~ The sleepy hamlet of Vagliagli as seen from hills on the outskirts of town ~
Fattoria Aiola sits along the SP 102 where Castelnuovo Berardenga meets Radda in Chianti. The estate’s 36 hectares of vineyards lie near the town of Vagliagli and rise to 400 meters above sea level. I’ve spent lots of time in sleepy Vagliagli and that’s where I first stumbled upon the wines of Fattoria Aiola. So when I came across the newest vintage of their Gran Selezione here at home, I was excited to try it.
~ The tiny town of Vagliagli has little more than an Alimentari and a Farmacia and lies in the Comune of Castelnuovo Berardenga ~
Fattoria Aiola’s vineyards are strewn with rocks and are comprised of albarese and galestro. The latter presents itself in a manner that provides balanced aging potential for Aiola’s wines which bear a flinty, minerality to the tannins. Although small percentages of Merlot and other grapes are grown on the estate, the subject of today’s article is 100% Sangiovese.
~ The vineyards of Fattoria Aiola are covered in rocks ~
The 2015 Fattoria Aiola Chianti Classico Gran Selezione is a deep violet to garnet color. The wine spends 30 months in tonneaux and a final 3 months in bottle before being released. Initially and not surprisingly, the wine was a bit shy on the nose. However, after about 30 minutes of opening black tea, tobacco, red fruits and cedar tones began to emerge.
On the palate, the wine is well structured and shows good persistence to the flavors. Well rounded and showing flavors of berry, tobacco and minerality, the finish turns a bit spicy with powdery black pepper. This needs a few years more in bottle to come together and show it’s best. However, I think this wine has a bright future. It represents a very nice value in the Gran Selezione genre. 91 points. About $25. Find this wine.
~ Beautiful color of wine juxtaposed against the colors of Spring….. ~
Will you try this wine? Let me know in the comments field if this review piques your interest.
Salute!
Dear John,
Thank you for the review, we agree that our Cancello Rosso Gran Selezione 2015 has a bright future. Once the lockdown is over, we hope you will come and visit, and taste the full range of our wines.
Best regards,
Natalia
Hi Natalia – thank you for stopping by. My friend and your neighbor Valeria Losi spoke very highly of your property so I was indeed excited to try the wine. I look forward to trying more and trying the 2016 when it becomes available. For sure I will be back in Tuscany – hopefully next year but of course, we will see. Be safe!