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Last year, we reported in detail on the development of the Chianti Classico under the conditions of a constantly warming climate. Little has changed in the situation. Above all, the consequences of the drought continue to cause problems for the winegrowers. It ensures that some wines do not have the necessary substance, depth and aromatic complexity to be able to counteract the almost universally increased alcohol content. For all their alcoholic power, they then come across as a little barren and not infrequently brittle due to drying tannins. Fortunately, the situation has eased somewhat with the 2019 and probably also the 2020 vintages.

The average quality is still high anyway. We were surprised by the wines of some top producers who succeed in displaying extraordinary depth, substance and complexity, and yet some of them even stay well below 14% alcohol. Other Chianti Classico wines are powerful, but at the same time well balanced thanks to their juiciness, precision and freshness.

In terms of vintages, 2016 once again proved its status as the vintage of the decade. 2017 and 2018 had the biggest problems with drought and heat. Nevertheless, many producers managed excellent wines in both years; it is just a matter of choosing wisely. 2019 largely confirmed the very good impression we had already gained from the Annata last summer. The number of remarkable wines here is high in all classification levels. The vintage is closest to the '16, especially because the harmonious summer did without extreme heat waves and thus made perfect ripeness possible. We can expect a few more peaks here next year. The first annatas from 2020 are similarly promising as the 19s were last summer.

We have tasted around 230 Chianti Classico in the past weeks - all of them, as always, blind and at least twice. We present the best ones here, separated by vintage and classification. Links to all the wines tasted with detailed descriptions and their producers can be found at the end of each list.

In FocusChianti Classico Chianti Classico Annata 2020

In FocusChianti Classico Chianti Classico Annata 2019

In Focus: Chianti Classico Chianti Classico Annata 2018

In Focus: Chianti Classico Chianti Classico Annata 2016 and older

In Focus: Chianti Classico Chianti Classico Riserva 2019

In Focus: Chianti Classico Chianti Classico Riserva 2018

In Focus: Chianti Classico Chianti Classico Riserva 2017

In Focus: Chianti Classico Chianti Classico Riserva 2016

In Focus: Chianti Classico Chianti Classico Riserva 2015

In Focus: Chianti Classico Chianti Classico Gran Selezione 2019

In Focus: Chianti Classico Chianti Classico Gran Selezione 2018

In Focus: Chianti Classico Chianti Classico Gran Selezione 2017

In Focus: Chianti Classico Chianti Classico Gran Selezione 2016

In Focus: Chianti Classico Chianti Classico Gran Selezione 2015 and older

Photos: © Courtesy of Consorzio Vino Chianti Classico

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