2016 Vignamaggio Monna Lisa Gran Selezione Chianti Classico Tuscany is sold out.

Sign up to receive notifications when wines from this producer become available

“Impressive:” 40% Off 94-Point, Top Chianti

Wine Bottle
  • 94 pts Vinous
    94 pts Vinous
  • Curated by unrivaled experts
  • Choose your delivery date
  • Temperature controlled shipping options
  • Get credited back if a wine fails to impress

2016 Vignamaggio Monna Lisa Gran Selezione Chianti Classico Tuscany 750 ml

Sold Out

Sign up to receive notifications when wines from this producer become available.
  • Curated by unrivaled experts
  • Choose your delivery date
  • Temperature controlled shipping options
  • Get credited back if a wine fails to impress

Top Wine from Chianti’s Greatest Vintage

Vignamaggio makes a Gran Selezione only in the very best years—and 2016 easily cleared that bar. Both Vinous and Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate scored it as their favorite vintage ever, which explains why this is the best version of Monna Lisa yet: a powerful Chianti that’s destined to be the centerpiece of special occasions for the next decade and a half.

Tasting only confirms this wine’s inherent greatness: Dark purple-ruby, it’s potently aromatic, with dried roses, black and red cherries, allspice, and hints of tobacco and leather. Vinous founder and Italian-wine expert Antonio Galloni concurs, calling the bottling “In a word: Impressive.”

The palate brings together Sangiovese’s savory, red-fruited drive with richness from a dollop of Merlot and powerful structure from a bit of Cabernet Sauvignon. It’s intensely concentrated today, but with deep reserves of potential that emerge after several hours in a decanter, and will reward a longer slumber in the cellar.

Gran Selezione, a designation less than a decade old, was created to allow Chianti producers to compete with Brunello Riservas and the best of Montalcino. With longer aging requirements and a high quality bar, they represent the best of Chianti—this wine competes with $75+ Brunello.

That exceptional quality comes relatively easily if you’ve had since the 1400s to acquire top vineyards in the heart of Chianti Classico. Vignamaggio makes this marquee red from their prime parcels in three estate vineyards: Prato, Solatio, and Querceto. Surrounded by cypress trees, olive groves, and orchards, the vines are rooted in limestone-rich soils, lending the wine a refined tannic structure and an earthy mineral edge.

After a careful hand-harvest, all that’s left to do is vinifiy the grapes gently and give them a long, 18-24-month slumber in top-quality barrels, before additional bottle age that allows the wine to knit together. The result is a wine that’s worthy of the name Monna Lisa—a tribute to the daughter of the original owners of the estate, who became eternally famous after Leonardo da Vinci painted her portrait.

Only five pallets of their superlative Gran Selezione make their way to the US, a tiny amount for a wine that has quickly earned a reputation as a can’t-miss among Tuscan lovers and collectors—and we’ve been working for a year to secure this US exclusive at a price that seems unthinkable given the wine’s quality. At 40% off, it looks like it’s time to add another masterpiece to the collection.