Dinner with Giovanni Poggiali (Fèlsina)

This dinner was organized by Jeff Patten of Flatiron Wines & Spirits (www.flatiron-wines.com). Giovanni Poggiali, proprietor of the estate, was in attendance to present seven of his wines, and to talk about his winemaking philosophy. All of Fèlsina's Chiantis are 100% Sangiovese.

We started off with the current release of Fèlsina's entry-level Chianti Classico.

• 2011 Fattoria di Fèlsina Berardenga Chianti Classico

  Italy, Tuscany, Chianti, Chianti Classico DOCG

  Fresh cut flowers, ripe black cherry, and hints of mint. A bit of an enigma: it's tightly wound, yet is drinking well now. The wine clearly lacks the complexity of Felsina's other wines and, while it offers good quality for the price, it's for near-term drinking. A good wine to go with a pizza, which is exactly what we had it with. With some time in the glass, the wine takes on weight and the tannins start to come out. Nice, but nothing to write home about. Rated 0 on a scale of -1 to 3.

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Rancia is one of the benchmark wines from Chianti Classico.

• 2009 Fattoria di Fèlsina Berardenga Chianti Classico Riserva Rancia

  Italy, Tuscany, Chianti, Chianti Classico DOCG

  Other reviews of this wine have described it as being mid-weight, but that wasn't my experience. I found this to be so ripe that it was almost jammy, really showing the hot vintage. Reddish and purplish fruits with a little heat on the nose. The complexity is there, but it's beneath the heat and hard to say whether it will ever fully express itself. Given the price premium over Felsina's entry-level Chianti, I'd pass on the Rancia in this vintage. Drink soon. Rated 0 on a scale of -1 to 3.

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• 1999 Fattoria di Fèlsina Berardenga Chianti Classico Riserva Rancia

  Italy, Tuscany, Chianti, Chianti Classico DOCG

  My second time tasting this in as many months. Beautifully aged. Dusty black cherries, earth, vanilla extract, mint, and licorice. A bit of Luden's Wild Cherry throat drops. Full bodied, with fantastic balance of fruit, acid, and tannins. With time in the glass it gets bigger—this wine needs food, and fatty food at that. Plenty of time left. Not quite at the level of Montevertine's rosso, which is my benchmark "Chianti Riserva," but darn good. Rated 1 on a scale of -1 to 3.

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Fontalloro is an IGT blend of fruit from three vineyards spanning Chianti Classico and Chianti Colli Senesi.

• 2010 Fattoria di Fèlsina Berardenga Fontalloro

  Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT

  Rich and savory, with a beautiful bouquet showing cinnamon, clove, and black fruits. But just like that, boom: the new oak hits the nose. Far too much for my taste, at least at this stage of the wine's development. The palate is similar: quite a bit of oak, vanilla tones, and wood spices, with buttercream on the finish. Given the good vintage, I'm inclined to believe that this would merit a higher rating in 5-10 years' time. Rated 0 on a scale of -1 to 3.

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• 2000 Fattoria di Fèlsina Berardenga Fontalloro

  Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT

  Unquestionably the wine of the night. This has shed its baby fat and there was no question among our group that it's drinking at its best now; the only direction for this wine to go is down. Raisins and prunes on the nose join stewed purple fruits on the palate, but it doesn't smell or taste hot or overly ripe. In fact, the acid is strong and will outlive the fruit. While I thoroughly enjoyed this, it failed to trigger an emotional reaction. Rated 1 on a scale of -1 to 3.

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• 1990 Fattoria di Fèlsina Berardenga Fontalloro

  Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT

  At first the bouquet was muted, but this quickly gave way to a delicate melange of mint, red berry fruit, cocoa powder, and slight hints of vanilla, truffles, and blood. The faintest "old wine" smell, too. We had a healthy debate over whether or not this has reached its peak: my opinion is that it did a few years ago, but others felt the remaining acid and bite meant it had time left. In any event it was quite good, but lacked the cohesion of the 2000. Rated 1 on a scale of -1 to 3.

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Unusually (at least in my experience), Fèlsina's Vin Santo includes 25% Sangiovese.

• 2004 Fattoria di Fèlsina Berardenga Vin Santo del Chianti Classico

  Italy, Tuscany, Chianti, Vin Santo del Chianti Classico

  Aged in small casks for seven years—far longer than is required—this is an incredibly finessed Vin Santo. Deep amber in color. Slightly oxidative qualities, with a nutty note, brown sugar aroma, and some smoke. Perhaps not given enough air before being consumed, but it was delicious nonetheless. Given the 15.5% alcohol, you'd expect this to be heavy, but it's anything but: smooth as silk on the palate and on the way down. Rated 1 on a scale of -1 to 3.

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