Christopher Deas, Italian Wine Merchants: “Honestly, I did not believe there could be a wine that could surpass the 2015 release, we still have many clients asking for the wine today. However, the 2016 Badia a Passignano lives up to the vintage hype. For IWM, it is not Tignanello or even Solaia that should be watched, it is this Chianti Classico Gran Selezione that demands attention, as few wines have improved so greatly over the past few years and are delivered at this price point. It is a serious crowd pleaser, jaw-droppingly delicious right out of the bottle with four years of age. Ripe black cherries, even macerated cherries, plum and once you get past the generous fruit, you begin to experience wild herbs, cedar, earth and stony minerality. Stunningly elegant and inviting with its almost creamy texture, but there is balance with freshness and acidity. It has plenty of years ahead of it but hard to resist today. This is a MUST stop on the Chianti trail with dinner at Osteria di Passignano - right there in the historic vineyards. Simply magical – that goes for the wine, vineyard and restaurant.”
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