New Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
A new Chianti Classico DOCG hierarchy is expected to be approved later this year.
A new, top tier – Gran Selezione – is to be added above Chianti Classico Riserva and Chianti Classico ‘straight’.
Gran Selezione has a tougher production code:
- Fruit must come entirely from the estate, so no bought-in fruit or wine is allowed for this category.
- Dry extract is a minimum of 26g/l.
- Minimum alcohol is 13% (12.5% for riserva; 12% for ‘straight’).
- Minimum ageing of 30 months, including 3 months’ bottle age (Riserva 24 months; ‘straight’ 12 months).
- The tasting panel is tasked with judging according to stricter rules.
- The grower is supposed to declare in advance (how far in advance was not detailed in the press conference) whether the wine is destined for Gran Selezione, Riserva or ‘straight’ Chianti Classico. Previously the declaration for riserva could be done at a later stage. The riserva declaration is being brought forward to an earlier stage in the maturation process.
Ministerial approval will mean that wines from the 2010 vintage may be classed according to the new three-tier hierarchy.
The independence of the tasting panel has been outsourced to a third party – Valoritalia.
It is expected that Gran Selezione may account for 6-8% of production. It seems obvious a price premium will evolve for the category. Currently Riserva accounts for 22% of the volume (37% value), with ‘straight’ Chianti Classico accounting for 78% of the volume (63% of the value) of sales.
Average annual production of total Chianti Classico is around 35 million bottles, on the 7,200 hectares of vineyards of the DOCG. This is not far beyond the 32 million bottles of Bordeaux’s Cru Bourgeois.
Chianti Classico has as its mascot and trademark the black rooster. It was mandatory that the black rooster symbol is on the DOCG strip that goes on the neck of the bottle. It may now also appear on the back label.
