In the popular imagination, Chianti comes in a straw-wrapped bottle that’s served at an Italian restaurant where red checkered tablecloths accent the space and the red sauce flows freely. Far from luxury, it would be safe to say. But 10 years after the creation of a top-tier Chianti designation—Chianti Classico Gran Selezione—the region is really hitting its stride. Today’s high-end Chianti Classico wines show the skill of the winemaker’s hand combined with the best selection of Sangiovese from the finest terroir of the Chianti zone.

The heart of the region, Chianti Classico, had long been considered the best growing and production area, with Riserva at the top of the quality pyramid, until the addition of the even higher Chianti Classico Gran Selezione in 2014. These wines are considered so special that under the production code of the local consorzio they must be packaged in a Bordeaux-style bottle and may not be sold in the traditional straw-covered fiasco toscano.