Querciabella Gran Selezione 2019

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