship between the wines and their region of origin – a genuine added value.

Since summer 2023, Chianti Classico producers have been allowed to include the eleven additional geographical indications (UGA = unità geografiche aggiuntive) introduced in 2021 on the labels of the top Gran Selezione category. For Chianti Classico winegrowers, it is a logical step to produce wines that reflect the area in which they were produced as authentically as possible. And customers can thus deepen their knowledge of the relationship between the wines and their region of origin - a real added value.

Since summer 2023, Chianti Classico producers have been permitted to include the eleven additional geographical indications (UGA = unità geografiche aggiuntive), introduced in 2021, on the labels of the top-tier Gran Selezione category. For Chianti Classico winegrowers, this is a logical step towards producing wines that reflect the region in which they were made as authentically as possible. And it enables customers to deepen their understanding of the relationship between the wines and their region of origin – a real added value. For many years now, at Istine, a small and carefully selected portion of the Sangiovese has been vinified separately according to the vineyard's origin, in order to highlight and bring to life the specific characteristics of the site, the soil and the altitude. Since then, the finest grapes from the estate's own vineyards – Istine (Radda), Casanova dell'Aia (Radda) and Cavarchione (Gaiole) have been vinified separately, resulting in three now highly sought-after cru wines, of which just 3,000 bottles are released each year to specialist retailers and the hospitality sector. 

On the southern edge of the Chianti Classico region, where the hills slope gently towards the gates of Siena, lies Vigna Mezzapiaggia – a name that says it all. "Half-slope" is that privileged spot between heaven and earth where Angela Fronti is undertaking a bold experiment: growing Sangiovese at an altitude of just 250–300 metres, a far cry from the usual high altitudes of her estates in Radda and Gaiole. Yet here, in the UGA Vagliagli, she is writing a new chapter in her terroir philosophy. The two hectares of Mezzapiaggia rest on fine lacustrine deposits, the remains of a primeval lake, which lend the Sangiovese a completely different character to that of the stony Galestro soils of the northern slopes. The clay soils retain water and heat, whilst the unique aspect – north-facing at the top, east-facing at the bottom – creates a fascinating microclimate. 5,000 vines per hectare, organically cultivated in accordance with the strict FIVI principles for independent winegrowers.

For many years now, at Istine, a small and carefully selected portion of the Sangiovese has been vinified separately according to the vineyard's origin, in order to highlight and bring to life the specific characteristics of the site, the soil and the altitude. Since then, the finest grapes from the estate's own vineyards – Istine (Radda), Casanova dell'Aia (Radda) and Cavarchione (Gaiole) have been vinified separately, resulting in three now highly sought-after cru wines, of which just 3,000 bottles are released each year to specialist retailers and the hospitality sector.

In the dizzying heights of Lamole, where Chianti Classico reaches its natural limits, Angela Fronti is writing a new chapter in her Sangiovese saga. Elle – the letter that stands for Lamole, but also for "Lei", the feminine elegance that permeates this exceptional wine. Spanning just 0.45 hectares, scattered across the steep terraces at an altitude of 540 metres, the old vines take root in that distinctive Macigno del Chianti – a compact, non-calcareous sandstone that makes Lamole a unique entity within the Gallo Nero territory. The Fronti family, proud members of the FIVI (Federazione Italiana Vignaioli Indipendenti), embody their philosophy of absolute independence here: from their own vineyard right through to their own bottle. In Lamole, designated a magical UGA since 2017, they defy the extremes of the high altitude with a precision made possible only by decades of experience in viticulture.

Aluigi bears a dedication in its name: "a Luigi", for the man who, according to the winery itself, "made our life's project possible". Behind the understated "Gran Selezione" classification lies a personal gesture – the estate's most serious Sangiovese, named after a person rather than a vineyard site or a theme. The grapes come from the most rigorous selection of the oldest vines on a single plot, Vigna Campo ai Peri, south-east-facing at around 440 metres, overlooking the Lamole valley. Here, the schist-and-clay Galestro soil overlying Pietraforte rock has a noticeably higher clay content than in the estate's other vineyards. A single-varietal Sangiovese, organically farmed, with only around 5,000 bottles produced each year.

Here comes the new top Gran Selezione from San Felice: intense ruby red in colour, with broad and persistent aromas on the nose. Notes of violets and blackcurrants mingle with a sweet spiciness of tobacco and liquorice. Full-bodied, supple, well-structured wine, characterised by ripe and juicy tannins that harmonise with the acidic component. 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

The Romanesque Pieve di San Marcellino was built in the year 1000. It still stands today – in the middle of the vineyards of Rocca di Montegrossi, seven kilometres south of Gaiole, at the southern tip of the Chianti Classico. The vineyard bears its name. And the vines that surround it are older than most of the appellations that appear on labels today. Marco Ricasoli-Firidolfi is a descendant of Baron Bettino Ricasoli – the "Iron Baron" who defined the formula for Chianti Classico in the 19th century. Not as a marketing idea, but as a genetic link to this soil. The vineyard has been certified organic since 2010 and has been planted with Pugnitello alongside Sangiovese since 2006 – an autochthonous Tuscan grape variety that was almost extinct in the 1980s. Pugnitello deepens the colour, thickens the structure and sharpens the profile of the Sangiovese grape. Hand-picked, separate fermentation of both varieties on wild yeasts in upright wooden tanks, 24 months in Allier barriques and tonneau, bottled unfiltered. Only produced in outstanding vintages – the 2020 is one of them.

High above Sambuca Val di Pesa, just three kilometres south of the famous Tenuta Tignanello, rises the venerable Abbey of San Michele Arcangelo – a bastion of faith since the 10th century, where Giovanni Gualberto, the founder of the Vallombrosan order, once lived and died. Here, where wine of exceptional quality was already appreciated around the year 1000, only the finest Sangiovese grapes thrive on calcareous soils with a clay content at an altitude of 300 metres. The historical importance of this place is documented in hundreds of volumes in the Florentine state archives – centuries of Sangiovese cultivation and rural life, preserved for eternity.