Chianti Classico new releases: A buyer’s guide

I landed in sun-bathed Tuscany in mid-February for the annual presentation of the region’s new releases. Starting off in Florence, the Chianti Classico Collection 2019 tasting offered 730 wines from almost 200 estates.

The annata wines from the notoriously hot and dry 2017 vintage held some juicy surprises, while highlights of 2015 and 2016 Riserva and Gran Selezione confirmed these as excellent vintages.

The 2016 Riservas were particularly strong and I was impressed with a number of overachieving annatas from this year.

See all Chianti Classico latest release tasting notes

2017

It was the very first opportunity to taste the newly bottled annatas from the 2017 vintage. Plagued by late-season frost then severe heat and drought, it was a challenging vintage to say the least.

‘I will never have a positive feeling towards it, even if it is excellent,’ admits Michael Schmelzer of Monte Bernardi, who lost 45% of his production to April’s frost.

In the summer, the heat was relentless. Vines essentially shut down and stopped ripening until the early September rains came. The work in the vineyard was gruelling and fruit selection was key. Many producers did multiple passages and tried to avoid picking dried out berries.

‘The problem with drought is that the bunches are uneven, making the selection in the vineyard very difficult,’ explains Elisabetta Martini di Cigala of San Giusto a Rentennano. She estimates producing 30% less wine in 2017.

Deciding when to pick was tricky in the quest to strike a balance between sugar, acidity and phenolic ripeness. ‘We decided to harvest early so as not to have a wine too high in alcohol,’ says Rocca di Castagnoli’s oenologist Daniele Pagni.

I was delighted by the number of wines between a reasonable 13 to 13.5% abv. Conversely, tannin management appeared more problematic, as some wines presented as coarse, rustic or drying.

Most pleasantly surprising was the number of juicy Chianti Classico 2017s. Timing of the harvest as well as location may well have been contributing factors – cooler, fresher sites generally fared better against the drought.

While still in botte, Monteraponi’s Chianti Classico from high up in Radda-in-Chianti shows incredibly bright acidity and remarkable definition of flavours. In general this clarity, which was so palpable in the 2016s, is less apparent in the 2017s. Nevertheless, the best are cheerful and immediately drinkable.

2016

After a thrilling debut of 2016 annatas last year, the Riserva and Gran Selezione as well as late releases of annatas provided a more complete picture of the vintage. Following the hot, dry summer, temperatures cooled down in September and the chilly evenings encouraged long, slow ripening.

The wines materialised like a well-focussed photo. My initial impressions of precision, grace and energy were confirmed, and these were a pleasure to taste and will be even more delicious at the dinner table, which is where Chianti Classico shines.

Quality still varies depending on producer in this expansive zone but the 2016s demonstrated that the overall average is high. The majority of annatas will give substantial enjoyment in the next five to six years.

Then there are those over-achievers like Fontodi, Isole e Olena and Il Palagio di Panzano, which have the stamina for a handful of years beyond that.

The Riservas showed particularly well and should cellar for at least six to 10 years, though Fèlsina’s Rancia has the bones for a couple of decades.

I was more impressed with the Riservas than most of the 20 or so Gran Seleziones I tried. Many were heavily oak-driven, expressing winemaking over place, but there are still plenty yet to be released from this category.

My tasting also included a number of Riservas and Gran Seleziones from the solid 2015 vintage. These followed a similar pattern to the 2016s, with many of the Gran Seleziones being quite oak-laden, though the fleshy fruit and frame of the year absorbs this better than in 2016.

Standout producers:

Fontodi

Fèlsina

Castello di Ama

Riecine

Le Miccine

Michaela’s top picks of Chianti Classico new releases:

See all Chianti Classico latest release tasting notes

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