2016 Flaccianello della Pieve

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.