Fontodi Vertical Dinner

Acquerello, San Francisco
Tasted Wednesday, April 23, 2008 by 5laton with 717 views

Introduction

A stellar evening of wines with Giovanni Manetti of Fontodi.

Flight 1 - Seated tasting (5 Notes)

Flight 2 - Herbed maltagliati with duck gizzard ragu (1 Note)

  • 2004 Fontodi Chianti Classico

    Italy, Tuscany, Chianti, Chianti Classico DOCG

    From magnum. Nose of ripe dark fruit, dried herbs, smoked ham, very appealing. Nice sour cherry on the palate, good typicity. Also some wood spice, which with time shows more strongly on the nose. Chewy tannins, a little tight. This is excellent but needs time to unwind.

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Flight 3 - Intense mushroom risotto with its own insalatina di funghi (3 Notes)

  • 1999 Fontodi Chianti Classico Riserva Vigna del Sorbo

    Italy, Tuscany, Chianti, Chianti Classico DOCG

    From magnum. Soaring nose of saddle leather, quite funky, with ripe baked cherry. Mouthfilling, savory flavors of sour cherry, iron, blood. Expansive and concentrated midpalate, but wonderful acidity keeps this lively. Savory and utterly fantastic, and easily my favorite of these vintages of Sorbo.

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  • 2000 Fontodi Chianti Classico Riserva Vigna del Sorbo

    Italy, Tuscany, Chianti, Chianti Classico DOCG

    Nose of deli meats, bacon, high-toned but ripe red fruit, some asian spice. Tastes of rich, ripe cherry, clay/earth, with soft tannin that seems already partially resolved. Midpalate a little lacking compared to the 1999. Clearly riper and more matte than the 1999, this reminds me of the 2000 Anfiteatro tasted recently.

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  • 2001 Fontodi Chianti Classico Riserva Vigna del Sorbo

    Italy, Tuscany, Chianti, Chianti Classico DOCG

    Nose of oak spice, with fresh, elegant red fruit, clay, cherry. Distinct clay component on the palate, with macerated cherries. Very penetrating, with good acidity and some astringency from unresolved tannin. This should be outstanding, but needs time.

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Flight 4 - Seared breast of squab over braised swiss chard with house cured guanciale and fava beans (4 Notes)

  • 1995 Fontodi Flaccianello della Pieve Colli della Toscana Centrale IGT

    Italy, Tuscany, Colli della Toscana Centrale IGT

    Savory nose, with rather insistent saddle leather and barnyard notes. Savory, smoky, and quite rustic on the palate with good acidity, but initially lacking in both fruit and body. However it really came alive with time in the glass, revealing layers of dried cherry fruit. Hard to read where this is going; if you have some I'd recommend checking in on it.

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  • 1998 Fontodi Flaccianello della Pieve Colli della Toscana Centrale IGT

    Italy, Tuscany, Colli della Toscana Centrale IGT

    From magnum. Savory, with saddle leather, game and rich cherry. Nice balance of savory elements with dusty dried cherry fruit and iron on the palate, and impressive weight. A little shy on acid, but I love the savory notes on the finish. Still a somewhat chewy mouthfeel from tannin, but this is drinking well now.

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  • 1999 Fontodi Flaccianello della Pieve Colli della Toscana Centrale IGT

    Italy, Tuscany, Colli della Toscana Centrale IGT

    From magnum. Savory, with some barnyard and gorgeous meaty aromas, really a wow old-school nose. Super palate, with rich cherry fruit, iron and cured meat flavors, and much finer acidity acid compared to the '95, '98 or '00. Less concentrated than the '00, but a much more balanced, interesting wine. Excellent wine, and my favorite of these four vintages.

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  • 2000 Fontodi Flaccianello della Pieve Colli della Toscana Centrale IGT

    Italy, Tuscany, Colli della Toscana Centrale IGT

    Superripe nose of rich, dark purply fruit. Rich and nearly liqueurlike on the palate, with a truckload of dry extract and remarkably soft tannins. This was the sexpot among the vintages of this wine on the table, lacking the balance and fine acidity of the '99 while retaining a voluptuous charm of its own. While I prefer a more classic style, it does seem pretty typical for the vintage.

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Flight 5 - Grilled and braised beef Harris Ranch beef cheeks, green lentils with English peas and baby carrots (1 Note)

  • 2001 Fontodi Syrah Case Via Colli della Toscana Centrale IGT

    Italy, Tuscany, Colli della Toscana Centrale IGT

    Remarkably rich and quite ripe, with a fascinating nose that shows notes of cured meats, pepperoni and menthol. While less fresh than the Flaccianello from this vintage, this has intensity and drive, and stunning length. It pushes my limits on ripeness, but never quite crosses over to the dark side. This is probably the first Italian syrah I've found compelling.

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Flight 6 - Flourless chocolate cake with brandied cherry sauce (1 Note)

  • 1999 Fontodi Vin Santo del Chianti Classico

    Italy, Tuscany, Chianti, Vin Santo del Chianti Classico

    Lifted aromas of nuts, apricots, honey. Lightly oxidative, incredibly rich and mouthfilling. Great integration, no alcohol sticking out like I often find with these wines. A wonderful way to end this tasting.

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