What makes a Gran Selezione Chianti different from a regular one?
It's a rule, not a fancier label. Gran Selezione is the top rank of Chianti Classico. The grapes must come from the producer's own estate or a single vineyard, and the wine can't be released until 30 months after the harvest.
Ask EDKA: Wine School, Episode 1
The video for this question goes live here on 19 October 2026.
Where Gran Selezione sits
Chianti Classico has a ladder of quality levels, and Gran Selezione is the top rung. It was introduced in 2013.
The standards are stricter than the levels below it: only estate or single-vineyard fruit, and a long wait before the bottle can be sold. The result is usually a denser, more structured wine than a Riserva. It's good evidence that Chianti has moved a long way from the straw flask.
What the rule changes
Estate or single-vineyard fruit means the wine comes from one place, not many. The 30-month wait means every bottle is at least two and a half years past its harvest before it goes on sale.
An example: La Prima, Castello Vicchiomaggio 2022
The wine in this Wine School episode is La Prima from Castello Vicchiomaggio, a castle estate whose origins go back to the fifth century. The Matta family bought it in 1964 and restored it. Today 32 of its 150 hectares are under vine, farmed sustainably under VIVA certification.
La Prima is a single vineyard on marl and clay soils. The blend is 90% Sangiovese and 10% Merlot.
Winemaker John Matta, four times IWSC Italian Winemaker of the Year, ferments it with wild yeasts. It then spends 20 months in French oak barrels and a further year in bottle.
What it tastes like
Red and black berries with a twist of lemon, tobacco leaf and a touch of toasted oak. Full, velvety and smooth, with a fresh, elegant finish.
It's drinking well now and will keep for a decade or more. If you open it young, decant it for an hour and serve at about 18°C. Good with red meat, cheese and pasta. Suitable for vegetarians and vegans.
Want to try it?
See La Prima, Castello Vicchiomaggio 2022.
Not sure it's your style? Answer a few quick questions in Pick My Bottle and it will suggest bottles to suit you.