2011 Rocca di Castagnoli Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Stielle 750 ml

Gran Selezione: “Super-Riservas” Take a Run at Montalcino

In the mid-1990s, a band of Tuscan pioneers, tired of being upstaged by Montalcino, wrote a two-part blueprint designed to match the richness and density of Brunello while retaining the chiseled structure of the cool soils of Chianti Classico. Over the last 18 months, that blueprint has paid enormous dividends, as a handful of superstar estates have released their first “Gran Seleziones” — a new class of “super-Riservas.”

While Antinori, Fontodi, Ama, and Lilliano all shined brightly with their first releases, one of the most extraordinary new releases came from Rocca di Castagnoli. The 2011 Gran Selezione “Stielle” not only garnered 94 points from the world’s most respected Italian wine critic, Antonio Galloni, but this magnificent estate outside of Gaiole in Chianti has the winegrowing elite of Montalcino shaking in their Tuscan boots!

The first part of the plan that helps explain the massive concentration and plushness of this stunning 2011 was called “Chianti 2000.” For 16 years, researchers from the Agrarian Science departments at the University of Florence and the University of Pisa worked with growers to identify early-maturing Sangiovese clones, which were then planted in tightly spaced rows. In some cases, the number of plants per hectare was increased from 3,000 to nearly 6,000. It wouldn’t take long for the strategy to pay off. By the turn of the century, the top names of Chianti Classico were harvesting Sangiovese of Montalcino-like ripeness without sacrificing a gram of cold-soil acidity and vibrancy.

The second piece of the blueprint would take another decade to draw up. This time the work had far more to do with the cellars than the vines. While you might need a law degree from Yale to sort out the Consorzio’s new regulations and restrictions on wines approved for “Gran Selezione” status, Rocca di Castagnoli's strategy for making this mesmerizing 2011 “Stielle” is as old as the Tuscan hills.

After hand-selecting less than 10% of the barrels of the 2011 Chianti Classico Riserva and prioritizing that selection for weight, girth, and concentration, the winery spent six months tinkering with a final assemblage, making for a Gran Selezione that comfortably outpoints a bevy of $75 bottles of Brunello di Montalcino.

The 2011 Rocca di Castagnoli Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Stielle combines the voluptuousness of Brunello di Montalcino with the great focus and delineation of a superb Riserva. Brilliant ruby to the rim, infused with luscious aromas of black cherry, pomegranate, wild strawberry, and plum, laced with sweet spices. Rich, juicy, and high-toned on the attack, packed with red fruit and black cherry preserves, showing great complexity and minerality, finishing with chiseled Tuscan tannins. Powerful yet beautifully tempered, as Antonio Galloni suggests, drink this gorgeous 2011 now, or lay it down until the mid-2020s.

$55 on release. Just $33 today on WineAccess. 94 points from Antonio Galloni, one of the five highest-rated Gran Seleziones of the vintage, just a point behind Fontodi ($80) and two behind Ama ($218)! Just 200 cases made it stateside, 50 of which have been earmarked for WineAccess.