2016 Chianti Classico – A Modern Day Benchmark

BY ANTONIO GALLONI | AUGUST 22, 2019

I can’t remember the last time I was this excited about Chianti Classico and its wines. My July trip included a number of truly memorable estate visits, two unforgettable verticals, and the thrill of discovering a handful of wineries that were new to me. The top 2016s have turned out to be just as extraordinary as I had hoped they would be, and the 2017s, while less consistent, have plenty to offer as well.

Lorenza Sebasti and Marco Pallanti (not pictured) at Castello di Ama made one of the epic wines of 2016 with their Merlot L’Apparita

The Magnificent 2016s….

Earlier this year, in my article Chianti Classico 2015 & 2016: In the Right Place at the Right Time I wrote “A balanced growing season with no shock events produced a set of truly exceptional, highly promising wines. The 2016s are distinguished by their superb aromatic presence, silky tannins, layered fruit and fabulous sense of harmony. The 2016s I have tasted so far point to a high-quality vintage that may very well turn out to be profound.” Those sentiments, originally expressed after having tasted the straight Chianti Classicos very much ring true for the Riservas and other top-tier 2016s, the best of which are simply extraordinary. Near-perfect conditions with long hours of sun, well-timed rains and no excesses resulted in relaxed, drawn out harvest under warm days and cool nights, exactly the conditions in which Sangiovese thrives. Although the 2016s in this report are mostly at the mid and upper tiers of producers’ ranges, I would be remiss in not pointing out the sweet spot in 2016, and that is at the Riserva level, not Gran Selezione (which I will discuss later), but the straight Riservas, in other words the wines just above straight Chianti Classico. The best of these wines offer the consumer extraordinary quality and value.

The view from the main farmhouse at Fèlsina’s Rancia farmhouse looking across Rancia and into the neighboring Colli Senesi

The 2017 Chianti Classicos – Ripe, Racy and Forward

Two thousand seventeen is far trickier than 2016. Frost in May was devastating, especially on the lower hillsides. Warm, dry weather, with virtually no rain, was the theme for the rest of the year. The crop was very light, both because of frost and then dehydration on the vine. To make matters even more dramatic, the grapes that did come in had very little juice. As a result, the 2017s are powerful, racy wines. Even so, acidities seemed to stay pretty healthy. I didn’t run into too many wines that tasted jammy or cooked, but did taste a number of wines I would rather enjoy on the young side. The best 2017s have plenty to offer, although they don’t reach the level of the 2016s.