2017 Flaccianello della Pieve, Tenuta Fontodi, Tuscany, Italy

The Fontodi 2017 Flaccianello della Pieve is a standout wine of the dry vintage. This pure Sangiovese opens to a dark garnet colour with more visible concentration and density than recent past editions. This is a beautiful wine with pliant tannins, dark fruit richness, balanced acidity and a fruit-forward 15% alcohol content. The wine is big and bold when weighed on the Flaccianello scale (and even more so when weighed on the Sangiovese scale) with dark cherry, plum, spice, violet, chalk and campfire ash. Despite that power and inner opulence, this wine adds that zesty Sangiovese character with fresh acidity and an energized approach. This Flaccianello is whole and complete with the natural firmness and structure to hold it steady during ageing. A small part of amphorae-aged fruit is added to the blend.Drink 2021 - 2045monica_larner, Wine Advocate (August 2020)