Winemaker Notes
The Castello di Meleto Chianti Classico Gran Selezione is the greatest expression of our single-varietal Sangiovese. This is a limited production wine coming from individual parcels located within the Casi and San Piero vineyards. The constant minerality present in our wines is matched here by a gentle power, extraordinary both on the nose and palate. This wine has a great capacity for ageing; only time will reveal its unique characteristics.The 2015 vintage is one of the best of the last 50 years, with a mild spring and hot, dry summer making for exceptional ripening and yields.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
Beginning to develop some mature characteristics, this red reveals cherry, strawberry, leather, tobacco, earth and iron flavors. Shows harmony between the sweet fruit and refined tannins, ending in a kaleidoscope of fruit, mineral and tobacco accents. Best from 2021 through 2036.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
I had the opportunity to visit the stunning Castello di Meleto on my last trip to Gaiole in Chianti, and I fell in love with the frescoed rooms, panoramic gardens and the miniature actors' theater. You can see a sketch of the outside walls of this magnificent architectural masterpiece on the front label of this wine. You might also notice the date of the Castello's founding—in faraway 1256. Imagine, if you can, what the world was like back then. The 2015 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione offers a traditional rendering of the Sangiovese grape. It takes care to highlight the aromatic intensity of the variety, with rose, violet, wild berry and potting soil. It also showcases the grape's characteristic mid-weight build and fresh acidity.
Among Italy's elite red grape varieties, Sangiovese has the perfect intersection of bright red fruit and savory earthiness and is responsible for the best red wines of Tuscany. While it is best known as the chief component of Chianti, it is also the main grape in Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and reaches the height of its power and intensity in the complex, long-lived Brunello di Montalcino. Somm Secret—Sangiovese doubles under the alias, Nielluccio, on the French island of Corsica where it produces distinctly floral and refreshing reds and rosés.
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.