2011 Chianti Classico

I am always impressed by the wines of Fontodi. The 2011 Chianti Classico is a base wine from this excellent estate in Panzano-in-Chianti, although it aspires to much more. The bouquet is slow to open but once it does, it shows dark berry nuances with light touches of tobacco and dried rose petal. The 2011 vintage is a step below 2010 and 2009 (two vintages that Fontodi interpreted exceptionally well), but not by much.

80 ha of south-facing vineyards, all of which are found in the Conca d.Oro (the golden shell), an amphitheatre-shaped valley to the south of Panzano. Stony galestro soils. Fermentation took place in temperature-controlled stainless-steel tanks for two weeks, during which time the cap was punched down twice a day. The wine was then racked into 225-litre French oak barriques (Tronçais and Allier) where it remained for 12 months before bottling. The wine was matured in bottle for six months  before release. Lovely complex aroma already with the sweetness of black cherry and oak but also a lightly stemmy freshness (though I don’t know if any stems were included). On the palate there’s a great balance between the still-chewy but fine-grained tannins, dry, mouthwatering freshness and the fresh fruit still showing on the finish. (JH)

Bright crimson. Meat, veg and interest on the nose. Solid and confident. Set for the long term. Masses of acidity. (JR)