2016 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione 'Badia a Passignano', Antinori, Tuscany

This is gorgeous but I'll try and keep my notes concise!

There's a lovely ruby red colour in the glass with a pale vibrant brim, the appearance initially gives no hint of the 9 years that have passed since harvest such is its bright glint, but somehow a swirl gives access to a sense of maturity that I can't quite convey in writing.

Lift the glass and bathe in the aromatic delight that only the very best wines can express, never more so that when afforded a little time in bottle; swish, swirl and swoosh and take time to revel in the complexities on offer. 

Aromas have a way of stirring memories, and this immediately reminds me of opening the door to the cigar humidor in our old wine shop, where aromas of fine tobacco leaf and polished wood exude a comforting warmth. Search beyond this tertiary scented veil and you discover deep complex aromas of spiced morello cherry, and red berry fruit, dried herbs and hard-worked, aged leather.

I suppose I had better taste it, though when you're enjoying the aromas so much, can the taste ever match the aromatic experience...?

But it does... sweet, brambly red-berry hedgerow fruit mingles with spice dark cherry, and a touch of leather wrapped up in a supple, warming blanket of tobacco leaf and cedar.

The tannins are so beautifully integrated, supple and smooth they hold the structure of the wine but never detract from the wonderful medley of fruit, and subtle tertiary flavours of wood, leather and spice which hold on the finish. A finish that's so long it will bridge the gap between tastes, no matter how leisurely your return to the glass may be.

What a wonderful, wonderful red wine experience.

Perhaps the most telling of all is that a few footsteps away in our tasting room, my colleagues are tasting through some 20+ fine Champagnes, while I sit here alone with this bottle of beautiful Chianti. Yet I have no intention of moving from my happy place, not even for champagne (not quite yet at least).

So, if like me you have a soft spot for very fine Italian red wines, then a case of 2016 Badia A Passignano, Chianti Classico should without question be added to your cellar.

(sorry I failed to keep it concise, but when you have the chance to taste it, you'll understand why...)

James Russell-Grant | Mr.Wheeler, July 2025