Fontodi, Flaccianello della Pieve 1999

robert_parker96

Reviewed by: Neal Martin

Simply a stunning wine that was a joy to behold. A limpid, garnet, ruby colour. The nose is exquisite, very complex with violets, blueberry, iodine and cherry. Brilliant delineation and crispness and a touch of eucalyptus evolved with time. The palate is supremely well balanced and focused with a joyousness about it. Touch of black tea on the long aftertaste. A brilliant wine, to drink now or over the next 5-8 years. Tasted September 2005.

robert_parker95

Reviewed by: Monica Larner

Two of Flaccianello's two most successful vintages are 1999 and 1997, although these two wines show very different personalities. The 1999 Flaccianello della Pieve is the more elegant and fine-tuned of the two, with increased emphasis on pressed violets, polished mineral nuances, wild berries and black currant. The wine shows tight, streamlined elegance and an impeccable integration. This wine exudes a profound sense of balance that seems more evident as the years go on. Fruit in 1999 saw a long growing season and conditions were excellent for slow ripening, something that Sangiovese loves. Bright freshness implies that this wine has the natural engineering for many more years of cellar aging. I give this vintage a longer drinking window than 1997.

robert_parker92

Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.

Made from 100% Sangiovese and aged 12 months in French oak, the 1999 Flaccianello is immensely impressive. Its opaque ruby/purple color is followed by scents of high class French oak intermixed with black cherry liqueur, minerals, spice box, tobacco, and blackberries. Concentrated yet elegant, this sweet, pure, exceptionally long wine can be drunk now, or cellared for 10-12 years. Importer: Dominic Nocerino, Vinifera Imports, Ronkonkoma, NY; tel. (516) 467-5907

robert_parker94

Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni

The 1999 Flaccianello della Pieve brings together depth, structure and considerable aromatic complexity. It is a gorgeous wine with all its elements beautifully in place. The 1999 isn’t a huge, imposing Flaccianello from a structural perspective, instead it emphasizes a more classic expression of Sangiovese in its aromas and flavors. There is more than enough freshness layered into the fruit for the 1999 to drink well for a number of years. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2024. This complete vertical of Fontodi’s flagship 100% Sangiovese Flaccianello was yet another of the remarkable tastings of my recent trip to Tuscany. Flaccianello is an interesting wine because the quality level that is the norm today only really starts around 2001. Prior to that the wines were very good, and sometimes even better than that, but not profound. In 2001 proprietor Giovanni Manetti made the decision to focus on his estate’s best fruit rather than making Flaccianello as a single-vineyard wine. Since then, Flaccianello has routinely been among the most exciting wines in Tuscany. Much of the fruit that now goes into Flaccianello comes from vineyards in the Pecille sub-zone of Panzano with a full southern exposure. Today Flaccianello is 100% Sangiovese, but the first vintages up to and including 1984 have 15% white grapes, as was common at the time. The early vintages up until 1990 spent about one year in French oak barrels, 50% new. In the mid-1990s Manetti increased the period of barrel aging to 18 months with the 1997, and then to 24 months with the 2006. Today the percentage of new barrels is close to 100%. Fontodi Flaccianello Key Points: 1. 100% Sangiovese aged in French oak barrels 2. Since 2001 made from the estate’s best fruit across a number of vineyards in Panzano’s historic Conca d’Oro, prior to that a strict single-vineyard wine. 3. Flaccianello’s status as an icon wine is cemented beginning in 2001 4. One of the more powerful of the 100% Sangioveses from Chianti Classico 5. Aging potential: 20+ years

robert_parker95

Reviewed by: Monica Larner

What a stunner. The 1999 Flaccianello della Pieve is a tight and well-constructed wine with traces of that bright and tangy acidity that are so unique to the beautiful Conca d'Oro subzone of Panzano in Chianti. The wine is drinking beautifully right now, so if you are lucky enough to have a bottle in your cellar, you might want to move it up to the front of the line. This vintage saw cool conditions during the first part of the growing season, and much warmer temperatures later in the summer lasting through to harvest time. Compared to the 1997 vintage that is more muscular and concentrated, this pretty expression is lighter on its feet, more delicate and even looser in terms of its texture and fiber. It shows grace and poise, with the specific aging profile that is guided by the natural acidity that defines the Sangiovese grape. Over time, the mighty Tuscan grape loses much of its weight, much like a rocket shedding its boosters as it flies into space. What's left is steely, tight and firm, and ultimately, that is the engine that drives the grape over its aging evolution.

robert_parker95

Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni

What a stunner. The 1999 Flaccianello della Pieve is a tight and well-constructed wine with traces of that bright and tangy acidity that are so unique to the beautiful Conca d'Oro subzone of Panzano in Chianti. The wine is drinking beautifully right now, so if you are lucky enough to have a bottle in your cellar, you might want to move it up to the front of the line. This vintage saw cool conditions during the first part of the growing season, and much warmer temperatures later in the summer lasting through to harvest time. Compared to the 1997 vintage that is more muscular and concentrated, this pretty expression is lighter on its feet, more delicate and even looser in terms of its texture and fiber. It shows grace and poise, with the specific aging profile that is guided by the natural acidity that defines the Sangiovese grape. Over time, the mighty Tuscan grape loses much of its weight, much like a rocket shedding its boosters as it flies into space. What's left is steely, tight and firm, and ultimately, that is the engine that drives the grape over its aging evolution.

vinous94

Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni

The 1999 Flaccianello della Pieve brings together depth, structure and considerable aromatic complexity. It is a gorgeous wine with all its elements beautifully in place. The 1999 isn't a huge, imposing Flaccianello from a structural perspective, instead it emphasizes a more classic expression of Sangiovese in its aromas and flavors. There is more than enough freshness layered into the fruit for the 1999 to drink well for a number of years.