2016 Mazzei Castello di Fonterutoli Chianti Classico Gran Selezione 750 ml

On our last trip to Tuscany, we had one name circled in red for our first stop: Mazzei’s Castello di Fonterutoli.

We’d been giant fans of the wines for years, prizing their wines for their iconic quality—and for their ability to deliver collectible-level quality for less than their peers—but this visit felt extra special.

We had a lunch reservation with Filippo Mazzei, the dynamo who runs the Mazzei family’s vinous empire—and whose tireless energy has elevated the 24th generation producer into the upper stratosphere of Tuscany’s elite.

Seated in a corner of the Osteria di Fonterutoli with Filippo, we definitely attracted plenty of attention from the staff—who were pretty clearly curious about who these Americans could be. But Filippo had one thing on his mind: Gran Selezione, the highest-tier of Chianti and a relatively new designation. It was something that he’d worked hard to create, with the idea that the more stringent set of requirements would allow worldwide consumers to realize the best of Chianti belonged with the top tier in Brunello or Barolo.

Months after our visit, after tasting dozens of Chiantis we remain convinced: the Mazzei Castello di Fonterutoli Chianti Classico Gran Selezione is one of the greatest bottlings produced in Chianti in 2016. The work required to craft such a transporting wine—it’s the result of 40 years of research across 120 separate blocks and 36 different clones of Sangiovese, of which 18 are unique to Fonterutoli—paid off huge dividends in the near-perfect vintage.