This is a relatively new addition to the Castello di Albola portfolio, and this vintage is by far the best and most complete I have tasted. The 2019 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Santa Caterina shows great integrity and clarity with earthy dark fruit, smoke, tar and dried rose. The intensity is mild, but that's okay because the wine offers a good sense of balance, freshness and accessibility.

Making for a sausage, onion and green pepper night, the 2017 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Santa Caterina is a hot-vintage wine that shows generous fruit, grilled herb, crushed flower, tar, spice and campfire ash. The tannins feel a bit dry and dusty (this is a common sensation in this growing season), and the mouthfeel ultimately clocks in with medium weight and length. The 2017 vintage produced more immediate and accessible wines overall.

The 2015 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Santa Caterina is very thin in the mouth, and I suspect the fruit has been overcropped. The wine opens to a simple style with bright berry, spice and rose. But in the mouth, the wine comes as quickly as it leaves.