Barone Ricasoli Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Colledila 2013

This is one of Barone Ricasoli’s two Grand Selezione wines. The 2013 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Colledilà is a delicious wine that excels in terms of its generosity and pureness. The 2013 is an excellent one for the 7.5 hectare Colledilà vineyard that dates all the way back to 1832 (it is older than Italy). The 2012 vintage was not produced. Poor soils consist of marl limestone and alberese stones, and the wine does indeed present evident mineral tones that add balance and elegance. It feels etched and shapely in the mouth. I loved the muscle and sheer power of this beautiful wine. It requires ample decanting time, but it should age gracefully. This wine will be released in 2016.

Francesco Ricasoli presides over one of Chianti Classico’s most successful wineries during what is one of the most exciting moments in its long history. The blending formula for making wines in the Chianti area was invented by Baron Bettino Ricasoli and the beautifully imposing Castello di Brolio is an architectural symbol of the entire Chianti Classico region. Arguably, no other estate in the region carries more historical weight. Under Francesco’s leadership, Barone Ricasoli has completed an ambitious soil study project to better understand nearby growing conditions. Some 19 distinct subzones exist on the Brolio property alone. Francesco has also identified the five major soil types and will make two new single-vineyard wines starting with the 2013 vintage. One wine will see Sangiovese from the Roncione vineyard with heavy marine deposits and the second wine will come from the Ceni vineyard that is characterized by fluvial terraces near a river bed. The intention of these new wines is to show how faithfully Sangiovese can reflect its territorial identity. These wines were not ready to taste yet, but I look forward to trying them soon. More work to identify the potential of single vineyards is being done. Those five main soil types throughout the property give way to anywhere from 190 to 230 micro-vinifications each year. Francesco has also completed an ambitious 20-year replanting effort to renew his vineyards and he built a new crush pad that became operative in 2012. Barone Ricasoli has also identified two new Sangiovese clone types (BR 1141 and BR 1872) and is currently completing the process of registering these biotypes. “These generic ancestors have existed at Brolio for a very long time,” says Francesco. “It is our job to save that very precious DNA.”