The 2019 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione CeniPrimo is a very pretty wine. Bright and translucent, with terrific energy, the 2019 has so much to offer. Sweet floral notes, kirsch, spice, rose petal and French oak are nicely delineated throughout. I very much like the energy here. The new oak is perhaps a bit strong, but that's a small quibble for a wine that has so much to offer.

This has an intensely perfumed nose of lavender, sandalwood, dried cherries, blueberries, creme de cassis, bay leaves, walnuts and stones. Full-bodied with polished, well-integrated tannins and a layered, silky and concentrated core of spiced and herbed fruit. Long. Intense. Fantastic already, but try in 2024.

Super spicy from the aromas through the finish, this red is sleek and taut. Features strawberry, currant, cherry and earth flavors, peppery spices and a kick of vanilla on the firm finish. Though delicate, there is no lack of intensity. Best from 2025 through 2042. BS

Barone Ricasoli has successful brought out the individual character of each of its Gran Selezione wines. This sample sees fruit from sandy and silty soils in the Val d'Arbia at lower elevations (ranging from 280 to 300 meters above sea level). The 2019 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Castello di Brolio CeniPrimo is a wine of structure and concentration with generous layers of dark fruit, spice, earth and candied cherry. CeniPrimo focuses on dark fruit and texture.

The 2019 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione CeniPrimo is incredible in its undulating aromatics of ripe yet pure cherry liqueur, delicate baking spice, and wooded earth. There is a luxurious sheen without feeling oaky, and it complements the wine in all the right ways. The palate is medium-bodied and refined, with fine tannins and an airy feel. It doesn’t have a lot of mid-palate weight, but it is long through the palate, with a gorgeous soft mineral texture and lingering perfume. Drink 2024-2038. AF