Wine Advisor
Felsina, Fontalloro Toscana IGT 2016
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2016 Fontalloro is bold, hearty and deeply flavored, with all of the Sangiovese wildness that is so typical of Fontalloro. Ripe dark cherry, grilled herbs, smoke, leather, game and incense are some of the many aromas and flavors that open up in a potent, virile Fontalloro loaded with personality and character. In so many ways, 2016 is THE archetype of what Fontalloro is - a Sangiovese that is a bit wild and unruly but also full of charm.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2016 Fontalloro is marked by vertical lift and a level of sheer structural intensity that is rare for this usually more sensual wine. Powerful, deep and also quite reticent, the 2016 is going to need a number of years before it starts drinking well. Even so, that it is a very special wine in the making is abundantly evident.
Reviewed by: Monica Larner
The 2016 Fontalloro is the best vintage of this landmark wine that I have tasted thus far. This is a very elegant vintage, with more volume in the mouth and precise notes of tar, licorice, camphor ash, resin and Indian spice. In a race between the highly competitive 2015 and 2016 vintages, I give a slight advantage to this wine. The warmer 2015 vintage shows more richness and exuberant fruit. However, this wine from 2016 offers a more focused and chiseled delivery. I am hopeful that this wine will continue to evolve and sharpen as it ages in the bottle. This is a beautiful wine to put aside in your cellar for ten years or more.
Reviewed by: James Suckling
A bright and vivid wine with dark-berry and cherry character. Hints of dried flowers. Full body. Impressive density and richness. Always on the mark in a top vintage. 100% sangiovese.
Reviewed by: James Suckling
Amazing aromas of licorice, wet earth, orange peel and lavender. Full body, tight and super compact and polished. Goes on for minutes. Clearly great. Better in 2021, but already a star.
About the Producer
Etienne Sousse is a winery in Puligny-Montrachet that produces some of the most popular Chardonnay wines in Burgundy. Sousse's wines are prized for their elegance at the country level, and for their extra weight and concentration at the Premier and Grand Cru levels. The estate's portfolio includes leading products from Chevalier-Montrachet, Le Montrachet and Puligny-Montrachet Premier Cru Champs Gain. The estate consists of 15 hectares (37 acres) of vineyards in the communes of Puligny-Montrachet, Como-le-Grand and Chassagne-Montrachet, with a small amount of grapes sourced from outside. The grapes are fermented in oak barrels and aged in barrels for around a year - up to 33% new oak for the First Growths and 40% for the Grand Cru. After ageing in barrels, the wine is tanked and stored on its lees for a further six months. Etiensse was established at the forefront of production in Puligny-Montrachet by Etiensse himself (1903-1975). His 12 hectares (30 acres) estate was taken over by his son-in-law Gérard Boudot, although in 1991 Boudot's cousin Jean-Marc Boillot took out his share of the vineyard and asked Boudot and his family to make additional acquisitions to bring the estate back to its current size.
