2001 Fontodi, Colli Toscana Centrale IGT, Flaccianello delle Pieve (RT97) At the age of 23 the 100% Sangiovese 2001 Flaccianello is in its early prime drinking window, which I find very attractive. A place where it balances beautiful, lush fruit with tertiary notes magnificently. For my palate this is a perfect place for enjoying Sangiovese. Translucent ruby with a garnet cast, it delivers notes of Marasca cherry liqueur, spiced red currants, deep anise, dusty Tuscan spices, hints of sage and cedar and finishes with a wisp of blood orange zest. The new oak still shows its influence in a polished manner but has integrated magnificently. A complex bouquet and its variety of spiced notes leads to a beautifully balanced palate packed with perfectly ripe fruit and finishes with seamlessly suave tannins. A very impressive showing, this was followed over multiple days and held up beautifully. It was not decanted and was served directly from the bottle using classic, slow and precise pours. Drink now-2036+ Tasted December 2024
Flaccianello is a legendary expression of pure Sangiovese that is hand harvested from a selection of the best vineyards. The inaugural vintage, which was one of the earliest Super Tuscan (aka IGT) wines produced, was 1981. This wine has been a work in progress and the goal of producing world class Sangiovese has dominated the long term goals of Giovanni Manetti, who is the driving force behind Fontodi. 2001 is the first vintage that fruit for this bottling – only the best fruit – was blended together from various estate sites. Previously all of the fruit was sourced from a single plot, but in Manetti’s quest to constantly strive for the finest expression of Sangiovesi, he chose this route, which has proven a valuable decision!
The fruit is lightly pressed and then fermented in stainless for a minimum of 3 weeks using entirely indigenous yeasts. It is then aged in 100% new French oak barriques and casks from the Troncais and Allier forests. Toast levels are not specified, but knowing the house style I suspect it is low level. The elevage of Flaccianello was originally 12 months in the early years but has been gradually extended to the current 24 months. This is a surprisingly large scale production wine with +/- 60,000 bottles produced each year.
