The 2020 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Vigneto Bellavista shows an especially dark and saturated character in this vintage with black cherry, savory barbecue spice and cured tobacco. Of the three Gran Selezione releases, the Vigneto Bellavista has the darkest and richest character. This full-bodied red shows etched tannins and lots of rich fruit layering.

The glorious Bellavista Vineyard appears under the sunlight over the slope of a hill as you approach Castello di Ama. The 2019 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Vigneto Bellavista is only produced in the very best vintages, and annual production hovers from 5,000 to 6,000 bottles. Production was skipped in 2017, 2014, 2012 and 2010. This stunning wine reveals beautiful concentration with just the right amount of fruit weight, which feels rich but not heavy. The wine also appears compact and firm, with outstanding depth that is teased across aromas of wild berry fruit, crushed mineral, rose, tobacco and minty herb. The wine's complexity unfolds carefully with time in the glass.

The 2018 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Vigneto Bellavista comes roaring out the gate with intensity and power, but it doesn't quite have the exceptional depth that we see in the 2019 vintage. This is a generous and exuberant wine with dark fruit, pressed blackberry, plenty of spice and great overall dimension. It's truly gorgeous, yet I might consider a slightly shorter drinking window for this full-bodied vintage.

The 2016 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Vigneto Bellavista sees fruit sourced from one of Castello di Ama's most beautiful vineyards with a wide exposures and plenty of sunshine. This wine shows profound complexity and a far-reaching bouquet that evolves slowly in the glass. Of these three single-vineyard Gran Selezione wines (Bellavista, La Casuccia and San Lorenzo), the Vigneto Bellavista is the most complete, but it is also the most linear and streamlined in terms of mouthfeel. I would bet on putting this wine aside in your cellar for a longer aging time.

This wine is one of the true protagonists of the 2015 vintage. The 2015 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Vigneto Bellavista offers an unreal level of intensity and depth with profound darkness and perfectly integrated tannins versus acidity. This wine was not produced in 2014. This vintage only saw 4,200 bottles made. The wine pours forth with rich fruit that is tightly woven within the wine's generous texture. Spice, smoke and tobacco appear as brief afterthoughts. Despite the beauty of the bouquet, this wine is ultimately all about the finesse and the elegance of its mouthfeel and that subtle game it plays alternating between brawn and grace. Vigneto Bellavista is bellissimo.