Chianti Classico Gran Selezione 2019 & 2018: New releases

Despite representing just 6% of Chianti Classico’s output, its Gran Selezione category steals a much greater share of the spotlight – and never more so than at the region’s tasting of new releases in March.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for the best Chianti Classico Gran Selezione 2019 & 2018s

With an additional six months of ageing required with respect to the Riserva category, Gran Selezione from the 2019 vintage are just starting to trickle in – I tried the dozen labels that were on display – but with almost 200 Gran Selezione bottlings altogether, there are plenty still to come.

The 2019 vintage

After a slow start due to cool, wet conditions late spring; the hot, dry summer culminated with pronounced diurnal temperature differences throughout September. The late harvest yielded well-proportioned wines with aromatic complexity, flavour intensity, mouth-watering freshness and finessed tannins.

4.75/5

As with the annata and Riserva categories, what stands out in 2019 is the intricacy and precision of aromas and the succulence of acidity.

Giovanni Manetti explains that the delay in vine growth in spring resulted in a rather late harvest. At Fontodi, he was picking grapes for his two exceptional Gran Selezione in mid-October. ‘If you harvest later, you produce fresher wine because the evenings are cooler. In September, which is the month that the quality is made, there was a great difference between day and night-time temperatures.’

See all 100 of Michaela’s Chianti Classico tasting notes & scores from her reports: annata, Riserva and Gran Selezione

The 2019 Gran Selezione play to the strength of Chianti Classico. They are neither massively structured nor heavy but have flesh on their bones. The tannins are finessed and most demonstrated a balance with regards to wood ageing. I did question whether one or two truly distinguished themselves from Riserva but, nevertheless, the direction is encouraging and I look forward to tasting more as they are released.

The top wines of this small sample, like Riecine’s Vigna Gittori and Bibbiano’s Vigna del Capannino, have the potential to age longer than their Riserva counterparts. Well-cellared, these should reward for 15 years or more, while the majority will show best over the next decade or so.

Gran Selezione 2019 vs 2018

Overall, the accessibility that I found among the 2019 Riserva was echoed throughout the Gran Selezione. While Fontodi’s Vigna del Sorbo could do with time in the bottle, I’d have a hard time keeping my hands off Antinori’s Badia a Passignano now.

Revisiting 2018, the heterogeneity of the vintage is noticeable. Subject to cool, rainy conditions which persisted until August, not all estates were able to harness the positive change in weather in September. Strict selection was key.

Some lovely wines, such as Castello di Ama’s San Lorenzo demonstrate the freshness of the vintage with grace. There was more oomph showing through in the region’s warmer pockets like Panzano, as revealed by Le Fonti. The wines are endowed with attractive flavours and bright acidity, with a drinking window within the next eight to ten years. Alas, wood was drowning out the fruit in a few examples.

‘Purezza’

Across all vintages of Gran Selezione, the number of 100% Sangiovese bottlings was greater than ever. This has been the trend for the last several years and producers saw the changes to the denomination’s regulations coming: last year, Chianti Classico members voted in favour of increasing the minimum requirement for Sangiovese from 80% to 90% – exclusively at the Gran Selezione level. Furthermore, international varieties have been eliminated from the blend.

‘This new rule should help further distinguish Gran Selezione from Riserva in part,’ states Marco at Rocca di Montegrossi – though he believes the regulations need to be even more restrictive.

While the change is favoured by most, there are a handful of prominent wines that will no longer be eligible for the Gran Selezione designation. It remains to be seen which direction Castello di Ama and Isole e Olena will take, for example: estates will have a five-year transition period from the time the Ministry of Agriculture gives final approval.

Subzones

The biggest buzz during Chianti Classico’s ‘Collection’ tasting event was the introduction of its new Geographical Units (UGA). The region has finalised a subdivision into 11 smaller areas corresponding with existing administrative communes and hamlets. While the division is not based on a geological study, the areas do have a cohesiveness of certain natural attributes, as well as a culture that binds them.

The UGA will be applied exclusively to Gran Selezione wines to begin with. ‘Now we will be allowed to write Gaiole on the label,’ declares winemaker Alessandro Campatelli, explaining that this was one of the incentives for Riecine to come out with a Gran Selezione. It has brought others like Le Cinciole in Panzano and Querciabella in Greve into the Gran Selezione fold as well.

Including the name of a township should help communicate the diversity of Chianti Classico and provide a greater link to territory. However, I am not the only one to agree with Isole e Olena’s Paolo de Marchi: ‘It would be nice to have the UGA for all wines, even annata, which are very indicative of the zone, whereas Gran Selezione are more estate interpretations.’

This is apparently the long-term goal but, in the meantime, UGAs will likely start appearing on Gran Selezione labels next year. As old as the denomination is, Chianti Classico continues to evolve.

Michaela’s Chianti Classico Gran Selezione 2019 & 2018 picks:

See all 100 of Michaela’s Chianti Classico tasting notes & scores from her reports

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