Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Badia A Passignano Antinori 2023 (750ML)

Antinori first vinified Badia a Passignano on its own in 1988, and with the 2009 release promoted it from Riserva to Gran Selezione, making it the house's original wine in that category. The estate sits above Sambuca Val di Pesa, three kilometers south of Tignanello, in the San Donato in Poggio sub-zone; 65 of its 223 hectares are vineyard, on calcareous soil at 250 to 300 meters. The grapes are destemmed and gently crushed, and the wine completes malolactic fermentation. The house has steered this bottling toward freshness over weight, and the 2023 is mid-bodied and aromatic, with warm baking spice, dried flowers and black tea over a red plum core. A touch of oak sweetness, supple tannins and citrus-bright acidity keep it composed. Critics expect it to drink well through the mid-2030s. Try it with pork loin roasted with fennel, pici with duck ragù or porcini crostini.