2017 Mazzei Castello di Fonterutoli Badiola Chianti Classico Gran Selezione DOCG 750 ml

If there ever was a family synonymous with Italy's most important wine region, the Mazzeis are it. With more than six centuries of vinification under their belts, it should come as no surprise that these Italian maestros make some damn fine wine—and their 2017 Castello Fonterutoli Badiòla Chianti Classico Gran Selezione is something special.

Not only was it the first Gran Selezione to be made with fruit from the historic Badiòla vineyard, but the 2017 vintage had critics lapping it up out of the Mazzeis’ deft hands. 

James Suckling awarded it 96 points and called it “firm” and “silky,” while The Wine Advocate called it a perfect balance between power and elegance that “delivers a special and enduring sense of weightlessness.”

Hailing from the Radda municipality in the heart of Chianti Classico, the vineyards of Badiòla are among some of the highest in the region. Even in the height of summer, these limestone- and sandstone-soil vineyards benefit from a cooling current that results in a prolonged growing period—an especially important factor for the Gran Selezione DOCG classification, which requires longer aging, higher ripeness requirements, and exclusive use of estate-grown grapes to distinguish it as one of the top terroirs and wines.

Blended from old-vine estate selections, this 100% Sangiovese aged for 16 months in French oak (30% new) and five months in concrete tanks before resting in bottle for the last two years, producing an elegant, structured, decadent Tuscan Gran Selezione.