2019 Chianti Classico Badia a Passignano
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Tasting Notes
Marchesi Antinori's 2019 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Badia a Passignano embraces a ripe fruit profile with sweet cherry and baked plum. Fruit at the Badia a Passignano estate matures very nicely, Marchesi Antinori General Manager Renzo Cotarella tells me. He describes the 2019 season as having abundant rain in the spring and then showing heat that lasted for a good part of the summer. This estate has a total of 56 hectares of vines, but this bottle is born from a selection from 20 hectares. The resulting annual production is 100,000 bottles. The wine offers sweet tannins, lots of dark cherry, spicy sensations, rich fruit weight and hints of salinity on the close. The big news from Marchesi Antinori is that the estate is embracing a collective push to give more identity to the villages, or comuni, that make up the appellation. Made with a blend of fruit from four villages, the Chianti Classico Riserva Villa Antinori will be parceled and made into four distinct single-vineyard (or single-comune) Chianti Classico Gran Selezione wines. I have not tasted them yet, but we should be seeing these new wines soon.
Critic Scores
Average Score
Monica Larner, Wine Advocate
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Sourced from a single vineyard surrounding the abbey of Badia a Passignano, the 2019 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Baddia A Passignano has an attractive, seamless perfume of wet stone, candied red cherry, rosemary, and pressed flowers. It floods the palate with pure red fruits, super-fine tannins, warming baking spices, and fresh salinity. This remarkable and gorgeous wine is deceptively easy-drinking now and will continue to improve over the coming 10-15 years.
The 2019 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Badia a Passignano is packed with inky dark fruit, chocolate, spice, leather and incense. Opulent and flamboyant to the core, the 2019 speaks in a loud, brash voice. There's a ton of richness, but less in the way of finesse. After many years of tasting this wine, I have to conclude the Badia is never going to be a particularly refined Chianti Classico. It's just not in its DNA.
Lots of violets and blue fruit, as well as black cherries on the nose. Full-bodied with slightly chewy tannins. Rich and layered. Yet, the tannins are long and intense. Drink after 2023.
About the producer
Marchesi Antinori is a leading Italian producer, historically based in Tuscany, who rose to fame after creating Tignanello – one of the first Super Tuscans . Combining tradition and innovation to craft fine wine, the family-owned firm has been a force in the Italian wine industry for over 600 years.