1986 Flaccianello della Pieve

Although the 1986 vintage is also remembered for its warm and dry summer (similar to 1985), this season experienced a more regular winter and spring that led to excellent flowering, fruit set and higher yields. The 1986 Flaccianello della Pieve is a unique wine in the context of this tasting in that it shows a more pronounced vein of acidity that remains fresh and almost menthol-like to this day. This is a wine to watch, and if you have a bottle that has been cellared correctly, you could be holding onto a little piece of magic. In fact, over the years as the 1986 vintage was revisited by Giovanni Manetti and his team, this edition of Flaccianello repeatedly delivered some of the most impressive aging potential. But it's hit or miss, as the wine is also characterized by mature flavors of spice, leather and dried roses. The acidity is just high enough to lift those aromas, but if it were any less, the wine would undoubtedly fall flat. At this point in its drinking window, it walks a very fine line, and that's what makes it so exciting.