While I haven’t been able to travel very far physically during the pandemic, I’ve spent quite a bit of time in front of my monitor, travelling virtually. Last week I was transported to Tuscany. The occasion was a tasting of four wines by Castello di Fonterutoli. This Gran Selezione tasting was hosted by winery family member and Export Director Giovanni Mazzei. The winery and property, which encompasses 290 acres, and seven vineyards spread across three districts, has been in his family since 1435. Prior to that, they were Coopers.
Giovanni briefed us on winery and family history as well as filling us in on the distinct sites that make up their vineyards. Along the way we tasted four wines from their portfolio. Three of the wines, are Gran Selezione Chianti Classico’s, and a fourth a Super Tuscan. Gran Selezione is a relatively recent (6 or so years) official designation of Chianti Classico DOCG. The fruit must be entirely estate for starters. There are also thresholds tied to yield, grape composition, aging and alcohol content.
Badiòla Chianti Classico Gran Selezione 2017, ($99)
This offering is new to the Castello di Fonterutoli portfolio. Over time they recognized that this part of their vineyards, “Badiòla,” which sits just below it’s name-sake Parish was exceptional enough to bottle separately. Of the four wines we tasted, these vines sit at the highest elevation. Rose petals and leather are the most pronounced aromatics alongside fresh red fruit. An undercurrent of red apple supports the red cherry fruit that dominates the palate. A core of spices and bits of toast are evident on the solid finish. This is a delicious Chianti Classico that will be even better with a few additional years of bottle age.
Castello di Fonterutoli Chianti Classico Gran Selezione 2017 ($74)
This bottling is Castello di Fonterutoli’s Flagship Wine. The fruit comes from 11 blocks surrounding the Winery Hamlet. Six distinct clones of Sangiovese are represented. Red rose petals, black cherry and wisps of citrus zest are evident on the nose. The palate is akin to a bowl of fresh red fruit, gently tinged by bits of darker fruit. Black peppercorn, mineral notes and a dollop of earth are evident on the lengthy finish. This is a remarkably elegant wine and the tension between the bright red fruit and firm vein of acid is off the charts. There’s depth, lightness, proportionate intensity and a killer mouthfeel to boot. It’s easy to see why this is their flagship wine. At a suggested retail price of $74, it easily over delivers.
Vicoregio Chianti Classico 36 Gran Selezione 2017 ($99)
The fruit for this offering comes from a single vineyard, Vico Regio. However, that vineyard is home to 36 distinct Sangiovese biotypes. The lots are hand harvested and vinified separately. Boisterous black cherry aromas and black peppercorn lead the charge. Black and red cherry dominate the palate along with bits of chicory. The finish is long and velvety with red and black fruit continuing to reverberate. Three things impress me most about this Chianti Classico; the texture, mouthfeel and depth.
Siepi Toscana IGT 2018, SRP ($130)
All of the fruit for this Super Tuscan comes from the namesake Siepi vineyard. It’s equal parts Sangiovese and Merlot. What immediately impresses here is the approachability of this wine at just 2 years of age. By and large I have found that Super Tuscans tend to be reticent in their youth, needing years of bottle age to show off their charms. Make no mistake, Siepi will age well for several decades and improve, but It’s delicious right now. Bright red cherry aromas are buttressed by intermingling bits of black fruit. These characteristics carry through the palate alongside blackberry and a solid core of spice. The prodigious finish is loaded with earth, chicory and bitter cocoa nibs. Siepi is an impressive wine. It's got heft but it’s also measured and precise.
To the best of my recall, I’d not had any wines from Castello Di Fonterutoli prior to this virtual trip to Tuscany. I can say with conviction, it won’t be my last. While each wine is impressive on its own, what really sets the trio of Chianti Classicos apart is how distinct they are from one another. That said there is a connective tissue running between them. The Super Tuscan is vastly different, of course. But still tasted in a flight with the others, one can see they’re related.
Lately, I’ve tasted quite a bit of Italian wine. The wines I’ve tasted recently represent a real cross section of what’s available from Italy — they’re all over the spectrum in terms of price points, grapes used and style. And at the end of the day that’s really a microcosm of what Italy produces, which is great variety. The Vino Dei Fratelli line features wines made all over Italy, and made by several families that vary by area. Basically each 
These days Barolo, Brunello and even Aglianico often steal many of the headlines when it comes to Italian wine. However Chianti continues to be a go to choice for a lot of folks who drink offerings from Italy. And well it should be as they can often be well made at an affordable price. The fact that good Chianti is also one of the most natural food partners in the world certainly helps too. Today I’ll look at a current release from Piccini.
The Piccini 2011 Chianti DOCG also known as Chianti Orange is the standard bearer in the Piccini line. This Chianti is a blend of Sangiovese (95%) and Cilliegiolo (5%). Fermentation is temperature controlled. This is followed by a second fermentation induced by adding a selection of withered Sangiovese grapes. This Chianti is widely available around the country and has a suggested retail price of $8.99.
Tenuta di Vignole is owned by the Nistri Family who has been involved locally in the wine business since the mid 1800’s. They acquired their 21 hectares of winery property in 1970. Their focus of course is on making Chianti. I recently had a chance to taste some of their wines alongside family member Fabrizio Nistri. They were, on the whole, delicious well made wines but one stood above the others for me and I’ll look at it today.
The Tenuta di Vignole – 2006 Vignole Chianti Classico Riserva is produced from fruit sourced in the Panzano section of Chianti Classico. This offering is a blend of predominately Sangiovese (85%), with some Cabernet Sauvignon (15%) utilized as well. The fruit was handpicked and individual lots were fermented in concrete vats. Barrel aging took place over 20 months in a combination of 225 liter barriques and larger 400 liter vessels. After that time the lots were assembled and another 3 months of barrels aging commenced followed by 6 or more months of bottle aging. 1,200 6 pack cases of this wine were produced and it has a suggested retail price of $59.99.
Sometimes a single word evokes a myriad of thoughts and images. In this case that word is Chianti. Most wine drinkers recognize this as an Italian wine. But depending on how deeply immersed in wine one is, not everyone also realizes that’s it’s a region in Italy. Just about everything in European wine is based on area of origination. That includes what grapes can go into local wines. In Chianti of course as with numerous other areas of Italy, Sangiovese is the predominant grape.