Chianti Classico DOCG 2021 – Fontodi (375ml)

The grapes to produce the Chianti Classico DOCG Fontodi were carried to the Fontodi winery and carefully selected on sorting tables. Fermentation took place in temperature-controlled stainless-steel tanks with indigenous yeasts and lasted for around two weeks. After fermentation, the wine was racked into 225-litre French oak barriques, a mixture of Tronçais and Allier, where it underwent malolactic fermentation and remained for 18 months. It then spent an additional six months in second use barriques before bottling. Finally, the wine matured in bottle in the Fontodi cellars for six months before release.

Fontodi’s 90 hectares of south-facing vineyards sit at 450 metres above sea level in the Conca d’Oro (the ‘golden shell’), an amphitheatre-shaped valley to the south of Panzano. Well-draining ‘Scaglia Toscana’ soils are made up of a mixture of Galestro (clay schist) and Alberese (limestone) and encourage the vines to grow deep roots. The Sangiovese used for the Fontodi Chianti Classico come predominantly from 10-year-old, guyot-trained vines, with a proportion of fruit from the same 25-year-old vines that produce the ‘Flaccianello’. The quality of the Sangiovese grapes from the Fontodi vineyards obviates the need for Merlot or other varieties as a remedial blender.

Fontodi winery is run by the Manetti family since 1968 but has been in Chianti for centuries. Though they have always made wine, their primary business is still the production of Chianti’s finest terracotta at their factory in Ferrone. Giovanni Manetti has run the property since 1980 and ensures the wines are as meticulously made as the vineyards are immaculately tended. Their 99 hectares of vineyard, 95% of which are Sangiovese, are situated in the prime ‘Conca d’Oro’ (golden shell) of Panzano, and have been converted to organic viticulture. Giovanni is now following biodynamic principles to obtain the best quality fruit.