One of those factors is that relatively few wineries have yet amassed substantial library collections – or have been slow to publicise their efforts – leaving collectors reluctant to pay a premium for mature wines whose provenance is uncertain. Exceptions include Castello di Monsanto, with its labyrinthine cellars, finished to a modern standard in 1992, from which it can pull examples of Riserva Il Poggio (now a Gran Selezione) back to the 1960s. Similarly, collector favourite Castell’in Villa has a substantial stock of back vintages that it has utilised in various ways, including direct to consumer sales, distributor sales and sales to visitors. More recent is Castello di Ama’s Arca, completed in 2021, which houses around 80,000 standard bottles and another 10,000 large formats, to be regularly released through retail and hospitality. There are also programs at Castello di Querceto, Badia a Coltibuono, Castello di Brolio, Villa Calcinaia, Castello di Monsanto, Querciabella and Principe Corsini, the latter focused on large formats. Still, few other producers in Chianti are able to present verticals of significant depth, let alone in sufficient volumes to supply the market.

Another is the fact that producers don’t coordinate the release of vintages in a consistent way; whereas those B regions tend to all release the same vintage in a single year, in Chianti Classico, any annual tasting, even of a single category like Gran Selezione, will feature wines from many vintages. This year, at my Consorzio blind tasting, between Gran Selezione and Riserva, I had around 50 x 2022s, 80 x 2021s, 40 x 2020s, 20 x 2019s and a smattering of wines older still. Though perhaps inevitable in a large region with very diverse maturation practices, it makes it harder to develop a cohesive view of each vintage – a key to fine-wine communication.

Thankfully, the contrast between the vintages has made the exercise more straightforward. 2022 was decidedly hot, though at least not overly spiky, and dry. In some cases, this led to overripeness – there are definitely some solid, stolid Sangioveses in here – and in others underripeness, thanks to vine shutdown. Somewhat surprisingly, the latter was especially common in elevated sites and their wines are often unbalanced in conditions one might assume favoured them. Still, there are some marvellous sleeper hits from Ricasoli, Montevertine and Istine. 2021, meanwhile, was exquisitely balanced and energetic with far fewer duds, though some of the 2021s re-tasted since last year have entered a quieter phase, having lost their youthful fruit but not yet developed offsetting complexity. 2020 lies somewhere in between, its hot summer alleviated by helpful rains that mitigated vine stress: its wines are gentler, less nervy overall. The 2019s, 2018s and single examples of 2017 and 2016, though attractive wines in their own right, were too few (and arguably too much more mature than the 2022s and 2021s) to make a solid comparison at this stage, though wineries investing so much in releasing wines once ready to drink are to be commended.

The final point, and this seem unlikely to resolve anytime soon, is the continued lack of consensus over which prestigious category to emphasise. Holdouts on one side are sticking to Riserva – notably Castellin’ Villa, San Giusto a Rentennano, Badia a Coltibuono, Val delle Corti and Caparsa – because of various objections to Gran Selezione, from the fact that it was functionally meaningless in its early years (because most quality-focused producers were already meeting its loosely drawn requirements) to the fact that it limits the use of complementary varieties to 10%.

In fact, the recent decision to remove any international grape varieties from the Gran Selezione category has left some icons like Castello di Ama’s San Lorenzo, made for decades with some Merlot, with an uncertain future. The desire to create more consistency within the category – and, more debatably, boost its authenticity – is admirable; nonetheless, I would view it as a real shame to lose historical wines from the category, particularly given the prominent role Ama’s Marco Pallanti played in shepherding the Gran Selezione to adoption.

On the other side are those who have remained outside the appellation entirely, like Montevertine, even as the region has arguably remade itself in Montevertine’s image, favouring pure Sangiovese from cool, high-altitude sites made in a mix of smaller and larger oak vessels. Others have at least kept certain top wines in the IGT category, resisting for the time being the argument that the ‘re-integration’ of top Chianti Classico Super-Tuscans like Tignanello, Flaccianello and Cepparello could certainly help bring more attention to the region’s incredible quality potential, and emphasise how it has changed since the days of white blending grapes and straw-covered fiasco bottles.

Looking ahead, there are a couple of very different vintages in the pipeline, with the rain-afflicted 2023 and 2024 up next. 2023 was a shocker, with huge losses from mildew and a sharp swing from soggy spring to blazing summer leaving some wines overripe and others dilute. In 2024, producers were better prepared and so the results will hopefully be a more flattering portrait of Chianti Classico in a rainy season. For the moment, the vintage with the most staying power remains 2021 and I look forward to tasting its best wines repeatedly as they unfurl over the coming years.

Tasting notes and scores from Club Oenologique’s Chianti Classico Report 2025 (featuring only those wines scoring 90 points and above) are available to all registered users of The Collection, the online home of our premium wine and spirits content. To register, click here.