ANTINORI Chianti Classico Gran Selezione 'Badia al Passignano' 2019 Bottle

Description

Badia a Passignano Chianti Classico Gran Selezione 2019 is a distinguished wine crafted entirely from 100% Sangiovese grapes, showcasing the excellence of Antinori. Decanter awards it 95 points, noting its youthful elegance and graceful expression of floral notes, red cherry, and cedar, alongside sleek tannins and succulent acidity that enhance its clarity. James Suckling scores it 93 points, highlighting violets and blue fruit aromas, with a full-bodied palate featuring slightly chewy, rich tannins that promise a long, intense finish. The wine exhibits a ruby red colour with complex aromas of ripe red fruit, liqueur cherries, and sweet notes of vanilla, culminating in a lengthy finish with undertones of bitter cocoa and citrus. This Gran Selezione is perfect for enjoying now or aging further.

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The Badia a Passignano Chianti Classico Gran Selezione is the only Chianti made by Antinori with 100% Sangiovese (aged in Hungarian oak in the abbey’s underground cellars) and is made from a selection of the best grapes from the 53 hectares owned by the family since 1987.

Tasting: Badia a Passignano 2019 is ruby red in colour. Intense on the nose with notes of ripe red fruit, liqueur cherries, and sour cherries together with citrusy hints of red oranges and delicate floral sensations of lavender. Its complex bouquet is completed by sweet notes of vanilla and pleasant spicy aromas of cloves and leather. On the palate the mouth filling entry is sustained by silky, vibrant tannins than accompany a lengthy finish, persistent and sapid, with a pleasant aftertaste of bitter cocoa and citrus.

DECANTER 95 points
Tasted by: Michaela Morris
(at Stazione Leopolda, Florence, 21 Mar 2022)
Drinking Window: 2022 - 2032
The vineyards of Badia a Passignano surround an ancient monastery which has belonged to Benedictine monks since the 11th century. It’s just 3km south of Antinori’s Tignanello estate, from which the Sangiovese cuttings hail. Youthful, graceful and unencumbered by masses of oak, this expresses pretty floral, red cherry and cedar. Smooth yet tactile, the tannins are sleek and yielding, and succulent acidity contributes to the levity and clarity of this mid-weight, elegant Gran Selezione. Glossy red berries are infused with sage on the palate. Everything is in place - almost too perfectly.

JAMES SUCKLING 93 points
Lots of violets and blue fruit, as well as black cherries on the nose. Full-bodied with slightly chewy tannins. Rich and layered. Yet, the tannins are long and intense. Drink after 2023.