2019 IPSUS Chianti Classico Gran Selezione

I love the aromas of cherry, orange peel and sandalwood here. Classy and aromatic. Full-bodied with tight and polished tannins that are precise and centered. It goes on for minutes on the palate. Needs time to open but already beautifully balanced. From 30-year-old vineyards on average. Drink after 2027.

I have closely followed this wine since its first edition in 2015, and although the brand continues to expand on what is so far a limited track record, this is the best edition made thus far. A special project put forth by the Mazzei family of Castello di Fonterutoli, the Caggio 2019 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Ipsus is a very etched and linear wine with an extreme sense of minimality and definition that I find irresistible. Notes of graphite and pencil shaving are followed by wild fruit, blue flower and melting tannins. The wine is light on its feet. The 2019 vintage set the stage for spot-on phenolic ripening with bright primary fruit that was submitted to some time in clay vessels followed by tonneaux and botte. In terms of fermentation, the team is moving away from punch-downs to embrace more delicate submerged cap instead. The 2019 vintage is slightly more concentrated compared to 2018, with a darker quality of fruit. Some 4,500 bottles were made.

Shows fine purity and intensity, from the focused cherry, raspberry, underbrush and iron aromas and flavors to the skilled use of new oak for structure, texture and hints of vanilla and toast. Opulent, yet sleek, powerful and stylish, this red is complex and long. Best from 2026 through 2046.