Chianti Classico DOCG 2019 vintage: See Chianti Classico DOCG.

2019 Growing season: ‘2019 is looking set to be a classic vintage year. Mild, relatively dry winter into early spring. Normal bud break. Spring rain created significant supplies of water, adequate to face a moderately hot summer with little rainfall. Cool, damp weather in May and early June created a slight delay in the vines’ vegetative cycle compared to previous years, at a pace similar to the great 1980s vintages. The even, high summer temperatures without peaks or heavy rain, were followed by good weather in September with considerable night-day temperature variation, resulting in grapes with perfectly ripe phenolics. The healthy, ripe Sangiovese grapes were picked from around 20th September to mid-October in similar quantities to 2018,’ (Source: Consorzio).

2019 Vineyard area:

2019 Production Around 300,000hl (Consorzio Vino Chianti Classico). 315 producers using the Chianti Classico label: normale, Riserva and Gran Selezione (Source: Consorzio). 136 were using the Gran Selezione denomination.

2019 Wine quality:  ‘Alcohol levels slightly lower than average,’ (Source: Consorzio Vino Chianti Classico). Paolo de Marchi of Isole e Olena told me (Anteprima 2019) 2019 ‘was like 2016, you had to wait for the tannins to ripen.’  See also Giampaolo Chietini of La Vigna di San Martino ed Argiano. John Salvi MW‘s 2019 Chianti Classico Report is well worth the read–see here.