1996 Fontodi Flaccianello Della Pieve Tuscany

(93+ Points)

The 1996 Flaccianello della Pieve is very, very tight. Hints of inner sweetness struggle to emerge from beneath an imposing wall of tannin. The 1996 still requires considerable patience, but it starts to open up in the glass and seems to have enough fruit to drink well once the tannins soften. I have to say I am intrigued by the 1996. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2021.

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%.  Wine Advocate #201, Jun 2012