Assorted Fontodi "Flaccianello della Pieve" Tasting Lot

The 2017 Flaccianello della Pieve is fabulous. Dark, sensual and enveloping, the 2017 captures the essence of the house style in its textural richness and baritone inflections. Black cherry, plum, spice, new leather, licorice and chocolate infuse the 2017 with tremendous richness. The 2017 spent 18 months in barrique followed by 6 months in cask, the same aging regime as the Vigna del Sorbo, but with a bit more new oak. That approach worked very well, as the Flaccianello stands out for its exceptional textural elegance and finesse. It is a positively stellar wine. (AG)

Aromas of baked plum, blue flower, French oak and camphor are front and center on this bold, full-bodied red. Made entirely with organically grown Sangiovese, the delicious palate boasts concentration and a weightless elegance, doling out layers of ripe Marasca cherry, raspberry compote, licorice, cocoa and carob framed in tightly-wound, close-grained tannins. Give it a few more years to fully develop.

The 2018 Flaccianello della Pieve is another stellar wine from Fontodi. It is the richest Flaccianello ever made (in terms of dry extract), with elevated acidity that trails the 2016 by just a touch, but it does not taste like that at all. Dark cherry, violet, lavender, spice, mocha and graphite build with a bit of time in the glass. Like the Sorbo, the 2018 Flaccianello is not a wine of size, as in most previous years, but rather a wine that exudes vibrancy, energy and class from start to finish. I absolutely loved it. (AG)

Generally speaking, I have reservations concerning the 2018 vintage that saw intermittent periods of hot and cold with some rain thrown in at the end of the growing cycle. The 2018 Flaccianello della Pieve blasted straight through any lingering doubt and is the result of a deft winemaking hand. This is a phenomenal and proudly confident vintage of the estate's top Sangiovese, which represents a blend of organic fruit from the best parcels. The wine's personality reveals brooding darkness and austerity, and these impressions are reinforced by savory tones of cigar smoke and earthy leather. The core of the wine is tight and richly concentrated with generous blackberry and plum. The velvety tannins are integrated but still youthful and grippy. You'll definitely need to give this elegant wine more time in the bottle. (ML)

The 2019 Flaccianello della Pieve is another stunning wine that sums up the character of the vintage and reflects the sun-drenched beauty of its quintessentially Tuscan surroundings. Giovanni Manetti and his team have two new important wines in the works, but Flaccianello remains an old love and a wine that hits the highest marks for quality consistency vintage after vintage. I tasted this wine next to the 100-point 2016 vintage for friendly comparison, and perhaps the main difference is that the tannins are finer and more accessible in this bottle. It offers rich concentration and layers of dark fruit that wrap thickly over the senses. Tannin management is an active pursuit. Time in barrique has been reduced over the years in favor of a final six-month resting period in larger oak casks. In fact, the barrel room was recently enlarged to give more room to these bigger vessels. The 2019 vintage recalls the balance of 2001 with the freshness of 2013. However, 2019 is more profound. (ML)

Also entirely Sangiovese from the best selections across the Fontodi vineyards in the amphitheater of the Conca d'Oro, the 2019 Flaccianello Della Pieve was raised for two years in French oak barrels. It pours a similarly rich red sanguine color and reveals toasty aromas of incense, blackberries, sage, and sappy earth. More robust than the Vigna del Sorbo, it’s full-bodied without being heavy and offers supple, ripe tannins, a seamlessly integrated structure through a long finish, and dark mineral tones that last for days. Another fantastic, age-worthy wine, it’s certain to improve if well stored. (AF)

Extremely floral with sage and licorice to the berry and dark cherry aromas that follow through to a medium body, with fine and silky tannins that run the length of the wine. Very crunchy for Flaccianello. Vivid on the palate.

The 2020 Flaccianello della Pieve is the full package. This point is clear when you taste all the other wines in the Fontodi portfolio and conclude with this bottle. This organic Sangiovese shows beautiful intensity and remains balanced throughout with dark fruit, crushed stone, spice and wild rose. It borrows themes of elegance, depth and ripeness played across this vintage. The wine wraps smoothly over the palate with substantial fruit weight and sweet tannins. This warm-vintage expression can be aged or enjoyed straight out of the gate. (ML)