Winemaker Notes
Blend: 100% Sangiovese
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
This is an interesting but challenging vintage that started off with cool and below-average temperatures that delayed the entire growing cycle. The temperatures picked up during the sunny summer months, but the harvest remained delayed throughout, with fruit coming off the vines at the end of October. This makes for a risky proposition for vintners who are faced with waiting, but great rewards were paid to those who did in terms of complexity, depth and acidic backbone. When Sangiovese grapes are given this long to mature on the vines, the results are always spectacular. The 1995 Flaccianello della Pieve opens to a lean and fragile bouquet with bright accents of dried mint, balsam herb, dried rose and tilled earth. That balsamic signature, with cola, dried ginger and rosemary oil, is very well defined in this beautiful expression. The mouthfeel is slender and thin, but everything is in the right place in terms of acidity, fiber and structure. This is the oldest vintage to be labeled with the IGT Colli della Toscana Centrale appellation.
Rating: 93+
Legendary in Italy for its Renaissance art and striking landscape, Tuscany is also home to many of the country’s best red wines. Sangiovese reigns supreme here, as either the single varietal, or a dominant player, in almost all of Tuscany’s best.
A remarkable Chianti, named for its region of origin, will have a bright acidity, supple tannins and plenty of cherry fruit character. From the hills and valleys surrounding the medieval village of Montalcino, come the distinguished and age-worthy wines based on Brunello (Sangiovese). Earning global acclaim since the 1970s, the Tuscan Blends are composed solely of international grape varieties or a mix of international and Sangiovese. The wine called Vine Nobile di Montepulciano, composed of Prognolo Gentile (Sangiovese) and is recognized both for finesse and power.