Antinori - Badia a Passignano : Chianti Classico Gran Selezione 2018

Antinori - Badia a Passignano showcases a Chianti Classico wine with an alluring freshness and complexity

The estate

Founded in 881, the Abbey of Badia a Passignano is one of the 6 properties of Marchesi Antinori, an illustrious family estate that has become a benchmark among the finest producers of Italian wines over the years. Located 3 kilometres south of Tenuta Tignanello, Antinori - Badia a Passignano produces fine wines that blend power, elegance and aromatic purity.

The vineyard

This Tuscan estate reigns over a 223-hectare vineyard, including 56 hectares of vines that rest on limestone soils.

The wine

This 2018 Badia a Passignano Gran Selezione is made exclusively from grapes that stem from the best vineyards in the historic Chianti Classico area, home of the famous Tuscan black grape, Sangiovese. Situated at an altitude of around 300 metres, this terroir is planted on soil rich in limestone and clay.

The vintage

The winter conditions, average in terms of both temperature and rainfall, favoured the early development of the vines. While spring was marked by heavy rainfall and average temperatures, especially in May, hot and dry weather was recorded in June and July. The few rainy episodes in August as well as the dry and windy weather in September and October led to a gradual and homogeneous maturation of the vineyard.

Vinification

Following the harvest, the grapes are destemmed and sorted before being vinified and aged in a plot-by-plot manner. Alcoholic fermentation lasts 10 days, followed by a 10 to 12-day skin maceration. Once racked, each batch is placed into Hungarian oak barrels, for the most part, as well as a few French oak barrels for malolactic fermentation. The wines are then aged for several months in the estate's historic cellars dating from the 10th century. The wines are blended at the end of the maturation process, before being bottled. Further ageing is carried out before the wine is sold.

The blend

Badia a Passignano Chianti Classico Gran Selezione 2018 is a 100% Sangiovese.

Chianti Classico Gran Selezione 2018 by Antinori - Badia a Passignano: Characteristics and tasting tips

The tasting

Colour

The colour is a beautiful ruby red.

Nose

The nose is complex, blending delicious fruity fragrances (ripe red fruit, sour and black cherries, blueberries, apricots) with balsamic and herbal notes along with toasted aromas reminiscent of chocolate, coffee, liquorice and vanilla.

Palate

Ample and aromatic, the palate is seduced by this wine’s freshness, its minerality and its length.