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Fontodi 2021 Flaccianello della Pieve
£140.00
In stock
SKU
ITTURFOFL21B
Flaccianello is the top Super Tuscan from the Chanti Classico Panzano estate, Fontodi. The wine is 100% Sangiovese from vineyards in the Conca d'Oro, one of the best sites in Chianti.
We are always impressed with Flaccianello, especially in great vintages like 2021. This vintage is a powerful style of Flaccianello. One that is built for the long term.
“The 2021 Flaccianello della Pieve is another exceptional wine from Fontodi this year. Ripe, silky tannins wrap around a core of dark fruit as the 2021 makes its presence felt from the first taste. Sumptuous, racy and dense, this is just magnificent. As has been the case for some time, Flaccianello is a blend of mostly three parcels throughout the estate but closer to town.” 98 points, Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com
“The Fontodi 2021 Flaccianello della Pieve opens to a medium-dark inky appearance and solid aromas of black fruit and pressed blackberry. The Flaccianello is a touch more accessible at this early stage compared to the Vigna del Sorbo, but both wines are undoubtedly built to withstand ample cellar aging. Flaccianello is the more powerful or the two, and the Vigna del Sorbo is more delicate in comparison. These dueling character traits are especially evident in this classic 2021 vintage. This wine also boasts a more generous mouthfeel supported by softly integrated tannins.” 98 points, Monica Larner, The Wine Advocate
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The Region
Tuscany
Tuscany is the region of Italy that most fine wine drinkers gravitate towards. It occupies much of Central Italy with a Tyrrhenian coast to the west and the Apennines to the east; it has both Mediterranean and continental climates.
The story of Tuscany begins with its significant black variety, Sangiovese, one of the most planted varieties in Italy, but here is its ancestral and spiritual home. Sangiovese makes up most of the blend of Chianti, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, other DOC/Gs, and 100% of Brunello & Rosso di Montalcino.
Chianti Classico is the region between Florence and Siena and has been systematically polluted with foreign varieties such as Cabernet, Syrah and, God forbid, Merlot.
Now, we are seeing a return to more traditional blends as producers gradually move away from the Super Tuscan movement of the 1980s and 1990s.
In Montalcino, where only Sangiovese is permitted, producers have also shunned the illicit use of foreign varieties, and the wines have never been better. It was helped out by a good run of vintages, as well.
Elsewhere, there are still gems to discover. San Gimignano is home to the only major DOCG for white wines. Yet, the planting of its traditional variety, Vernaccia di San Gimignano, is on the wane, but not at the best producers who still champion this variety.
The Tuscan Coast is still the hotbed for innovation; unlike other bits of Tuscany, the international varieties thrive and make the best wines, with the occasional exception.
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Organic & Biodynamic WInes
All the wines listed in this section are organic or biodynamic to varying degrees. Here, we list the wine which are also in organic conversion (i.e. not completed the 3 year process), with each wine listing its status.
Biodynamic goes a little further than organic. It is an all encompassing philosophy which has at its heart the biodynamic composts and sprays with actions performed account to the biodynamic calendar of root, leaf, flower, and fruit days.
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Super Tuscans
Super Tuscan is a term used to describe a category of Italian wines produced in the various DOC/Gs of Tuscany, which do not adhere to traditional winemaking regulations.
Historically, Tuscan wines were made using specific grape varieties, and winemakers were required to follow certain production techniques. Most egregiously, producers in Chianti, until 1992, were mandated to add Trebbiano Toscano, wine from white grapes, to their wine if they wanted to label it as such. However, in the 1960s and 70s, some maverick winemakers began experimenting with international/French grape varieties with non-traditional winemaking methods to create high-quality wines that didn't fit with the destructive regulations.
These innovative wines were initially rejected by the regulatory system, which only recognised traditional varieties and production methods. As a result, these wines were classified as table wines, and labeled as vino da tavola (table wine) rather than the more prestigious DOC or DOCG status: the term 'Super Tuscans' was born.
The movement's figurehead was the pioneering Mario Incisa della Rocchetta, owner of Tenuta San Guido and his wine Sassicaia, first made in the fifties, with its first commercial vintage being 1968. The wine came to fame in the 1980s and its fame and prestige fuelled the entire movement.
Today many of the wines have come back into into the DOC/G fold, Sassicaia itself obtaining DOC status in 1994