Look at a short list of top wineries in Chianti, and you'll inevitably find Fontodi on it. They take an approach that gives the traditions of the region a polish, appealing to a wide range of wine lovers without losing the distinctiveness of their vineyards in the Conca d'Oro ('Golden Shell') amphitheater of Panzano. Their flagship wine, Flaccianello, is the greatest example of this. In 1981 they introduced this 100% Sangiovese wine from the heart of the Chianti region, even though they would not be able to call it a Chianti, just a generic "Tuscan table wine" (hence the phrase "super-Tuscan")! In contrast to the giant, mostly neutral barrels of yore they use smaller French oak, which provides a polish and greater sense of richness, as well as a characteristic background char note. Dark-fruited and opulent from the epic, sunny 2015 vintage, they still managed to let Sangiovese's vibrant energy and herbal/earthy accents shine through. This is just at the starting point of its drinking window, and will only get more interesting over the coming years!
ANTONIO GALLONI; VINOUS 99 POINTS - "The 2015 Flaccianello della Pieve is even more stratospheric than it was last year. Rich and ample on the palate, Flaccianello captures all of the best qualities of this radiant vintage. The blend of sites, all in higher altitude spots near the center of town, yields a gorgeous, riveting wine of the very highest level. Dense and brooding, with magnificent energy as well as nuance, the 2015 Flaccianello is positively stunning."
WINE ADVOCATE 98 POINTS - "This retrospective gave me the opportunity to taste the excellent 2015 vintage side by side with the highly anticipated 2016 vintage. These two years are famously in a tight race across Tuscany for supremacy. I'm ready to tip my hat at 2016. In comparison, the 2015 Flaccianello della Pieve is slightly broader in the shoulders and heavier in the gait. There is more meat on these bones, and the 2015 vintage presented vintners with near-perfect growing conditions in which one textbook part of the vegetative cycle transitioned directly to the next. The wine is dark, exuberant and profound, and the quality of the tannins is superb, fine and firm. One difference with the 2016 vintage is that the 2015 is a tad more accessible and ready. You can wait and cellar it for thirty years, or pop the cork sooner if you don't have the patience to wait.
ANTONIO GALLONI; VINOUS 99 POINTS - "The 2015 Flaccianello della Pieve is even more stratospheric than it was last year. Rich and ample on the palate, Flaccianello captures all of the best qualities of this radiant vintage. The blend of sites, all in higher altitude spots near the center of town, yields a gorgeous, riveting wine of the very highest level. Dense and brooding, with magnificent energy as well as nuance, the 2015 Flaccianello is positively stunning."
WINE ADVOCATE 98 POINTS - "This retrospective gave me the opportunity to taste the excellent 2015 vintage side by side with the highly anticipated 2016 vintage. These two years are famously in a tight race across Tuscany for supremacy. I'm ready to tip my hat at 2016. In comparison, the 2015 Flaccianello della Pieve is slightly broader in the shoulders and heavier in the gait. There is more meat on these bones, and the 2015 vintage presented vintners with near-perfect growing conditions in which one textbook part of the vegetative cycle transitioned directly to the next. The wine is dark, exuberant and profound, and the quality of the tannins is superb, fine and firm. One difference with the 2016 vintage is that the 2015 is a tad more accessible and ready. You can wait and cellar it for thirty years, or pop the cork sooner if you don't have the patience to wait.
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