The vineyard that gave its name to this wine produces superior quality Sangiovese grapes year after year. Flaccianello della Pieve originated in 1981out of the desire to produce a great wine using these superior Sangiovese grapes in their purity. Particular care and attention is paid during the harvesting stage, and during the wine-making itself. The wine is matured in 225 litre casks for eighteen months and, after it has been bottled, undergoes a further year of refinement. It is a ruby colour with a grainy tendency, and has a complex and elegant aroma of red fruit. It tastes dry, with a robust and well-balanced body. Contains sulphites. Produced by AZIENDA AGRICOLA FONTODI - 50022, Panzano in Chianti (Firenze) - Italy.
THE REVIEW BY LUCA STROPPA OF FLACCIANELLO DELLA PIEVE
The producer
The Fontodi estate is located in the heart of the Chianti Classico production area, or more precisely, in the valley that begins south of Panzano, an area known as "Conca D'oro", or "The Golden Bowl", for the position of the land, which is largely given over to wine-making. It is not by chance that Fontodi wines were already famous at the beginning of the twentieth century, as numerous honours at several international wine meetings attest. The Fontodi estate has been run by the Manetti family since 1968. For many centuries the family had been dedicated to another activity that is typical of the Chianti production area, the manufacture of terracotta paving stones. It has been with a full awareness of the strong ties to the land that in recent years the company has dedicated itself to rediscovering from the origin the identity the Chianti Classico wines. The wines produced have a perfect combination of well-judged balance and complexity. This combination comes from both the adoption of appropriate methods of cultivation and more modern wine-making techniques. The research focused in particular on the Sangiovese species of grapevine, with a brief to express the vine's remarkable potential in the context of the specific conditions at Panzano. In many respects, this is potential that had never before been fully explored. The result of this careful and complex work is a strain of very high quality Chianti Classico wines, as well as the introduction of wines such as Flaccianello della Pieve and Vigna del Sorbo.
Best with
This wine is an excellent accompaniment to warm antipasta, especially if it is typical of Tuscany, thick soups, and significant red meat dishes.
How to serve it
The wine should be served at 18 degrees centigrade in clear, transparent crystal goblets.
How to keep
If kept well, this wine has an average conservation period of five to seven years. The bottles should be laid horizontally in a cool, dark, humid wine-cellar.