Fontodi Chianti Classico 2019
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Enthusiast
Wine -
Suckling
James -
Spectator
Wine - Decanter
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Parker
Robert
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Delicate aromas recalling scorched earth and truffle mingle with mocha and botanical herbs on this 100% Sangiovese. Elegant and enveloping, the supple palate features fleshy plum, orange zest and baking spice before an espresso finish. Soft tannins offer supple support.
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James Suckling
Sweet berry and cherry aromas with plenty of flowers on the nose and palate. Medium body. Fresh finish. From organically grown grapes.
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Wine Spectator
This succulent red is hallmarked by very pure expressions of cherry, raspberry, violet and mineral. Firmly built, with energy and a persistence that extends the fruit, tobacco and mineral elements on the finish.
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Decanter
This benchmark Panzano estate is still in the hands of long-time owner, Giovanni Manetti, but the new generation is very much in evidence: Manetti’s son Bernardo, daughter Margherita and nephew Costa now play fundamental roles as the estate continues to grow. Fontodi’s 2019 is striking and pronounced in fragrance. Liquorice and black cherry are offset by coffee, char and tobacco. Vigorous tannins yield slowly but surely as this makes its way across the palate. Its structure is well-proportioned with the ripe black fruit, substantial but never heavy or imposing, underscored by some tanginess. As always, it soars above its category.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Offering a clear snapshot of the vintage, the 2019 Chianti Classico draws its organic fruit only from Panzano from estate vineyards and a few leased parcels in the Conca d'Oro. The bouquet opens to fresh cherry, bright rose and other floral nuances. The mineral signature in this wine is strong and serves to give focus and linearity. It offers good flavor intensity to the palate, with elegant tannins to finish.
Other Vintages
2020-
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Among Italy's elite red grape varieties, Sangiovese has the perfect intersection of bright red fruit and savory earthiness and is responsible for the best red wines of Tuscany. While it is best known as the chief component of Chianti, it is also the main grape in Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and reaches the height of its power and intensity in the complex, long-lived Brunello di Montalcino. Somm Secret—Sangiovese doubles under the alias, Nielluccio, on the French island of Corsica where it produces distinctly floral and refreshing reds and rosés.
One of the first wine regions anywhere to be officially recognized and delimited, Chianti Classico is today what was originally defined simply as Chianti. Already identified by the early 18th century as a superior zone, the official name of Chianti was proclaimed upon the area surrounding the townships of Castellina, Radda and Gaiole, just north of Siena, by Cosimo III, Grand Duke of Tuscany in an official decree in 1716.
However, by the 1930s the Italian government had appended this historic zone with additonal land in order to capitalize on the Chianti name. It wasn’t until 1996 that Chianti Classico became autonomous once again when the government granted a separate DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita) to its borders. Ever since, Chianti Classico considers itself no longer a subzone of Chianti.
Many Classicos are today made of 100% Sangiovese but can include up to 20% of other approved varieties grown within the Classico borders. The best Classicos will have a bright acidity, supple tannins and be full-bodied with plenty of ripe fruit (plums, black cherry, blackberry). Also common among the best Classicos are expressive notes of cedar, dried herbs, fennel, balsamic or tobacco.