Chianti Classico Gran Selezione

What does Gran Selezione mean in Chianti Classico? It is the highest mention of the appellation: a wine made with at least 90% Sangiovese, completed only with indigenous Tuscan grapes, grown entirely on the estate that bottles it, and aged for at least 30 months, three of them in bottle. In this live conversation, Silvia Badii, owner and winemaker of Il Colle in Chianti Classico, explained it through her 36 Filari Gran Selezione.

In May 2024 I hosted, together with my co-host Mark Norman, the first episode of my live video series Meet the WineMaker, pouring Tuscan wine stories one bottle at a time. Our guest was Silvia Badii, and this is what she shared.

It was the right year for this conversation: 2024 marked one hundred years since the Chianti Classico Consortium was founded in 1924, and ten years since Gran Selezione entered the disciplinare in 2014. The name itself means selection. As Silvia explained, a Gran Selezione must be made with at least 90% Sangiovese; the remaining part can only be indigenous Tuscan grapes, unless you choose 100% Sangiovese. The grapes must grow entirely in the estate’s own vineyards, either from a single vineyard or from a selection of vineyards, and the wine ages for at least 30 months, of which at least three in bottle. This is what sets it apart from the Riserva, and it is why this mention belongs to real producers: no merchants, no large bottlers, only estates growing their own grapes.

Silvia also spoke about the territory: Chianti Classico lies between Florence and Siena and comprises eight towns, and since 2023 the labels can carry the name of the additional geographic unit. Hers reads San Casciano, her village.

Her 36 Filari, whose name means 36 vine rows, is a single vineyard Gran Selezione from a plot of 6,000 square meters planted by her father, standing on a hill that faces the sun from morning to evening, with a light breeze that keeps the grapes healthy and alberese stones in the soil. The grapes are harvested only by hand, and the wine ages 18 months in oak barrels, then 12 months in the concrete vats her father chose to keep, and finally 6 months in bottle. A long journey that only a strong and valuable wine deserves, in her words.

Looking at the category ten years after its creation, Silvia sees progress: the Gran Selezione has brought producers a deeper respect for their vineyards and a stronger consciousness of quality, and every bottle represents the best of a single estate. From the American side, Mark noted that outside the big cities these wines are still hard to find, which is exactly why direct connections between small producers and wine lovers matter. And for anyone wondering: the Gran Selezione belongs to Chianti Classico only, not to the separate Chianti DOCG appellation.

If this conversation made you curious about the area, here is how I would build a day exploring Chianti Classico.