2015 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Vigna del Sorbo

Proprietor Giovanni Manetti and his son Bernardo presented a stunning set of 2021s on my most recent visit. The wines embody the essence of site but in the more refined, nuanced style that is such a signature here today. Picking a bit earlier while also reducing French oak imprint has made a huge difference. I can’t recommend these new releases highly enough.

As for Giovanni Manetti, he continues to lead the way in Chianti Classico by making brilliant wines while also uniting producers around a vision for the region in his role as two-term President of the Consorzio del Chianti Classico. These are exceptionally rare qualities in any individual, but to see them in one person is impressive.

Proprietor Giovanni Manetti could certainly rest on his laurels. The wines have been benchmarks for some time. In recent years, Manetti’s influence as a leader in Panzano and Chianti Classico has exploded because of his role as the President of the Consorzio del Chianti Classico. Instead, Manetti has continued to acquire vineyards and introduce new wines while also quietly refining his approach with the established labels. The 2020s are a bit reticent, but they have also begun to soften in recent months. An example is the 2020 Vigna del Sorbo, which was brooding when I first tasted it a few months ago but is quite a bit more refined in recent tastings. “Two thousand twenty and 2021 are pretty similar,” Giovanni and Bernardo Manetti recounted at Fontodi. “There were perhaps more extremes weather-wise in 2021, but we also had greater diurnal shifts and a later harvest under cooler conditions.”

Proprietor Giovanni Manetti continues to push his estate into new directions. Readers will note the addition of a new wine, the 2019 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Terrazze San Leolino, which emerges from vineyards in Panzano near the San Leolino church. It will be followed next year by the Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Pastrolo, Manetti’s first estate wine from terraced vineyard in Lamole at 640 meters in elevation. Naturally, those wines are works in progress, so it will be a few years before they reach the level of the other wines in the range. The dual flagships Vigna del Sorbo and Flaccianello are quite good in 2019, although they don’t reach the level of the finest years. The Chianti Classico, always a super-Chianti Classico here, is a standout. A reduction of time in small oak, along with a final phase of aging in cask and a greater emphasis in freshness overall are the key drives to the Fontodi style these days.

Giovanni Manetti’s 2018s are superb examples of the vintage. The wines are rich, but not at all heavy, and marked more by energy than volume. Flaccianello is simply extraordinary. Over the last few years the wines have gained notably through a greater use of large format wood and shorter time in oak overall. A rare producer whose achievements go beyond wine, Manetti was recently re-elected to a second term as President of the Consorzio del Chianti Classico. The value of his leadership for the entire region can’t possibly be overstated. Earlier this year Manetti was knighted as Cavaliere del Lavoro, one of Italy’s most prestigious and rare civilian awards.

I tasted a wide range of wines this year from Fontodi and proprietor Giovanni Manetti. The Filetta di Lamole Chianti Classico is a good example of a wine that is often a bit linear, but fills out a bit because of the heat of the growing season. Fontodi’s Chianti Classico is a sort of super-wine in its peer group, as it really has very few peers. It is also quite expressive today. I can’t say the same for the dual flagships Vigna del Sorbo and Flacciannello. Both wines are usually quite showy, but the 2017s are going to demand quite a bit of patience. I also had a chance to revisit the 2016s, which are every bit as magical as they were last year.

I tasted a wide range of wines this year from Fontodi and proprietor Giovanni Manetti. The Filetta di Lamole Chianti Classico is a good example of a wine that is often a bit linear, but fills out a bit because of the heat of the growing season. Fontodi’s Chianti Classico is a sort of super-wine in its peer group, as it really has very few peers. It is also quite expressive today. I can’t say the same for the dual flagships Vigna del Sorbo and Flacciannello. Both wines are usually quite showy, but the 2017s are going to demand quite a bit of patience. I also had a chance to revisit the 2016s, which are every bit as magical as they were last year.

It's hard to believe, but Giovanni Manetti continues to take wines to even greater heights. Two thousand sixteen is without a question the finest vintage I have ever tasted here. The wines have a level of focus and delineation that is truly remarkable. Of course conditions were ideal in 2016, with warm days, cool nights and no shock events. The decision to move towards gentler vinifications and also finish aging in cask for both Vigna del Sorbo and Flaccianello has paid off handsomely. Both wines are off the charts. I also tasted a 2018 Trebbiano from 60-year-old vines done in amphora with no malolactic fermentation that is savory, expressive and flat-out delicious. Hopefully it will become a commercial wine at some point. The future looks very bright at Fontodi, especially now that Manetti's children, Bernardo and Margherita, are part of the team.

It's hard to believe, but Giovanni Manetti continues to take wines to even greater heights. Two thousand sixteen is without a question the finest vintage I have ever tasted here. The wines have a level of focus and delineation that is truly remarkable. Of course conditions were ideal in 2016, with warm days, cool nights and no shock events. The decision to move towards gentler vinifications and also finish aging in cask for both Vigna del Sorbo and Flaccianello has paid off handsomely. Both wines are off the charts. I also tasted a 2018 Trebbiano from 60-year-old vines done in amphora with no malolactic fermentation that is savory, expressive and flat-out delicious. Hopefully it will become a commercial wine at some point. The future looks very bright at Fontodi, especially now that Manetti's children, Bernardo and Margherita, are part of the team.

This is a gorgeous set of wines from Fontodi and proprietor Giovanni Manetti. The 2014s are nervous, tightly wound wines that are going to need a number of years to fully unwind, but they are full of potential. I also had a chance to revisit the 2013 flagships Vigna del Sorbo and Flaccianello, both of which are as tremendous as they have always been. Gentler winemaking, a move towards casks for aging the Chianti Classico and a reduction of the amount of time the Vigna del Sorbo and Flaccianello spend in French oak are some of the stylistic shifts that have taken place at Fontodi in recent years. These wines have never been as polished and finessed as they are today.

This is a gorgeous set of wines from Fontodi and proprietor Giovanni Manetti. The 2014s are nervous, tightly wound wines that are going to need a number of years to fully unwind, but they are full of potential. I also had a chance to revisit the 2013 flagships Vigna del Sorbo and Flaccianello, both of which are as tremendous as they have always been. Gentler winemaking, a move towards casks for aging the Chianti Classico and a reduction of the amount of time the Vigna del Sorbo and Flaccianello spend in French oak are some of the stylistic shifts that have taken place at Fontodi in recent years. These wines have never been as polished and finessed as they are today.

There is little doubt Giovanni Manetti is at the top of his game. After tasting these wines from bottle along with multiple barrel samples, my impression is that Manetti continues to make small but important changes that are moving his wines towards a style that emphasizes finesse over sheer power. Of course, 2013 and 2014 both yielded generally delicate wines, so some of that may be attributable to vintage characteristics. It is too soon to tell for sure. The Sangioveses still see about two years in oak, which is on the longer side, but the gradual introduction of casks in the cellar appears to be playing a significant role in giving the wines added polish and elegance. This year, Fontodi fans will notice the addition of a new wine, the Chianti Classico Filetta di Lamole, which Giovanni Manetti is making and marketing on behalf of relatives who own vineyards in Lamole, one of the few areas in Chianti Classico that have always been planted to vines as opposed to mixed crops, as was the custom in most of Tuscany up until fairly recently. Manetti adds that he plans to release all of his top labels in 2014, although production will be down sharply.

There is little doubt Giovanni Manetti is at the top of his game. After tasting these wines from bottle along with multiple barrel samples, my impression is that Manetti continues to make small but important changes that are moving his wines towards a style that emphasizes finesse over sheer power. Of course, 2013 and 2014 both yielded generally delicate wines, so some of that may be attributable to vintage characteristics. It is too soon to tell for sure. The Sangioveses still see about two years in oak, which is on the longer side, but the gradual introduction of casks in the cellar appears to be playing a significant role in giving the wines added polish and elegance. This year, Fontodi fans will notice the addition of a new wine, the Chianti Classico Filetta di Lamole, which Giovanni Manetti is making and marketing on behalf of relatives who own vineyards in Lamole, one of the few areas in Chianti Classico that have always been planted to vines as opposed to mixed crops, as was the custom in most of Tuscany up until fairly recently. Manetti adds that he plans to release all of his top labels in 2014, although production will be down sharply.

There is quite a bit to report from Fontodi. Proprietor Giovanni Manetti has a new wine this year, the 2013 Dino (dedicated to Manetti's father), which is 100% Sangiovese fermented in terra cotta amphora and aged with no added sulfites. The Manetti family has long operated businesses in a number of sectors outside of wine, one of them being the production of terra cotta amphoras, a vessel once used in the storage of olive oil as well as wine. Manetti's amphora Sangiovese is interesting because the fruit and overall style is very much classic Fontodi - which is to say intense and polished - yet the amphora clearly allows for a very direct expression of Sangiovese. It will be interesting to see how the Dino ages in bottle. The other big development is the transition of the Vigna del Sorbo to 100% Sangiovese now that the Cabernet Sauvignon vines have been completely ripped out. Vinous readers know I regard the Sorbo as Fontodi's flagship wine. While the 2012 is truly stratospheric, so is the Flaccianello. Judging by those two wines, it is clear Mother Nature smiled on Fontodi in 2012, a year that was much less favorable for other properties. When all is said and done, Fontodi produced not one, but two wines of the vintage. The only negative is that the international wines - the Syrah and Pinot Noir - are increasingly out of place here. This is Sangiovese territory, after all. Readers who can find Fontodi's 2012s should not hesitate, as they are truly magnificent.

Fontodi fans have a lot to look forward to in these new and upcoming releases. The 2011 Chiantis and Flaccianello are gorgeous, especially within the context of a vintage that was especially warm here, in the heart of Panzano's Conca d'Oro. As readers will read in these notes, the 2011s have off the chart levels of polyphenols and acidity, an alluring and unusual combination to say the least. The new amphora-aged Dino shows proprietor Giovanni Manetti is not content to rest on his laurels. For more on Fontodi, readers might enjoy this short video interview shot with Manetti right after last year's complete vertical of the flagship Vigna del Sorbo. On that subject, Manetti is one of the few proponents of the Gran Selezione designation to use that label on his best wine, the Vigna del Sorbo, although in truth most people would probably say Flaccianello is the flagship. It goes without saying, but it would be great to see Manetti's colleagues show the same courage and conviction in a designation that is meant to highlight the best of Chianti Classico.