Recently I got the opportunity to meet the man behind one of my favorite producers-Fontodi. Fontodi is located in Panzano, in the heart of Chianti Classico. The majority of their vineyards are situated in a natural ampitheatre on the southern slopes of Panzano, this area is known as Conca d'Oro. The estate was acquired by the Manetti Family in 1968 and then began the production of their Chianti under Giovanni and Marco Manetti the young sons of Domizano and Dino who founded the estate. Giovanni has taken charge and pushed Fontodi to what it is today with help of the esteemed winemaker Franco Bernabei. Fontodi is a pioneer for the revival of the Chianti wines in Tuscany. Large investments were made in order to insure the proper mixture of the various subspecies of Sangiovese. The new cellar, which houses every barrel produced by the Fontodi estate came into full operation with the 1998 vintage and allows significant refinements in caring for the wines. Fontodi puts full effort into their wines and the utmost respect is given to the wine from ground to the vines to the grapes and then in harvest to the cellar. Fontodi is a Sustainable Farming estate and as of the 2008 vintage they will be certified. This is no easy task and it shows that the Manettis are loyal to the natural components of the terrior.
In their production Fontodi continues to make one of the best Chianti Classicos on the market but also produces a Chianti Classico Riserva which is a single vineyard called "Sorbo". They make this in great vintages and combine Cabernet Sauvignon with Sangiovese. The wine matures for an additional year than the Chianti Classico in a combination of barriques and botti.
After the Chiantis Fontodi makes a few other wonderful wines. Their Flaccianello della Pieve is a wine that has wowed the critiques and proven to be one of the best "Supertuscans" on the market year after year. This wine is a prime example of old meets new. They combine the tradition of Sangiovese with modernization of using only new French barriques. This wine is made in low production and after 2 years in barriques and further refinement in bottles this wine hits the market. In the 2004 vintage it scored as high as 96 points (from the Wine Advocate).
Fontodi then makes a single vineyard Syrah and single vineyard Pinot Nero. Giovanni described these wines as his hobby as he does most of the physical work with these wines. They were both planted in the late 80s and 1st bottling in 91. As we tasted the 2006 vintage of the wines he explained that the Syrah is south facing gaining more sun. On the other hand the Pinot Nero is on a west facing slope and gains less sun since because of the delicacy of the grapes. 
The Pinot Nero was brought from clones from Burgundy and Giovanni has spent much time in France studying both varietals. These wines are made under the label of "Case Via" and are now starting to show the age of the vines. They are both sought out by collectors so if you get a chance to buy some don't miss out!
The Pinot Nero was brought from clones from Burgundy and Giovanni has spent much time in France studying both varietals. These wines are made under the label of "Case Via" and are now starting to show the age of the vines. They are both sought out by collectors so if you get a chance to buy some don't miss out!
