In the world of wine, fame can be a double-edged sword. For decades, Chianti Classico, one of Italy’s most historic and recognizable wine regions, wrestled with this reality. Its name was globally famous, but its image was often tied to the rustic, straw-covered fiasco bottle, a symbol of simple, easy-drinking wine rather than world-class quality. While the region’s producers knew their Sangiovese, grown on the unique soils between Florence and Siena, was capable of greatness, the market didn’t always see it. This began to change with the introduction of the Riserva category, but it was in 2014 that the region made its most ambitious move: the creation of Chianti Classico Gran Selezione.
On the surface, it looked like another tier at the top of the quality pyramid, above the Annata (the classic, youthful expression) and the Riserva (which requires longer aging). But Gran Selezione was founded on a principle that was quietly revolutionary for the region. It wasn’t just about aging the wine longer; it was about its origin. The core, non-negotiable rule is that a Gran Selezione must be made exclusively from grapes grown on the winery’s own estate. This simple rule shifted the focus from the cellar to the vineyard, from time to terroir. It was a declaration that the ultimate expression of Chianti Classico comes not from a generic regional blend, but from a specific piece of land, nurtured and vinified by a single producer. In doing so, it has transformed the way we think about Sangiovese, turning a famous, almost mainstream grape into a vessel for discovering the “other” side of Tuscany: the voice of a single hillside.
A pyramid built on place, not just time
To understand the significance of Gran Selezione, one must understand what came before. For years, the main difference between a standard Chianti Classico and a Riserva was time. A Riserva required a minimum of 24 months of aging before release, compared to 12 for the Annata. This often resulted in excellent, more complex wines, but it didn’t necessarily guarantee a superior vineyard source. A producer could, in theory, make a Riserva from purchased grapes or from a blend of various sites of differing quality.
Gran Selezione changed the game by making grape origin the primary criterion. With a minimum aging requirement of 30 months, it still respects the value of time, but its soul lies in the “estate-grown” rule. This immediately connects the wine to a specific place and a specific philosophy. While not explicitly required to be from a single vineyard, the vast majority of Gran Selezione wines are just that: the product of a producer’s finest plot, their cru. This aligns Chianti Classico with other great wine regions of the world, like Burgundy with its climats or Barolo with its MGAs, where the name of a single vineyard on the label is the ultimate mark of quality.
The introduction of the category was not without controversy. Some critics initially dismissed it as a marketing exercise, an attempt to create a “super-premium” category without a clear enough distinction from the best Riservas. However, over the past decade, the quality and character of the wines have silenced most doubters. Gran Selezione has become the platform for producers to showcase the pinnacle of their terroir, bottling wines that express the unique dialogue between the Sangiovese grape and the specific patch of earth where it was grown.
Single-estate Sangiovese: a grape’s true voice
This focus on a single estate, and often a single vineyard, is where the Gran Selezione concept truly resonates with the “Other Grapes” philosophy. It takes one of the world’s most famous grapes—Sangiovese—and presents it in a non-mainstream, radically specific way. It moves beyond the idea of a “regional style” and invites the drinker to explore a mosaic of micro-terroirs. A Gran Selezione from the hard, calcareous Alberese soils of Radda will have a different structure and aromatic profile than one from the friable Galestro schist of Panzano.
This is possible because Sangiovese is an incredibly transparent grape, a sensitive conduit for its terroir. When farmed with care and vinified with a light touch, it communicates the nuances of its soil, altitude, and exposition with stunning clarity. The Gran Selezione designation encourages this transparency. By championing single-estate bottlings, it pushes producers to identify their most expressive sites and to bottle them separately, preserving their unique identity rather than blending it away into a larger cuvée.
Two brilliant examples of this philosophy in action are found at two of the region’s most respected estates, each working with a distinct terroir.
At Castello di Brolio, the historic home of the Ricasoli family, the Gran Selezione “Colledilà” is a profound expression of a single soil type. The Ricasoli name is intertwined with the very history of Chianti, as Barone Bettino Ricasoli is credited with creating the original “recipe” for the blend in the 19th century. Today, his descendants have embraced a new philosophy focused on identifying and bottling the estate’s single crus. “Colledilà” comes from a vineyard dominated by Albarese, the classic limestone-rich soil. The resulting wine is a testament to this geology: it is structured, powerful, and deeply mineral, with notes of dark cherry, graphite, and savory herbs. The tannins are firm and aristocratic, promising decades of evolution. To taste Colledilà is to taste the voice of calcareous clay, a pure and unadulterated expression of a single place.
Just a few valleys away, at the celebrated organic estate of Fontodi in Panzano, the Gran Selezione “Vigna del Sorbo” tells a different story. This wine comes from a historic, south-facing vineyard rich in Galestro, the flaky, schistous clay that defines the Conca d’Oro. The wine is a classic example of Panzano’s unique combination of power and elegance. While it shares the structure and longevity of its counterparts, its aromatic profile is more lifted and perfumed, with notes of violets, red berries, and a dusty, earthy minerality. The tannins are equally present but have the fine-grained, silky texture that is characteristic of Galestro. Vigna del Sorbo is not just a wine; it is a liquid portrait of a single, sun-drenched, stony hillside.
The future of a classic
The creation of Gran Selezione is more than just the addition of a new category. It is a fundamental reframing of how Chianti Classico defines its own quality. It represents a mature region’s confidence to move beyond generic blends and to celebrate the individual identities of its greatest vineyards. For the wine lover, it offers a new and exciting way to explore one of Italy’s most beloved wines. It is an invitation to look beyond the regional name on the label and to discover the names of the vineyards within: Colledilà, Vigna del Sorbo, Cavarchione, Colonia.
This is how a classic region stays relevant and exciting. By turning inward and focusing on its most unique and valuable asset—its collection of world-class vineyard sites—Chianti Classico, through the lens of Gran Selezione, offers the thrill of discovery that is at the heart of every great wine experience. It proves that even the most famous of grapes, when tied to a single, special piece of land, can always be one of the “other grapes” worth seeking out.
