#6 on Hi-Time's Top Italian Wines of 2025
One of the Marchesi Antinori wine company's top bottlings, this generous Sangiovese comes from vineyards around the ancient Benedictine abbey of Passignano. Gran Selezione is a relatively recent category, meant to be the top-quality Chianti Classico from an estate, as well as represent the district from which it hails, which is in this case the warm San Casciano area just south of Florence. Rather than simply being "bigger" wines with more oaky richness, they should showcase Chianti Classico's distinction: finesse over density.
Wine critic Antonio Galloni (Vinous Media) called 2021 "the single greatest young vintage I have ever tasted in Chianti Classico. Period." The combination of vibrancy, depth, and aromatic expression found in this edition of Badia a Passignano is exactly what he means. Driven by purple flowers and herb-tinged, ripe Marasca cherry and Damson plum, there's a lot going on in a suave package! The modern Antinori style gives beautifully polished edges to Sangiovese's classically earthy, grainy texture, along with baking spices and rich hints of dark chocolate, sandalwood and leather.
JAMES SUCKLING 96 POINTS - "Wow. This shows a beautiful shift in character towards freshness and brightness, with lots of dried flowers and hints of sandalwood. Medium to full body with firm, fine tannins. Energetic finish. Lots of fresh herbs and pine to the fruit at the end. Pure sangiovese. Give this a couple of years, but already top-quality Chianti Classico. Best ever?"
VINOUS 95 POINTS - "The 2021 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Badia a Passignano is one of the best editions of this wine I have ever tasted. Ripe blue-toned fruit, spice, chocolate, leather and licorice fill out the layers in an ample, full-bodied Gran Selezione. Here, too, changes in vinification and aging yielded a wine that marries refinement with textural resonance. Superb. " - Antonio Galloni
One of the Marchesi Antinori wine company's top bottlings, this generous Sangiovese comes from vineyards around the ancient Benedictine abbey of Passignano. Gran Selezione is a relatively recent category, meant to be the top-quality Chianti Classico from an estate, as well as represent the district from which it hails, which is in this case the warm San Casciano area just south of Florence. Rather than simply being "bigger" wines with more oaky richness, they should showcase Chianti Classico's distinction: finesse over density.
Wine critic Antonio Galloni (Vinous Media) called 2021 "the single greatest young vintage I have ever tasted in Chianti Classico. Period." The combination of vibrancy, depth, and aromatic expression found in this edition of Badia a Passignano is exactly what he means. Driven by purple flowers and herb-tinged, ripe Marasca cherry and Damson plum, there's a lot going on in a suave package! The modern Antinori style gives beautifully polished edges to Sangiovese's classically earthy, grainy texture, along with baking spices and rich hints of dark chocolate, sandalwood and leather.
JAMES SUCKLING 96 POINTS - "Wow. This shows a beautiful shift in character towards freshness and brightness, with lots of dried flowers and hints of sandalwood. Medium to full body with firm, fine tannins. Energetic finish. Lots of fresh herbs and pine to the fruit at the end. Pure sangiovese. Give this a couple of years, but already top-quality Chianti Classico. Best ever?"
VINOUS 95 POINTS - "The 2021 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Badia a Passignano is one of the best editions of this wine I have ever tasted. Ripe blue-toned fruit, spice, chocolate, leather and licorice fill out the layers in an ample, full-bodied Gran Selezione. Here, too, changes in vinification and aging yielded a wine that marries refinement with textural resonance. Superb. " - Antonio Galloni
