2003 Fontalloro

Ask Giuseppe Mazzocolin, heart and soul of Felsina, how much cabernet or merlot it takes to overwhelm the delicate aromas and flavors of sangiovese in a wine, and the terse reply is "Even one percent." So Mazzocolin's unconditional love and dedication for sangiovese, Tuscany's premier cultivar, is clear. And two of Italy's greatest wines, his Chianti Riserva Rancia and the Fontalloro Super-Tuscan, are proof enough. "I'm not exaggerating," he clarifies. "Sangiovese is overwhelmed by varieties with stronger personalities and I feel that their addition is often just a shortcut for masking poor-quality grapes." Wine lovers and foodies should also know what insiders are well aware of: Mazzocolin is an extra virgin olive oil nut, and Felsina produces one of Italy's very best, of a quality far superior to that offered by most other Tuscan wine estates, with many different bottlings issued from different olive types such as raggiolo and leccino.

My visit with Giuseppe Mazzocolin at Felsina was another highlight of a recent trip to the region. Felsina is located in Castelnuovo Berardenga, a part of the Chianti Classico zone that straddles the border between the Chianti Classico and Chianti Colli Senesi appellations. Even though Castelnuovo is regarded as the warmest of the Chianti Classico microclimates, the Felsina 2003s are among the freshest wines of the vintage. “It's always hot here,” explains Mazzocolin. “The vines are used to the heat, so even though 2003 was very hot, those conditions probably came as less of a shock to our vines than was the case in other sub-zones.” Mazzocolin is passionate about Sangiovese, which he uses exclusively for all of his Chiantis. From top to bottom this is a very high-class set of wines.