Barone Ricasoli - Gran Selezione Roncicone 2019 [magnum]

This is my favorite wine among this group of new releases from Barone Ricasoli. The 2019 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Castello di Brolio Roncicone reflects soils that are rich in shells and marine fossils. These conditions deliver sharpness and focus with beautiful minerality, both salty and chalky. To the eye, this textbook Sangiovese is lean and elegant. The bouquet is finessed and layered with wild cherry, mint, blue flower and blood orange. There is an element of rustiness as well, and the mouthfeel is polished and extremely fine. The tannins melt away. Francesco Ricasoli assures me that he and his team "have learned to work the grape." I'd certainly say so. These are stunning results.

These are the best set of wines I've seen from Francesco Ricasoli and the team at Barone Ricasoli in my two decades in this job. When I say "the best," specifically I mean that they are the most assertive in their individual identities. This historic Castello di Brolio estate boasts a winemaking legacy spanning an almost unthinkable nine centuries. There have been many excellent vintages born in these cellars, and this estate has proudly produced groundbreaking wines that have shaped the very course of modern Italian wine. 

However, this set of releases is different because it comes after an exhaustive research project led by the estate's technical team and very much by Francesco in person. 

"Back in 2005, I still didn't know that I was going to confront such a lengthy and arduous challenge," he says. "More than 10 years of research and hard work have translated a vision into concrete results: bringing into life the finest expression of the Brolio terroir." 

In 2005, the Council for Research and Experimentation started a mapping project and soil study to better understand the characteristics of the estate's 240 hectares and the 19 different soil types found there. Focused only on Sangiovese and its best clones, some 200 single-vineyard fermentations were regularly carried out in order to select the best cru sites for the Chianti Classico Gran Selezione series. 

Of these soil types, five stand out: Macigno del Chianti (sandstone and little organic matter), Monte Morello (limestone, also called alberese), Terrazzo Fluviale Antico (silty alluvial deposits with clay), Scaglia Toscana (schistous-based soil, also called galestro) and Depositi Marini (sandy deposits with marine sediments and fossils). 

The Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Castello di Brolio is a blend of selected fruit from 26 hectares around the landmark castle itself. This flagship wine is born mostly from the soil types Macigno del Chianti, Scaglia Toscana and Monte Morello. There are three single-vineyard Chianti Classico Gran Selezione expressions. CeniPrimo draws its fruit from a vineyard that was planted in 1998 in soils that originate from an ancient river in the Val d'Arbia at the southernmost part of the property. The delightful Roncicone is characterized by marine deposits. Lastly, Colledilà comes from clayey limestone with lots of stones.

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