FONTODI Flaccianello della Pieve -Colli Toscana Centrale IGT 2018 Bottle (Sangiovese) ORG - NO DISCOUNT (los)

Description

‘Flaccianello’, made from a selection of the estate’s best Sangiovese, is fast becoming one of Italy’s most sought-after wines. It is powerful, fleshy and ages beautifully. ‘Flaccianello’ is produced from the best grapes from the best parts of the Fontodi vineyards, located on the top of a hill at 480 metres of altitude. The soil here is classic 'galestro', the schistous clay on which the Sangiovese grape produces its best results.

After picking, the grapes were carried to the Fontodi winery and carefully selected on sorting tables. Fermentation and maceration lasted for at least 21 days in temperature-controlled stainless-steel tanks. The cap was punched down twice a day during fermentation, which reached a maximum temperature of 30ºC. The wine was then racked into 80% new French oak barriques for 18 months before being blended and moved to 25,37 and 50-hectolitre oak casks for another six months prior to bottling.

VINOUS 100 points !!!
"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."

THE WINE ADVOCATE Rating: 98 points !!!
Drink Date: 2023 - 2050
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. Production is an ample 60,000 bottles. - Monica Larner, 7th Oct 2021