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Tasting at Fontodi

I pulled up outside Fontodi - or what I thought was Fontodi, at any rate - at about 2pm, having hot-footed it here after a brief detour to revisit Castello di Fonterutoli, which lies a little distance to the south near Castellina in Chianti. The last few hundred metres hadn't been the easiest; turning up onto the road that led up to the Fontodi property was such a tight hairpin junction, requiring me to turn back on myself up a single track lane, that it had necessitated a three-point manoeuvre to make the turn. The narrow lane that followed did not provide any challenge, but as the houses gave way to trees the surface changed from tarmac to earth, and soon deteriorated into a deeply rutted, lumpy, bumpy country track more suited to the horse than the car. I proceeded onwards a little more gingerly than before, eventually arriving at a large house, just where my sat-nav had said it would be, at more or less the time of my appointment.

In the distance behind the trees I could see a broad sweep of vines, but having explored for a minute or two I realised there was little else here to suggest this was an internationally renowned centre of viticulture and winemaking. There were none of the usual signs; no equipment, no huge bins of bottles visible through the doors of the barn, no miniature tractors parked up. And, more worryingly, after wandering around for a little while I realised that, aside from a mildly curious cat, I was completely alone here.

Fortunately I had the telephone number of my contact at Fontodi, and a quick call soon yielded some instructions. "Head out of Panzano", said my guide, "and after about one kilometre you will see a big tree. We are on the left-hand side next to the tree". I guided my car back down the bumpy lane out onto the road that leads up to the hilltop town of Panzano (shown above, from the surrounding vineyards) and followed his instructions. Ten minutes later I was at Fontodi; I wasn't quite sure which of the trees was the large one I was supposed to have noticed, but the roadside sign had shown the way. I had learned two lessons here. First, don't trust the Fontodi website; the location given on the Fontodi map appears to be the location of a holiday villa in the hills. Second, sometimes the old-fashioned methods - such as "turn left at the big tree" - can be more effective than modern technology.

A Tour and Tasting

Having made my introduction I toured the Fontodi facilities, starting with an inspection of the vineyards, especially the Flaccianello plot which lies across the road from the Fontodi winery. Although this was once the sole source of the Flaccianello della Pieve cuvée, this changed in the 2000 vintage, and this wine is now sourced from across the Fontodi estate (and the Flaccianello vineyard was replanted). This being late July it was surprising that thoughts at Fontodi were already turning towards the harvest, a reflection of the unusually warm and advanced 2011 growing season. The harvest here usually kicks off in mid-September, but this year was anticipated to commence perhaps in late August, perhaps two to three weeks earlier than usual.

We then moved inside to take a look first at the cantina erected under the direction of Giovanni Manetti in 1998, a major innovation and investment at the time. A hillside winery, fruit comes in at the top and moves down through the winery using gravity only, eschewing pumping at all points. The upper floor is where the fruit undergoes both alcoholic and fermentations as well as pressing, whereas on the floor below it goes into oak; the wine rests here in barrel for up to two years, depending on the cuvée in question, before blending and bottling.

I then moved next door, to take a look at the new facility that is springing up there. Fontodi is expanding, with a new barrel cellar being a major component of this facility. Anyone who has visited in Bordeaux in recent years will already be aware that the modern barrel cellar is no longer merely functional, but can also be a thing of beauty. Fontodi will be no exception, and the new facility will feature a central atrium encircled by stone archways, at the heart of which a tree will grow (which, on the day I visited, had just been lowered into place, as shown above). Throughout the tour many features of the new facilities seemed to favour the Manetti employees in some way, improving their environment and welfare; this seems like a good place to work. In fact, by the time I had we had finished my tour, and was making my way inside for a tasting, I was almost ready to submit my curriculum vitae.

Tasting the Wines

Unfortunately the 2008 Vigna del Sorbo had only just been bottled, and was not considered suitable for tasting, but happily I was able to take a look at two vintages of Flaccianello as well as some of the other cuvées. I started with Meriggio, a 100% Sauvignon Blanc cuvée, although I note from some of my older notes that this used to be a blend which also included some barrel-fermented Pinot Blanc. The 2009 had a surprising freshness considering the local climate; perhaps the altitude of the vines helps a little here? Whatever the reason, I was certainly expecting something rather more muted and flabby.

As for the Sangiovese cuvées, I first tasted the Chianti Classico, from 2007, a warm vintage which pushed down acidity levels I am told, although there was no such problem here. This wine showed all the quality that this vintage can offer, although it was naturally overshadowed somewhat by the two vintages of Flaccianello shown alongside. The 2007 was a touch more stern, reserved and classic, and will be an amazing wine given time. whereas the 2008 possessed a slightly bolder, firmer, polished style. Bother are admirable wines, although I think the 2007 will be the more convincing given time. They are also both rich in alcohol, with 14.8% in the 2008 and 15% in the 2007. Despite these numbers, neither wine seemed to declare it on the palate in terms of heat or overt spirit, even when I went specifically looking for it when aware of these data. Perhaps the only clue is that rather bold substance in the 2008, nevertheless I remained just as impressed with these two vintages of this cuvée as I have been with older examples.

Finally, we finished off with the 2006 Case Via Syrah, in terms of style a world away from the Sangiovese wines. Although certainly of good quality, it has nothing of the distinction that Flaccianello proudly boasts. (19/10/11)

Fontodi - Tasting Notes

Tasted in July 2011. Click to locate stockists.