100% Sangiovese

Panzano in Chianti, Tuscany, Italy

Notes: Certified Organic, Practising Biodynamic, Vegetarian

Deep ruby red in colour, this wine has aromas of ripe plum and sour cherry, with notes of tobacco and leather from oak ageing. On the palate, it has great depth of flavour, with juicy fruit and supple tannins giving way to a silky-smooth texture. This Chianti Classico has superb structure and finishes with a fine mineral note.

Fontodi's 99 hectares of south-facing vineyards sit at 450 metres above sea level in the Conca d'Oro, an amphitheatre-shaped valley to the south of Panzano. Well-draining Scaglia Toscana soils are made up of a mixture of Galestro (clay schist) and Alberese (limestone) and encourage the vines to grow deep roots. The Sangiovese used for the Fontodi Chianti Classico comes predominantly from 10-year-old, guyot-trained vines, with a proportion of fruit from the same 25-year-old vines that produce Flaccianello

The Manetti family has owned Fontodi since 1968 but has been in Chianti for centuries, producing the finest terracotta at their factory in Ferrone. The same attention to detail on their terracotta has been brought to bear on Fontodi over the past 50 years, transforming a crumbling farmhouse with a few hectares of vineyard into one of Chianti Classico’s most impressive estates.

"Delicate aromas recalling scorched earth and truffle mingle with mocha and botanical herbs on this 100% Sangiovese. Elegant and enveloping, the supple palate features fleshy plum, orange zest and baking spice before an espresso finish. Soft tannins offer supple support. Drink through 2024." - Kerin O'Keefe, Wine Enthusiast, 2019

“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.” Antonio Galloni, Vinous (07/22)