Chianti Autumn Tasting @ PWS David Jones April 2026

An exquisite wine, Le Cinciole's 2019 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Aluigi Campo ai Peri is immediately seductive. More than anything else, I admire the purity and delineation here. Sweet pipe tobacco, cedar, mint, rose petal and dried herbs are finely cut in this chiseled, vibrant Gran Selezione. Le Cinciole sets the standard. What a gorgeous wine this is. The 2019 spent two years in 25hL cask and a year in cement. (96) ANTONIO GALLONI

Soaring aromatics of dried oily herbs, fresh roasted spices, wilting flowers, fresh rubbed erinmore  tobacco and a lively mix of mostly red fruits but dried meat comes subtly in to play. There's some lift to the nose which really highlights the fresher elements.
Snappy and bordering on tart. There's a river of mineral tension here. It's hugely invigorating and super long. It's a wild card. While Petresco needs to unleash its potential Alluigi needs to calm itself and fill out a little. In a five to ten year span this wine is going to blossom.
With further air something unfurls, no, uncoils, inner tension. A mid palate pull in of character. This is going to sound odd but it's something I associate with the best wines from a couple of communes in barolo or the best of Gevrey or Vosne. It's hard to explain, like a central pressure built around the various components that feel compressed but with an overt structural, tannic, mineral assertion. At no stage am I comparing this wine to any of the former, it's uniquely and undeniably Tuscan, just that "thing" when I see it in a wine, it excites the hell out of me. I would love to see this in a decade but no bottle would last a day in my house. ROSCOE

The 2019 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione is brilliant. Blue/purplish fruit, lavender, mint and licorice all build in this exquisite, elegant Gran Selezione. All the elements are beautifully balanced. The 2019 is a blend from vineyards in Ruffoli (Greve) that spent more than a month on the skins, with submerged cap maceration at the end, an approach borrowed from the super-classic wines of Piedmont. Aging was 4-5 months in tonneaux and then about 12 months in botti, all neutral oak. ANTONIO GALLONI

The estate’s third release, this Gran Selezione is among the top wines from Chianti Classico’s 2019 vintage. Just 4,000 bottles were produced from Querciabella’s site above 500 metres on the steep, stony slope of the Ruffoli hill. Coy to begin with, it hints at coffee, smoke and oily herbs such as grilled rosemary and sage. The palate is tight and sinewy, showing cranberry and red currants punctuated by inner-mouth perfumes of lilac and a crushed stone sensation. Decisive, linear tannins are carved with precision and accentuated by zesty acidity. I was lucky enough to try this on a few separate occasions and it just gets better with each sip. MICHAELA MORRIS

A jeweled ruby with a magenta tinge, the 2019 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione offers some creamier aromas of cocoa, black cherry liqueur, more raspberry fruit, pine, and dark mineral earth. Full-bodied, with a velvety texture, sweet tannins, notes of black cherry, and a lush, long, ripe finish, it has fresh acidity but a warming, rounded feel. It’s showing its more primary side right now, coming from a shy vintage, and feels like it’s going to be slow to mature. As it opens, it reveals notes of fresh lavender and sage. It’s very well done and will definitely be a more serious wine. Drink 2026-2046. AUDREY FRICKE

This refreshing, vibrant little number is a creation of the team at Villa Le Corti. The wine is made at their San Casciano Estate. The name Camporsino comes from a local dialect for one of the properties on their Estate and is made in a more modern style. Made from 100% Sangiovese from within the DOCG boundaries this is a clean, bright, juicy wine with black cherries, a touch of tobacco and signature Sangiovese/Chianti savoury tannins. It’s a favourite with the locals as their ‘vino da tavola’ and goes well with their local cuisine such as coniglio and pancetta casserole – there’s really not too much more to say, it’s just great value.

The bright magenta 2020 Chianti Classico Riserva has a great nose that opens to expressive notes of fresh forest herbs, anise, wet stones, red cherry liqueur, framboise, and juniper, with a high-toned lift to the aromas that are fantastic. Medium-bodied, it has a more linear feel compared to the Chianti Classico, with fine, ripe tannins and great, balanced energy. This beautiful Riserva is going to last for 15 or more years. I love its fantastic tension and energy with a refreshing blood orange note on the finish. This is a great one – bravo! (94) AUDREY FICK, JebDunnuck.com.au

Just bottled, the 2020 Chianti Classico Riserva is a bit reticent. Crushed red flowers, mint, white pepper, anise and orange peel give the 2020 lovely aromatic brilliance to match its mid-weight personality. Readers will find a Riserva of linear intensity and drive more than volume. Vineyard sites are Greve, Lamole and Radda. (92+) ANTONIO GALLONI, Vinous

Amber color. Complex and evolved, with notes of apricot jam, celery, dried figs, candied orange zest, nail polish and a hint of rancio. Zesty and lifted acidity balances the dense sweetness, with a full body and a long, super-savory finish of dried apricots. Not an easy wine, strictly for connoisseurs, yet very good. Drinkable now, but it will last for decades." - James Suckling

Fragrant and savory, with aromas of cherries, pomegranates, rose petals and touches of pepper and spices. The palate is medium-bodied and lively with polished tannins, offering purity and clarity of fruit with a subtle earthy note in the finish. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold. JAMES SUCKLING 

... Dark cherry, plum, leather, incense, menthol and mocha infuse the 2022 with striking textural depth and resonance. There's real substance here, not to mention tons of character. ANTONIO GALLONI, Vinous

Medium ruby red. Fragrant bouquet redolent of red berries and dried herbs. Pure, fresh and concentrated in the mouth with a hint of astringency and firm tannins. From organic vineyards, fermented in cement, then aged in 20 hl botti for a year followed by another year in cement. INTERNATIONAL WINE REVIEW

Deep vibrant ruby red, typical hints of violets and cherry and red berry fruits. In palate fruitiness, freshness and minerality with balsamic notes. Hand picking, fermentation in stainless steel tanks controlling temperature with short maceration on the skins, malolactic fermentation and filtering. The refinement in bottle lasts at least 6 months.

The 2022 Chianti Classico is fabulous—one of the best of the year. A burst of dark red/purplish fruit, lavender, spice, rose petal and mint all race across the palate. Deep, layered and wonderfully sexy, the 2022 is utterly irresistible. It’s a superb effort from proprietor Marco Ricasoli Firidolfi. ANTONIO GALLONI, Vinous

Pouring a deep magenta hue, the 2022 Chianti Classico is inviting and ripe with aromas of black raspberries, cherries, crushed violets, and mossy earth. The palate is polished and pure, with ripe tannins, crunchy, refreshing acidity, and a stony texture. It’s a lovely Chianti Classico that will be fantastic for drinking now or over the next 8-10 years. (95+) AUDREY FICK, JebDunnuck.com.au