Falstaff Magazin International Nr. 1/2022

wine / CHIANTI CLASSICO

wine / CHIANTI CLASSICO It was in 2013 that the top tier Chianti Classico Gran Selezione was introduced for the best wines of this historic region in Tuscany. Today, even those who would have turned their nose up at Chianti Classico in years gone by have taken note and are enthused by Gran Selezione. Now it is time for the next step in defining and refining this appellation. In June 2022, the Gran Selezione wines from the 2019 vintage will be released with a geographical indication – namely their village or zone of origin. The production zone of Chianti Classico – embedded in the incredibly appealing landscape of soft hills between Florence and Siena – was sub-divided into eleven geographical indications: San Casciano, Greve, Lamole, Montefioralle, Panzano, San Donato in Poggio (which includes the communes of Barberino Val d’Elsa, Tavarnelle and Poggibonsi), Gaiole, Radda, Castellina, Vagliagli and Castelnuovo Berardenga. A further refinement is the change of permitted grape varieties in Gran Selezione. The wines must now be made from at least 90 percent Sangiovese, Tuscany’s indigenous grape. If other grapes are used in the blend, this remaining ten percent must also be from traditional local varieties such as Canaiolo, Colorino or Malvasia Nera. International varieties like Cabernet, Merlot or Syrah are no longer permitted in this top tier. WHEN THE IDEA OF GEOGRAPHICAL INDICATIONS WAS FIRST FLOATED AT THE CONSORZIO 40 YEARS AGO, IT WAS MET WITH A STRICT “NO!” Castello di Ama is a so-called mediaeval borgo, or hamlet. It consists of a winery, a small hotel, restaurant and a remarkable art collection. Chianti Classico wines are based on Sangiovese, the indigenous grape variety of Tuscany. In the past, they were often blended with Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot – today Sangiovese trumps in its own right and more and more Chianti Classico wines are made exclusively from this variety. 36 falstaff mar – jun 2022

The gorgeous landscape of the Chianti Classico zone is not just a source of excellent wine but also a place to escape to and leave the world behind. Photos: Alessandro Moggi, mauritius images / Alamy Stock Photos / Jaroslaw Pawlak, mauritius images / ClickAlps / Francesco Iacomino A STEADY ROUTE Many protagonists have helped to shape the route towards Gran Selezione. It was in 1962 that Fabrizio Bianchi at his Castello di Monsanto estate made a single-vineyard wine in the area, his Chianti Classico Riserva Vigneto Il Poggio. Today his daughter Laura Bianchi runs the estate, and the most important wine still is Vigneto Il Poggio which has been labelled Gran Selezione since the 2014 vintage. Various vertical tastings over the past years have shown what an impressive and long-lived wine it is. Lorenza Sebasti and Marco Pallanti of THE NEW SUBZONES OF CHIANTI CLASSICO EXPRESS THE DIFFERENCES WITHIN THE REGION – AND THIS DIVERSITY IS DEPICTED IN THE WINES. Castello di Ama’s Bellavista wine was amongst the first single-site wines of Chianti Classico – today the exquisite wine is labelled as Gran Selezione. Castello di Ama in Gaiole are also pioneers of single-site wine in Chianti Classico. They made their first single-vineyard wine in 1982 from the Bellavista site. This was followed in 1985 by La Casuccia. There were a number of vintages in which wines from San Lorenzo and Bertinga were made as well – but they are no longer part of the range. Sebasti and Pallanti have been enthusiactic supporters of the Gran Selezione project from the start. Their Bellavista and Casuccia wines were amongst the first to use the Gran Selezione designation. Paolo de Marchi of Isole e Olena initially was a sceptic. At the very first presentation of Gran Selezione wines in 2013, he declared that he did not intend to offer such a wine – but then showed his Gran Selezione 2006 which had matured for a long time in his cellars and was to become a worthy companion to his famous flagship wine Cepparello. The Gran Selezione category thus really spurred winemakers and estates on. Today, a total of 180 wines are sold under this designation and new wines are added each year – a figure proudly reported by Giovanni Manetti, president of the local Consorzio. As the owner of Fontodi estate in Panzano, Manetti heads one of the most renowned estates in Chianti Classico. He took over the reins from his father in the late 1970s. < mar – jun 2022 falstaff 37