Chianti Classico new releases – Full report & top wines

‘Both 2015 and 2016 have great potential, but 2015 has the edge because it came right after the extremely challenging 2014,’ declares Federica Mascheroni of Castello di Volpaia in Radda-in-Chianti. In one fell swoop, she summarises the overlapping new releases of Chianti Classico which were presented in mid-February at Florence's Stazione Leopolda. This enormous, defunct train station is massive enough to accommodate the comprehensive showing from one of Italy's most prolific DOPs, which sold over 37 million bottles in 2017. [subscriber-content] See all 103 tasting notes and scores accompanying this report Upwards of 700 wines were on display, ranging from cask samples of the 2017 vintage to Gran Selezione going back to 2010. The largest contingent hailed from 2015, with over 100 annatas , 50 Riservas and 20 Gran Seleziones . By law these tiers respectively require 12, 24 and 30 months of ageing before release. While maturation in wood is not compulsory, barrels of various sorts are typically used, especially at the Riserva and Gran Selezione level. Additionally, in the case of the latter, the wines must be made from estate fruit only. Scroll down for individual vintage reports and Michaela's tips on which producers to buy Certainly one of the criteria for assessing a vintage is quality across all levels, from annata to Gran Selezione. The other measure is consistency throughout the region. While Chianti Classico is not broken up into official subzones, its 7,200ha of vineyards are spread over a vast and hilly area of 70,000ha. Interspersed with forest, it boasts diverse exposures, altitudes from 250-700 metres above sea level, and a complex mix of soils. This gives the region a thrilling diversity of wines. What to buy Top producers Castello di Ama Castello di Monsanto Castello di Volpaia Fèlsina Fontodi Under the radar producers Fattoria di Petroio I Fabbri Istine Le Miccine Rocca di Montegrossi Best producers for value (annata & Riserva levels) Bibbiano Casale dello Sparviero Castello di Gabbiano Principe Corsini Rocca di Castagnoli Chianti Classico 2015 [breakout buttontext1=" 5/5 "] High summer temperatures with little rainfall produced fully ripe, luscious wines with plenty of concentration and structure. The very best can be cellared for a couple of decades.[/breakout] The 2015 vintage is deemed excellent both in terms of quantity and quality. ‘All winemakers dream of having a vintage like this at least once in their lives,’ enthuses Michele Braganti at Monteraponi in Radda-in-Chianti. Rain fell at the right times and was never too intense, with little precipitation during the summer months. ‘We had lots of sunlight and blue skies, and while it was hot during the days, it wasn't too hot,’ says Giovanni Manetti of Fontodi in Panzano. He explains that these conditions allowed the grapes to ripen perfectly, giving wines with plenty of fruit as well as solid structure. Besides being abundant, ‘it's one of the healthiest vintages I have ever seen,’ adds Diana Lenzi of Fattoria di Petroio in Castelnuovo Berardenga. Unlike the cold and rainy 2014 vintage, where producers had to sacrifice a lot, in 2015 very little sorting was necessary. Lenzi will even release limited quantities of a 2015 Gran Selezione, a first for Petroio. I had my first glimpse of 2015 last year, tasting plenty of charming cask and bottle samples of the annata wines. This year, trying the annatas alongside the Riservas and Gran Seleziones provided a more comprehensive picture. Across the board, the vintage offers plenty of fruit concentration with a plushness not always evident in this region. As such, 2015 should have wide appeal and even make for a friendly introduction for those just discovering Chianti Classico. Ageability While most are approachable now, the 2015 wines have structure for ageing, even at annata level. Generally, the latter will be best over the next 5- 7 years, the Riservas 5-10 and the top Gran Seleziones well beyond this. The annatas were the most consistent wines, with some examples outperforming their category. Expectations were higher for the Riservas and Gran Seleziones, leading to some disappointments where the wines didn’t live up to their promise. Chianti Classico 2016 [breakout buttontext1=" 4.5/5 "] Not the sheer ripeness nor weight of the previous year, however warm summer days countered by cool nights delivered freshness, purity of aromas and succulent acidity. Drink or hold for 10 years.[/breakout] Alongside the 2015s, this was the first showing of the 2016 vintage in bottle at the annata level. A more challenging and less productive year than 2015, it suffered uneven flowering due to cool, wet weather in spring and hail in some areas, such as Radda. The weather improved in July and, similar to 2015, the summer was hot and dry. ‘The difference with 2016 is that the temperatures in September were lower, giving a slower maturation,’ explains Manetti. ‘The grapes preserved higher acidity and the wines are very fresh.’ Nevertheless, ripening was less even and harvest was later than 2015 for most. While the 2016s are slightly leaner and less powerful than the 2015s, they still have density. ‘The chemical analysis shows more tannins in 2016 than 2015, but you feel them less,’ asserts Paolo de Marchi at Isole e Olena in Barberino Val d'Elsa. For my own personal tastes, these were the most exciting wines at the 2018 Chianti Classico tasting, based on both bottle and cask samples. They encapsulate what the Consorzio deems the annata level to be - fresh and immediately approachable. They are also beautifully expressive, well-defined, clean and racy. Yet plenty overreach this. With a palpable precision of place and exhilarating tension, the 2016 annatas are a must buy . I thoroughly look forward to seeing how this vintage plays out for the Riserva and Gran Selezione categories next year. Late releases Also included in this year's release were a number of 2014 and 2013 Riserva and Gran Selezione wines. Besides bringing significant disease pressure, the cool, wet summer of 2014 made ripening difficult. Nevertheless, the better examples among the annatas I tasted last year were bright and elegant, with a lovely aromatic profile. I was hoping this would be retained at the higher tiers, and in some cases it was. But the slighter, spindlier wines have had a difficult time standing up to longer ageing. Overall, these are ready to drink and only a small handful will merit further ageing. 2013 was a much less challenging vintage than 2014, but was still relatively cool. There are some beautiful, ageworthy Riservas and Gran Seleziones, though with a widely varying degree of success at the latter level. [/subscriber-content] Michaela's top scorers from the Chianti Classico new releases: [wine-collection] Related content: Chianti Classico 2013 & 2014 top tiers: Panel tasting results Brunello di Montalcino 2013: Report and top wines Brunello Riserva 2012: Report & Top wines Vino Nobile di Montepulciano 2015 preview

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Chianti Classico new releases – Full report & top wines

Michaela’s top scorers from the Chianti Classico new releases:

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