The 2014 Chianti Classico Riserva Croce puts on a performance that reminds me very much of some of its neighboring wines made in this difficult vintage. The bouquet offers impressive intensity and ripeness (thanks to careful fruit selection), but ultimately the mouthfeel is thinner and more compact compared to warmer vintages. It's a wine of pretty opposites, especially if you seek balance and elegance over power and brawn. Some 25,000 bottles were released.