Fontodi, Flaccianello della Pieve 2004

robert_parker95

Reviewed by: Lisa Perrotti-Brown

Medium to deep garnet colour. Ethereal nose – an intoxicating perfume of violets, cherry pie, white pepper, cigar boxes, dried Mediterranean herbs and musk. The palate is wonderfully structured providing fine, firm tannins, high acid and tons of ripe, complex fruit and earth flavours. Very long layered finish. Drink 2010 to 2025. Tasted at the winery in September 2007.

robert_parker96

Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni

The 2004 Flaccianello della Pieve is super elegant, polished and impeccably refined, just as it always has been. At the same time, it is one of the bigger 2004s from Tuscany readers will come across. Dark red berries, flowers, spices and menthol are layered into the finish. Today the aromatics aren’t fully developed, but that should not be an issue in another few years. There is plenty of underlying structure to support many years of fine drinking. The quality of the tannins is particularly fine, especially next to the other great Flaccianellos. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2029. 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_parker94

Reviewed by: Monica Larner

On first inspection, the 2004 and 2005 vintages were neck in next in terms of immediate appeal, but following further inspection, the 2004 Flaccianello della Pieve came out ahead as my favorite of the two. This vintage shows a greater sense of depth and dimension with a more pronounced point of sharp acidity down deep at the core. This makes a lasting difference. This growing season saw a late harvest (with fruit coming off the vines starting October 5th), and as has been so well documented in this retrospective, Sangiovese loves the longest growing seasons. The bouquet shows fading primary aromas, but the wine still holds strong and still resists any signs of flattening oxidation. Spicy notes of cured meat and bresaola cede to toasted nuts, tar and barbecue smoke. That savory signature is stronger in this vintage (compared to 2005), but it never feels too heavy or thick. In fact, this wine is still tightly wound at the center. It is humming along very nicely.

robert_parker96

Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni

Manetti's 2004 Flaccianello della Pieve (100% Sangiovese aged in 100% new oak) is simply stunning. Fresh and vibrant, it offers compelling aromatics and endless layers of fruit that develop in the glass, with superb length on the palate and gorgeous overall balance. Although it is still holding back much today, make no mistake about it, Flaccianello is one of Italy's blue-chip wines and the 2004 is a profound vintage for this wine. In order to enjoy its full range of expression readers will have to wait at least another five years after which it will provide memorable drinking to age 25, perhaps longer. A recent bottle of the 1982 was still full of life when tasted a few months ago. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2029. Importer: Vinifera Imports, Ronkonkoma, NY; tel. (631) 467-5907

robert_parker94

Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni

On first inspection, the 2004 and 2005 vintages were neck in next in terms of immediate appeal, but following further inspection, the 2004 Flaccianello della Pieve came out ahead as my favorite of the two. This vintage shows a greater sense of depth and dimension with a more pronounced point of sharp acidity down deep at the core. This makes a lasting difference. This growing season saw a late harvest (with fruit coming off the vines starting October 5th), and as has been so well documented in this retrospective, Sangiovese loves the longest growing seasons. The bouquet shows fading primary aromas, but the wine still holds strong and still resists any signs of flattening oxidation. Spicy notes of cured meat and bresaola cede to toasted nuts, tar and barbecue smoke. That savory signature is stronger in this vintage (compared to 2005), but it never feels too heavy or thick. In fact, this wine is still tightly wound at the center. It is humming along very nicely.

vinous96

Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni

The 2004 Flaccianello della Pieve is super elegant, polished and impeccably refined, just as it always has been. At the same time, it is one of the bigger 2004s from Tuscany readers will come across. Dark red berries, flowers, spices and menthol are layered into the finish. Today the aromatics aren't full developed, but that should not be an issue in another few years. There is plenty of underlying structure to support many years of fine drinking. The quality of the tannins is particularly fine, especially next to the other great Flaccianellos.