2001 Fontodi Flaccianello Super Tuscans/IGT

2001 Fontodi Flaccianello

98 WS

Featured Review

Tasted from magnum. Now on the plateau of maturity, boasting sweet cherry, plum, sandalwood and spice bouquet. This is beautifully integrated, with fruit, spice, tobacco and tea flavors, very vigorous and long, yet with plenty to give. Kept improving with air.—Non-blind Flaccianello vertical (July 2014). Drink now through 2030. 4,000 cases made, 1,000 cases imported. Wine Spectator

Wine Spectator | 98 WS

The 2001 Flaccianello della Pieve marks a turning point, as it is the first Flaccianello to be made as a selection of the estate's best fruit across a number of parcels rather than as a single-vineyard wine. Black cherries, plums, smoke, licorice and tobacco are some of the notes that burst from the glass in this virile, massive Flaccianello. A hint of sweet toasted oak reminiscent of the 1990 lingers on the finish. This is a great showing, but readers will have to be patient. Drink between 2016-2031.

Vinous Media | 95 VM

In 2001, Flaccianello morphed from single-vineyard to parcel selection. At the time, Fontodi was still in organic conversion and Flaccianello was aged for 24 months in 100% new French oak. Summer conditions were ideal, with high daytime temperatures and cool nights. The aromas are suitably developing and downright seductive, the notes of leather, tobacco, black tea and a suggestion toast leading to a sweet and savoury palate where fennel and spice mingle with irony earth. Fine-grained tannins and a medium-weight body make this an absolute pleasure to drink now. Drinking Window 2018 - 2022.

Decanter | 94 DEC

Of all the wines presented in this beautiful retrospective, the 2001 Flaccianello della Pieve is the wine I was most curious to taste. This vintage marks the starting point from which the modern incarnation of Flaccianello has since evolved, and I was curious to see how much of its current DNA can be traced back to this watershed vintage. What I encountered is a somewhat enigmatic wine that was not initially easy to read. Indeed, the wine reveals itself slowly in the glass, starting off a bit closed but ultimately opening after considerable coxing. Within the progression of this retrospective, this is the oldest vintage that was not immediately open and accessible. It feels as if the wine still has additional road to cover in terms of its aging potential. This is remembered as an iconic vintage in Tuscany, with plenty of spring showers to fill ground water reserves. Budding started early, sparking a long growing season that saw healthy diurnal shifts with cool nights and warm days through the summer until harvest. Sangiovese grapes were given the perfect conditions for optimal ripeness. This edition offers thick layering with dark fruit, smoke and spice. The wine shows some fruit-driven succulence that adds to the heft and dimension on display. With time, those aromas lift more delicately, uncovering hidden background tones of licorice, pressed violets and crushed stone. The 2001 vintage is the first edition of Flaccianello made with fruit sourced across various sites. Giovanni Manetti says Fontodi had "grown up" by this point—both as winery and collection of single vineyards. Creating a cru blend was the next logical step for what would soon become one of Tuscany's most important wines.

Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RP

Type of Wine	Super Tuscans/IGT
Varietal	Proprietary Blend : Proprietary Blend is a general term used to indicate that a wine is comprised of multiple grape varietals which are either “proprietary” to the winery or is blended and does not meet the required maximum or minimum percentage of a particular varietal. This also is the case for the grape’s place of origin, especially for region, appellation or vineyard designated wines. There are endless examples of blended wines which are labeled as “Proprietary Blend” and in conjunction with each region’s stipulated wine laws and regulations makes for a vast blanket for wines to fall into. Perhaps the simplest example is California; if a wine is to be labeled as Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, it is required to have at least 75% of the varietal (Cabernet Sauvignon) and 85% of the fruit must be cultivated from the Napa Valley wine district. If the wine does not meet the requirements, it is then labeled as Proprietary Blend.
Country	Italy : Italy is renowned as one of the world’s greatest gastronomic havens; from certified Prosciutto di Parma to the sea-side seafood eateries on the island of Sicily. However, this epicurean experience could not possibly be as hedonistic without the ethereal combination of the country’s plethora of fine wines. It seems unfair that a nation should be able to boast, both, some of the world’s greatest cuisine as well as its greatest wines. Italian wine is one of the most sought after in the world, and has become the second most produced in the world, behind only France. Stretching an impressive 736 miles from northern Italy to the peninsula’s southern tip, the country’s geography generates an enormous array of topography, climate and soil structure. This is an extremely important quality of its winegrowing and making industry which lays claim to nearly 550 different grape varietals, which all desire their own necessities, in terms of terroir and climate. The still red wines of Italy truly characterize the nation’s vast and expansive terroir; Nebbiolo dominates Piedmont, where Barolo and Barbaresco reign king and queen of the region’s production. Hailing from Brunello di Montalcino in Tuscany, the rockstar Sangiovese grape has become synonymous with greatness. Vin Santo sweet wines have taken on a mighty feat of competing with the glorious wines of Sauternes, and of course, Prosecco. Prosecco, located in Trieste (northeast Italy) and its creation of luxuriously effervescent styles of wine has become Italy’s answer to Champagne. The Glera grape variety, which has become synonymous with the name Prosecco, is the main ingredient and is beloved in the appellation where the village of Prosecco’s name has become world renowned. The blurred boundary between Italy and the countries of Slovenia and Austria, where German influence still resonates through Friuli wines. The prevalence of Riesling and other such grape varietals is high in this region and have become extremely popular on today’s market. With nearly 702,000 hectares of grapevines covering the massive and diverse landscape, Italy’s annual average of 48.3 million hectoliters of wine production is second only to France in terms of volume and Spain in terms of hectares of vines. The country is vast and overwhelming when it comes to the culinary arts, but perhaps even this is overshadowed by its production of some of the world’s most sought after wines, whether the omnipresent Chianti to the highly collectible and sought after Amarone della Valpolicalla.
Region	Tuscany : Italian culture worships the concept of a shared meal, and their wines scream for a chance to be uncorked with your friends and family. The region's Mediterranean climate and hilly landscape combine to create a beautiful viticultural environment, where every chosen grape is brought to its full potential and transmuted into drinks worthy of gods. The vineyards are planted along the higher reaches of the hill slopes, creating a gorgeous view of the Italian landscape. Once your lips kiss the wine, you're sent spiraling down a veritable whirlpool of pure flavor, touching upon notes of sensuous cherry, nuts, floral hints and undertones of honey and minerals. The wines can be as sweet as a fresh summer romance, and carry an air of dignity and elegance about them that can stimulate your intellect for months as you contemplate the seemingly infinite intricacies and details in the texture. Tuscany is an important part of Italian viticulture, and sampling their wines is the closest you can get to visiting this heavenly region and experiencing the culture.