This wine shows a very interesting character with botanical tones of dried rosemary and Mediterranean lavender. The Fèlsina 2020 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Colonia also boasts plenty of dark fruit, clay, slate, pencil shavings, spice and a hint of Italian coffee. That pretty balsamic edge is very beautiful, and this mid-weight wine is lively and fresh, ending with melting tannins. This vintage is more accessible overall compared to recent past releases.

The Fèlsina 2019 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Colonia is a special wine. This vintage was a little tight and closed when I tasted it, but Colonia has a solid track record for a long bottle evolution. The bouquet brings dark fruit, rosemary, cherry and an especially sharp or chiseled mineral note that really is this wine's lasting signature. There are additional mineral hints of iron ore and rust with dried tomato, garden aromas, leafy greens and button mushroom. In all, this wine shows a very savory or autumnal edge over an elegant, mid-weight texture.

I prefer this wine to Fèlsina's top-shelf Fontalloro. The 2018 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Colonia is irresistibly angular and tight, opening a profound view onto what makes Sangiovese so expressive and unique, especially when planted in the right territories. The bouquet is savory and almost sanguine with iron ore, rusty nail and baked clay. But there's plenty of fruit as well, in the form of wild berry and black cherry, that adds to the dimension and dynamic freshness of the mouthfeel. The 2018 vintage saw a few moments of heat during the summer, but the Colonia vineyard is protected by forests and cooler altitudes. Give this wine time to soften in the bottle.