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Flaccianello della Pieve 2009 75cl

IGT | Colli della Toscana Centrale | Tuscany | Italy
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Critics scores
96 Wine Spectator
The first impression of this red is purity and finesse, as black currant, raspberry and violet aromas and flavors stay focused and persistent. An earthy leather element and mineral notes chime in on the finish, backed by a vibrant structure. Sangiovese. Best from 2015 through 2032. 5,000 cases made. –BS
94 Robert Parker
The 2009 Flaccianello della Pieve is a bit of a shock to the palate after 20+ older vintages. Still, it is impossible to miss the wine’s striking purity and finesse. Today the 2009 is a bit of a brute, but it should mellow out over the next 5-7 years as the tannins start to soften. Firm tannins frame layers of ripe, juicy fruit in this young, extroverted Flaccianello. Anticipated maturity: 2017-2029. This complete vertical of Fontodi’s flagship 100% Sangiovese Flaccianello was yet another of the remarkable tastings of my recent trip to Tuscany. Flaccianello is an interesting wine because the quality level that is the norm today only really starts around 2001. Prior to that the wines were very good, and sometimes even better than that, but not profound. In 2001 proprietor Giovanni Manetti made the decision to focus on his estate’s best fruit rather than making Flaccianello as a single-vineyard wine. Since then, Flaccianello has routinely been among the most exciting wines in Tuscany. Much of the fruit that now goes into Flaccianello comes from vineyards in the Pecille sub-zone of Panzano with a full southern exposure. Today Flaccianello is 100% Sangiovese, but the first vintages up to and including 1984 have 15% white grapes, as was common at the time. The early vintages up until 1990 spent about one year in French oak barrels, 50% new. In the mid-1990s Manetti increased the period of barrel aging to 18 months with the 1997, and then to 24 months with the 2006. Today the percentage of new barrels is close to 100%. Fontodi Flaccianello Key Points: 1. 100% Sangiovese aged in French oak barrels 2. Since 2001 made from the estate’s best fruit across a number of vineyards in Panzano’s historic Conca d’Oro, prior to that a strict single-vineyard wine. 3. Flaccianello’s status as an icon wine is cemented beginning in 2001 4. One of the more powerful of the 100% Sangioveses from Chianti Classico 5. Aging potential: 20+ years
Producer
Fontodi
Located in the famed Conca d’Oro of Panzano, the traditional wine productions of Fontodi have amazed both collectors and critics for decades. Fontodi is fortunate to have not only its unique terroir - characterized by high-altitudes, calcar clay-schist soil, great sun-exposure and above all, the beneficial warm and dry micro-climate – but also the commitment of Giovanni Manetti in the vineyards. Under the ownership of the Manetti family since 1968, their Tuscan heritage dates back centuries as terracotta tile producers. The large 130-hectare property is certified organic with 70-hectares dedicated to vines. The long-term support of vintner, Franco Bernabei has also greatly influenced the winery’s reputation, crafting six refined reds, and one barrel-fermented white. Flaccianello della Pieve was one of first pure Sangiovese Tuscan wines, that consistently ranks amongst the best. Chianti Classico is a reference-point Fontodi, that is difficult to emulate. Not to mention their Chianti Classico Riserva, Vigna del Sorbo is a step above the rest – it is a bold, intense genuine Tuscan.