Chianti Classico returns to its roots

The traditional Tuscan region of Chianti Classico is on the move. Many producers are focusing more on Sangiovese than on international varieties. The Consorzio is even toying with the idea of limiting the still-young Gran Selezione classification to 100 percent Sangiovese. 

James Lawrence has the story.

The Castello di Fonterutoli, just a few kilometres from Castellina in Chianti.
The Castello di Fonterutoli, just a few kilometres from Castellina in Chianti.

Chianti Classico stands apart from Europe's great red wine appellations. It would be unthinkable for any grower in Chambolle-Musigny to openly criticise the majesty of Pinot Noir. Yet Chianti Classico's winemakers have spent decades compensating for the weaknesses of their signature grape variety – Sangiovese. The grape has been maligned by critics, sommeliers and Italian producers. “Winegrowers in Chianti Classico have historically used international varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon to fill in 'missing aspects' of Sangiovese. It must be said that the grape has been difficult to manage when compared to varieties such as Merlot,” says Francesco Ricasoli, president of Ricasoli 1141. “In the 20th century, Sangiovese produced many poor, acidic wines in Chianti,” adds Albiera Antinori, CEO of Antinori.

However, Tuscany's signature export appears to be back in favour. In 2000, the region embarked upon a project to replace high-yielding clones of Sangiovese with genetic material more suited to the production of fine wine. It is now starting to show impressive results. Global warming has also played a vital role. The late-ripening Sangiovese has traditionally struggled to achieve satisfactory phenolic ripeness in the zone's higher altitude vineyards, but contemporary vintages have yielded concentrated wines of deep colour, with seductive tannins. It has given producers the confidence to embrace 100 percent Sangiovese wines and disentangle themselves from a legacy of varietal embarrassment. “All four of our 2018 Gran Selezione wines will be 100 percent Sangiovese,” says Riscasoli. “This marks a new era for Ricasoli.”


The Gran Selezione classification was introduced in 2014 to further enhance the value of Chianti

 

Changes of the Gran Selezione rules?

The future of the Gran Selezione classification has become pivotal to this viticultural reawakening. According to Albiera Antinori, the Chianti Classico Consorzio is currently debating whether to make 100 percent Sangiovese wines a legal requirement of the superior designation. This would signify an unprecedented cultural shift; the authorities have historically encouraged – and indeed regulated – the production of multi-grape blends in the region.

Prior to 1996, 100 percent Sangiovese Chianti Classicos were not permitted. Growers of the workhorse white grape Trebbiano needed a ready market for their wines. However, the Consorzio outlawed the inclusion of white grapes like Trebbiano in 2006. Until very recently, growers in Chianti Classico were entitled to blend in up to 20 percent of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon into Gran Selezione wines, in addition to the indigenous Colorino and Canaiolo.

“The desire to make Gran Selezione a 100 percent Sangiovese style is currently being discussed among the producers and the Consorzio,” says Antinori. “The idea is to make Gran Selezione more distinctive from the Riserva category. We believe that it could be a strong marketing opportunity.”

Introduced in 2014, Gran Selezione was designed to premiumise Chianti Classico, making it more attractive to high spending acolytes of Brunello di Montalcino and the Super Tuscans. The regulations insist upon a minimum level of alcohol of 13 percent abv and a minimum ageing period of 30 months in wood. Moreover, no vintages can be distributed until an expert panel has tasted the wines and certified their quality credentials. The inaugural wines were bottled from the 2010 vintage.

“Between 2018 and 2020, the number of estates producing Gran Selezione labels has increased by 50 percent. Since the inaugural vintage, Gran Selezione wines have been awarded many times by the international press,” says Giovanni Manetti, president of the Consorzio. “This has helped to premiumise the image of Chianti Classico, in conjunction with the Riserva category of wines. Gran Selezione is meant to become more and more the truest expression of diversity in Chianti Classico. Sangiovese plays a crucial role in the synergy between grape and terroir. This is why the board of directors is debating changing the rules concerning the percentage of Sangiovese in the wines.”

Andrea Cecchi, owner and oenologist at Famiglia Cecchi, told Meininger’s that the Consorzio will soon announce changes to the Gran Selezione regulations. “As anticipated, the Consorzio is introducing a change to production rules, increasing the minimum Sangiovese grapes from 80 percent to 90 percent, and authorising only indigenous grapes for the rest of the blend,” says Cecchi. “However, we support the idea of 100 percent Sangiovese wines. Personally, I do believe that Gran Selezione has to represent elegance, persistency, ageing potential and spirit of terroir.”

Pros and cons

As expected, there are strong opinions on both sides of the debate. “I completely agree that the right direction is 100 percent Sangiovese Gran Selezione. Indeed, I believe this route will be chosen naturally by the producers,” argues Francesco Mazzei, vice president of the firm. Alessandro François, owner of Castello di Querceto, adds: “We support the idea and think it could help to better promote the Gran Selezione category.”


Pro 100 percent Sangiovese: Francesco Mazzei, vice president of Marchesi Mazzei

 

But the Consorzio must also take account of producers who feel just as strongly about maintaining the status quo. “I am not sure this is a good idea, as Chianti Classico will be competing with 100 percent Sangiovese wine styles like Brunello di Montalcino,” says Enrico Viglerchio, general manager at Banfi.

Frescobaldi's president Lamberto Frescobaldi has long argued for a region-wide focus on terroir, rather than variety. “We have always believed that an exceptional wine is not the result of the cellar, but of the location. Rialzi Gran Selezione is the expression of a single Sangiovese vineyard. Any other interpretation doesn’t interest us, but we are in a free world.” 

Vineyard classification

Chianti Classico shares a historical problem with many European wine regions: differentiation. Wine as a category often struggles to create added value – in the eyes of most consumers, a top-of-the-range Chianti Classico looks, smells and tastes the same as a generic example. Some growers in the region insist that the solution is simple: emphasise regionality on labels. They want to promote the names of villages, vineyard sites and unique terroirs, communicating these differences to high-spending consumers. 

But could terroir classification really offer any commercial benefits to Chianti Classico? “I understand and sympathise with the reasons for doing this. However for virtually all consumers, it is at best an unnecessary complication and potentially a turn off. We have encountered customer resistance to paying a premium for these single-vineyard wines from people who happily buy into the Burgundian system,” argues British wine buyer Peter Mitchell MW.

Vineyard classification systems which have no longstanding historical tradition are also fraught with problems. Wineries which own vineyards and control land in vastly different areas and villages across the region undoubtedly fear that any vineyard classification could dramatically affect grape prices and producer costs. Moreover, a cursory glance at other regions suggests that they frequently attract massive controversy.


Francesco Ricasoli, President of Ricasoli: “All four of our 2018 Gran Selezione wines will be 100 percent Sangiovese.”

Other region’s classifications

In 2010, the Barolo appellation was updated with the creation of the “Menzione Geografica Aggiuntiva”. This was the official classification of every single vineyard in Barolo, largely based on the work of renowned winemaker Renato Ratti, who in 1980, after years of painstaking research, created a map of Barolo crus. Part of the Menzione's remit was to enlarge the prestigious “Grand cru” Cannubi vineyard area to 34 ha from 15 ha, which resulted in a protracted and expensive legal dispute in which growers fought individuals in favour of maintaining the enlargement. Terroir classification is a political nightmare.

From that perspective, Chianti Classico's Riserva/Gran Selezione pyramid scheme represents a more pragmatic compromise. It is less politically senstive than attempting to emulate Burgundy's cru system, in addition to being a relatively straightforward piece of consumer messaging. More importantly, it is supported by brands like Mazzei, who are continuing to challenge perceptions of the style. 

In 2020, the firm launched a new luxury cuvée called “Ipsus”. It is priced at over €250 per bottle. Chianti Classico has never attracted such high prices in the history of the appellation. It proves that the region is heading in new directions. “When we started working on this project,  we  believed that there was a great opportunity for luxury Chianti Classico – the sales figures of Ipsus have confirmed that we were right,” says Mazzei. “There is no reason for not having icon wines in the appellation.”

For over 25 years, Chianti Classico has remained in the shadow of more prestigious designations like Bolgheri and Brunello di Montalcino. Collectors have sidelined the appellation for Sassicaia and Biondi-Santi. But the region is growing in confidence and competing with its rival on more equal terms. The current debate over promoting 100 percent Sangiovese wines is the latest manifestation of this rising optimism. Chianti Classico is no longer willing to play second best.
 
“I believe that Chianti Classico has long been underestimated,” says Mazzei. “A great Gran Selezione wine is easily the equal to a top Brunello. The question is – how to fill the gap in the consumer's imagination? The answer is simple: keep making better wines, with character and identity.”

A new category of Gran Selezione wines, anchored in unprecedented ”varietal purity”, is ideally situated to do just that.

James Lawrence
 

 

 

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