Riecine Gittori Chianti Classico Gran Selezione 2019

For all the grumblings, Gran Selezione has been a resounding success for Chianti: a straightforward and recognizable way for estate owners to offer the world their ‘best wines’. Often lovely wines: here’s a great example. When Chianti sings, nothing could be more civilised, more refined, more elegant: one sniff of the settled fruits, the cypress and bay leaf, the oak copse and dried cep that your nose can intuit in this glass makes the case. It’s fresh, sustained and intricate in the mouth, weighty yet almost weightless thanks to its impeccable balance. Hard not to think of Old Master paintings – or the eye-soothing landscapes of Tuscany itself – once you have this beautifully vinified Sangiovese waiting patiently in your glass. Best in Show. [Hold to 2024 and then drink through 2034+.] Score – 97. (Decanter World Wine Awards, 2022)