“Quality is never an accident. It is always the result of intelligent effort.”
Quite simply, the driving tenet behind the wines of Fontalpino and the force that propels the team of Gioia and Filippo Cresti. Known throughout Italy, Gioia oversees each facet of the winemaking process while Filippo oversees cellar and vineyard management. I first reported on Fontalpino last November when I tasted their Chianti Riserva, but since then a friend has been imploring me to try the Chianti Classico so when I finally located some, I didn’t hesitate.
~ Vineyards on the Fontalpino Estate ~ |
The 2010 Chianti Classico is a strinking, deep purple in the glass. As pretty as it is, there is something to be said for a wine when you can smell it from a few feet away. Such is the case.
With noticeable aromas of fresh flowers, wild berries, smoke, earth and tobacco, this Sangiovese wine announces it’s presence with orchestral harmony. On the palate, the wine is refined and classy. There is a large core of ripe wild berry fruit with coffee, anise, and sweet pipe tobacco flavors that are persistent and seamless. The tactile sensation of the wine is amazing – velvety tannins from fore to aft with only the slightest bit of assertiveness on the long finish. This is very, very well done.
As Chianti Classico goes, this may be the best 2010 I’ve tasted to date. For all the pomp and fanfare surrounding this vintage, I’ve not yet sampled many wines that live up to the hype. Many 2010’s that I’ve tasted from central Tuscany are very tightly wound and seem destined for a long slumber in the cellar. This has been true regardless of the subject wine’s stature – whether a humble Chianti Classico or a more notable Super Tuscan. This wine was very different. It was ripe, rich, harmonius and expressive. My one nitpicking complaint – as Chianti Classico goes, this one is toward the upper end of the price spectrum. Clocking in at around $23 it may not be something you’ll want to stock up on. 93 points. An absloutely amazing pairing with chicken braised in Chianti wine. Recipe coming soon!
~ The 2010 is mostly Sangiovese, with unspecified grapes contributing 10-20% of the final blend ~ |
Salute!
March 25, 2014
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