Chianti Classico DOCG 2015 vintage: See Chianti Classico DOCG.

Growing season: A torrid summer meant fitness fanatic vines with already deep roots were most likely to find the necessary moisture to give the most integrated tannins and fruit with ripe rather than roasted flavours.

‘The 2015 growing season was marked by regular vine development allied to a long, dry, hot summer, especially July and into August, and then between the end of August and into early September. Winter was mitigated with some cold days with temperatures below zero. Springtime was very mild with medium-high temperatures that allowed regular vine growth. [All the phenological phases–budding, flowering, ripening and veraison–were perfect.]  Summer months were generally excellent with low rainfalls and high temperatures in July and August, balanced by good night temperature shifts,’ (Source: Consorzio Vino Chianti Classico).

‘Near-perfect: cold winter, mild spring, hot summer, cold overnight temperatures. The best [2015 Chianti Classico] wines will easily last 10 years,’ says Susan Hulme MW (Decanter May 2018, p.91).

2015 Production 29.4 million hl (Source: Federdoc as reported by I Numeri del Vino). | 2015: 40 million bottles,’ (Susan Hulme MW, Decanter May 2018, p.91). Overall production: 300,000 hl (Source: Consorzio Vino Chianti Classico).

2015 Wine quality: ‘Producers are upbeat [about 2015]. Sweltering July but central Tuscany had well distributed rainfall through the rest of the growing season, and cooler temperatures in the run up to harvest which slowed ripening. The wines should be deeply coloured and full-bodied, similar in some ways to the very powerful 2006 wines,’ says Richard Baudains (2016, p.59). In my report for the 2017 Decanter World Wine Awards (for which I was Tuscany Chair) I wrote ‘2015 in Chianti Classico looks to be a classic, with bright, beautifully structured wines with moreish fruit and agreeably friendly tannins.’ 2015 is very good, a lot richer and rounder compared to 2016. Those who worked well in the vineyard avoided grape sun-burn and shriveling. High extract values, anthocyanins, polyphenols. Some great wines, which show good levels of colour and ripeness’.

Maurizio Castelli told me (11 Jan 2021) that ‘Chianti Classico’s 2015 red wines are very good, with plenty of finesse. They are underrated like the 2010s. The 2015s have largely been largely under-rated but only because they are both well structured yet at the same time so easy to enjoy.’ He said potential alcohol levels were from 13.9 to 15.5%.