Badia a Passignano, Chianti Classico, Gran Selezione 2020

A stunning abbey dating from the 4th and 9th centuries, sits on the top of a hill and has been a place of viticulture (Benedictines have made wine here since the 1040s), politics, trade and education (Galileo taught maths here in the 1580s) ever since. 

This wine has a nose of black cherry, blackberry, chocolate and cocoa beans, leading to tea leaf and violets. With a brooding set of flavours, the palate is lithe and surprisingly agile, as the acidity of the Sangiovese shines in a medium-bodied, medium-tannin palate. With a mouthful of integrated culinary spices and both red and black fruit, the wine has a long, savoury finish that makes you mouth water for food, or another glass. Perfect Chianti.

This iconic estate has all-but been reduced to producing one wine - this wine; but it is a wine like very few others. A sensational exploration of the possibilities that the Gran Selezione category can yield, this wine is a marvellous expression of vineyard, grape and climate. It is the result of the Antinori's vision, through the wine-making apparatus they are allowed to use within the legality of the Gran Selezione framework - large oak barrels, soft extraction and a very long fermentation and maturation period.

The estate is large - 223 hectares with 65 under vine - and is extremely historic wine ancient amphorae and vine remnants appearing in various archaeological digs of the site over the last number of decades. The slopes range in altitude from 250-300 metres above sea level and as is typical for the best sites in Chianti Classico, are set on heavily calcerous soils. 

The wine is made very traditionally and with no shortage of moderation - there is a lengthy maceration and fermentation period that allows for a very long and gentle extraction of flavour and colour from the grapes, before it is left to rest and mature, undergo malolactic fermentation, all in a combination of Hungarian and French oak barrels, that are mostly over 50,000 litres in size. After the minimum period of ageing in barrel (and longer if they feel it is required) the wine is bottled - on the estate - and then left for a further period before being released to the market. A lengthy process but one that ensures the qualities of the estate, grapes and region are preserved and cherished. Something that many other producers had begun to lose in oak-flavoured Riservas of the past - though by no means has the Gran Selezione category been universally welcomed, it has seen som eserious wineries produce honestly wonderful wines in the true spirit of the category: this is one of the best.