Writing and photo by James Suckling | Wednesday, August 11, 2021
Chianti Classico is taking its wine region to new levels this year, first through the release of some amazing quality bottles of the its top designation, Gran Selezione, and second by revising its wine production rules.
“The designation is keeping the eyes and the attention of a lot of wine lovers on the great job that many of the producers of Chianti Classico have been doing,” Francesco Ricasoli, president of Barone Ricasoli, said during a Zoom interview earlier this year. His recently released Barone Ricasoli Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Ceniprimo 2018 is the first Chianti Classico that I have ever rated a perfect 100 points. His other three bottlings were not far behind. “Riserva was not enough anymore to describe the rising quality of a lot of Chianti Classico that were produced in the last 10 years. It’s a message … it’s a message,” he said.
His message is loud and clear. This year we rated more than 300 Chianti Classicos and our top 10 wines all carried the moniker Chianti Classico Gran Selezione. I rated 128 different bottlings of wines with the designation and their average score was 93 points, significantly higher than the average for other Chianti Classicos. I also found the general quality to be the best ever, perhaps because about a third of the wines were from the excellent 2015 and 2016 vintages, although the cooler and slightly less outstanding 2018 also made some excellent quality wines.
I also noticed that winemakers are using less new wood in their aging, so their Chianti Classico Gran Selezione are much more vineyard-specific and typical instead of showing too much vanilla and oak character, which masks the origins of the wine.
This point of being less woody and more terroir-driven is an essential part of new laws for Chianti Classico Gran Selezione that were forwarded to the Italian government in early summer.
The changes to the rules include increasing the percentage of sangiovese in the blend from 80 percent to 90 percent and cutting the use of international varietals completely, as well as only allowing such indigenous grape types as canaiolo, malvasia nera and colorino.
The changes also will allow producers to use the names of villages and areas in the region on their labels to communicate the origins of their wines, including: Castellina, Castelnuovo Berardenga, Gaiole, Greve, Lamole, Montefioralle, Panzano, Radda, San Casciano, San Donato in Poggio and Vagliagli. We have been supporting the use of such Unita Geografiche Aggiuntive for years for Chianti Classico, which should help consumers and trade alike understand the complexity and uniqueness of the different parts of the region.
“With the new reformation that we introduced a few days ago, there will be much more interest for Chianti Classico Gran Selezione because the introduction of geographical areas such as specific names of the village or the sub-areas will appear at the beginning only on bottles of Gran Selezione,” said Giovanni Manetti, the president of the Chianti Classico consortium and the head of Fontodi, one of the top estates in the region.
Granted, not everyone is 100 percent happy with the new proposals. Apparently 90 percent of the Chianti Classico consortium voted in favor of the changes, but some are disappointed that international varieties such as cabernet sauvignon and merlot will no longer to be allowed in their bottlings of Gran Selezione, even in small quantities. In fact, some of the top Gran Selezione in this report will no longer be able to carry the designation after the approval of the new rules by the Italian government.
“As a winemaker, I don’t think that this decision makes a lot of sense,” said Barbara Widmer of Brancaia winery, which has been using small amounts of international varieties in their wines for decades. “If I have merlot that is already 40 years old at my estate, it’s more linked [to my estate] than if I plant malvasia nera tomorrow.”
Personally, I think it would have been better if the new rules stipulated that Chianti Classico Gran Selezione should be pure sangiovese, just like Brunello di Montalcino. This would give the wines a clearer and more transparent character that could transmit the true character of the best parts of the region. But the current change is clearly an improvement for the designation.
“The goal is to reinforce the link and the relationship between the wine and the territory that is giving birth to a wine that’s fantastic,” Manetti said. “There is a great desire in all the wine lovers that you have a much deeper knowledge about the relationship between the territory and the wine and when we are all committed at work with the producers to put into the bottle.”
Regardless of the new rules, our tastings of Chianti Classico Gran Selezione show that many truly outstanding wines are being made with the designation and more will be coming, and it will be great for all of us to understand a little bit better the wines’ origins and character.
Below are all the Chianti Classicos that we have rated this year, including normal bottlings, riservas and Gran Seleziones.
The list of wines below is comprised of bottles tasted and rated for this report by the tasters at JamesSuckling.com. They include many of the latest releases not yet available on the market, but which will be available soon.
Rocca di Castagnoli Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Stielle 2017
2017
Score: 95
Ripe berries, dried flowers and orange peel with some smoke. Full-bodied with round, chewy tannins that provide lots of texture and structure. From organically grown grapes. Needs time to soften. Try after 2023.
Rocca di Castagnoli Chianti Classico 2019
Italy
Tuscany
2019
Score: 91
Plum and sour cherry with some orange on the nose. Medium to full body, round and juicy tannins and a fluid, savory finish. Plenty of character. Drink now.
Mannucci Droandi Chianti Classico Ceppeto Riserva 2016
Italy
Tuscany
2016
Score: 92
Full, round and silky with persistent black fruit and dried flowers on the nose and palate. Nice envelope of well-integrated tannins. Long finish. Not overly complex, this is more about clarity of fruit and well balanced structure. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold.
Mannucci Droandi Chianti Classico Ceppeto 2017
Italy
Tuscany
2017
Score: 91
Currants and mixed berries on the nose with notes of purple flowers and earth. Medium-bodied with quite firm tannins and a clean bead of interlaced blackcurrant and oak. From organically grown grapes. Nicely done, but needs a bit more time to gain depth on the center palate. Best in 2022.
Lornano Chianti Classico Le Bandite Riserva 2016
Italy
Tuscany
2016
Score: 91
Rich black-fruit aromas and flavors, filled out with notes of nuts and chocolatey oak. Some turkish delight on the palate, too. Full-to medium-bodied with lightly chewy tannins and a tasty, savory finish. Good depth and layering here. Drink or hold.
