From Castello La Leccia, an ancient estate just north of Siena, known traditionally for its wine and olive oil production, Francesco Daddi has elevated this Chianti Classico to a level that rivals the most ambitiously-scaled wines of the region today. The keys to any great wine, along with terroir, are restricted yield and rigorous grape selection. Francesco limits his yield to 45 hectoliters per hectare, a miniscule yield comparable to that of cru Burgundy. All the grape bunches are selectively handpicked in the vineyard and then undergo an intensive inspection and elimination process at the cantina prior to pressing. After the wine is made, a further elimination is made: Francesco tastes and decides which wine he does not want to use and sells that juice to other producers of Chianti Classico eager to augment their juice with his. The bottom line is this: only an average of 2,500 cases of this wine are made each year at La Leccia, a laughably tiny production compared to the majority of Classico producers. The end result, however, is spectacular. From the classic bouquet to the terrific fruit extraction, to the supple mouth-feel beneath its mild tannic cloak, with a very subtle overlay of oak, this is a long, deeply-flavored, elegant, beautifully structured, very serious wine, from an estate just beginning to show its true potential. This is what real, estate-bottled Chianti Classico tastes like.