Winemaker Notes
Saturated ruby-red color. An intense and intruiging rose of blackberries and spices. Succulent and juicy on the palate with a silky, supple texture, nuanced complexity. A wine to enjoy now with time in the glass but also built for cellaring.
Blend: 80% Sangiovese, 20% Malvasia Nera
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
The 2020 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Vigneto Bellavista is outrageously beautiful. Graphite, crushed rocks, lavender, menthol and juniper berry all race out of the glass. A dollop of Malvasia Nera adds striking savory/earthy intensity. Black fruit, gravel, incense and cloves build over time, framed by potent Bellavista tannins that need time to soften.
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James Suckling
This has an attractive nose with dried strawberries, plum skins, crushed walnuts and licorice. Full-bodied, compact and structured with velvety tannins and a chocolaty mouthfeel. Really focused and balanced. Long, steady finish. Better after 2025.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2020 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Vigneto Bellavista shows an especially dark and saturated character in this vintage with black cherry, savory barbecue spice and cured tobacco. Of the three Gran Selezione releases, the Vigneto Bellavista has the darkest and richest character. This full-bodied red shows etched tannins and lots of rich fruit layering.
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Wine Spectator
Dark shades of blackberry, blueberry, violet and iron infuse this intense yet fluid red, with a hint of dark chocolate. Despite its fine concentration and beautiful balance, this is elegant, with terrific length, showing lingering notes of fruit and spice. Sangiovese and Malvasia Nera. Best from 2025 through 2043.
Disenchanted with Italian winemaking laws in the 1970s, a few rebellious Tuscan winemakers decided to get creative. Instead of following tradition, to bottle Sangiovese by itself, they started blending it with international varieties, namely Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah in differing proportions and with amazing success. However, some Tuscan Blends don’t even include Sangiovese. Somm Secret—The suffix –aia in Italian modifies a word in much the same way –y acts in English. For example, a place with many stones (sassi) becomes Sassicaia. While not all Super Tuscan producer names end in –aia, they all share a certain coy nomenclature.
One of the first wine regions anywhere to be officially recognized and delimited, Chianti Classico is today what was originally defined simply as Chianti. Already identified by the early 18th century as a superior zone, the official name of Chianti was proclaimed upon the area surrounding the townships of Castellina, Radda and Gaiole, just north of Siena, by Cosimo III, Grand Duke of Tuscany in an official decree in 1716.
However, by the 1930s the Italian government had appended this historic zone with additonal land in order to capitalize on the Chianti name. It wasn’t until 1996 that Chianti Classico became autonomous once again when the government granted a separate DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita) to its borders. Ever since, Chianti Classico considers itself no longer a subzone of Chianti.
Many Classicos are today made of 100% Sangiovese but can include up to 20% of other approved varieties grown within the Classico borders. The best Classicos will have a bright acidity, supple tannins and be full-bodied with plenty of ripe fruit (plums, black cherry, blackberry). Also common among the best Classicos are expressive notes of cedar, dried herbs, fennel, balsamic or tobacco.