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Embrace me, you sweet embraceable you. Drink the ’08 Fontodi Chianti Classico and feel like it’s wrapping you in an enveloping hug. Cherry, berry, and rain-spattered flowers blend with a lovely earthy base to make a wine that practically rises from the glass to kiss you on both cheeks. Cellar for a year or two, and then enjoy for the next decade, wonderfully.
- Country: Italy
- Region: Toscana
- Subregion/Appellation: Chianti Classico DOCG
- Commune: Panzano
Tenuta Fontodi is Chianti's class act: The winery's renowned crus are Flaccianello and Vigna del Sorbo, and the Chianti Classico is unflinchingly reliable. Tenuta Fontodi is one of many existing estates that can trace their lineage back to these historic times. Fontodi is an all-time favorite of IWM and any Tuscan wine enthusiast.
In the 17 published editions of Gambero Rosso, Italy’s acclaimed wine rating guide, this Tuscan estate has won the coveted Tre Bicchieri (Three Glasses) award 13 times. And like the other greats of Chianti Classico (Felsina, Querciabella, Castell'in Villa...), they did it by revealing the true essence of the Sangiovese grape and the local terroir. They maintain tradition even when updating equipment; in fact, the new cantina works entirely on the gravity principle (no pumps) though it is fitted with the latest vinification technology.
Resting near Panzano in the epicenter of Toscana's viticulture, Fontodi's vines enjoy a southern aspect, a position in a natural amphitheatre, and marl soil. These optimum conditions allow the grapes to ripen perfectly, therefore creating wines of great character and structure. The natural potential of the grapes combined with the leadership of Marco and Giovanni Manetti (cousins who are sons of the 1968 visionaries) makes for perfection in winemaking. The estate dates back to the 16th century, but her modern era started in 1968 when the Manettis, a Florentine family famous for more than three centuries for their terracotta production, purchased the estate.
One of the first 100% Sangiovese Super Tuscans, Fontodi's Flaccianello is a cru of grapes from the vineyard of the same name, the "Flaccianello della Pieve." This big red wine, which was born in 1981, combines all the old-world characteristics of Sangiovese with modern vinification techniques. While the Flaccianello went on to achieve her "super" status, the cru Vigna del Sorbo became one of the first Sangiovese-Cabernet Sauvignon blends: the latter is actually classified as a DOCG wine, though, and the former an IGT. The grapes are primarily Sangiovese (with a small percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon) and come from the Vigna del Sorbo vineyard. In the nineties, driven to improve quality even further, Manetti phased out his Chianti Classico Riserva label to focus on his Chianti Classico, a wine aged in botti (large barrels) that serves as a fine benchmark for a traditional wine.
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