2021 Fontodi Chianti Classico

The 2021 Chianti Classico is classic wine from the estate, done in the more restrained style that has become the norm here of late. There's plenty of Panzano richness, but more energy and less heaviness than what was common just a few years ago. Giovanni Manetti and his team have given the Chianti Classico gorgeous refinement. Spice, flowers, mocha and blue fruits linger, all wrapped together by ultra-finessed tannins. The 2021 spent 20-22 months in barrel—65% cask and 35% neutral French oak barriques. (AG)

Fontodi is widely considered the undisputed king of Panzano in Chianti. Situated perfectly in the famous Conca d'Oro (the Golden Shell) amphitheater, their vineyards absorb brilliant sunlight while benefiting from significant diurnal temperature shifts. They treat their "normale" Chianti Classico with the exact same organic precision and reverence as their legendary flagship, Flaccianello della Pieve—and in a powerhouse vintage like 2021, it absolutely shows in the glass. The 2021 vintage across Tuscany is already going down as a modern classic, revered for producing wines of incredible purity, power, and structure. Fontodi’s 100% Sangiovese captures that vintage magic effortlessly. It pours a deep, concentrated ruby and erupts with gorgeous aromas of crushed black cherry, ripe wild plum, fresh violet, sweet tobacco, and a defining streak of crushed-stone minerality. On the palate, it is rich, mouth-filling, and beautifully textured, but never heavy. The vintage's bright acidity and fine-grained, polished tannins keep the wine impeccably balanced and energized from start to finish. Frankly, this drinks far above its tier—it has the depth and architecture of a serious Riserva or even a Gran Selezione. It is thrillingly delicious right now with a good hour in the decanter alongside a proper bistecca, but it has the aristocratic stuffing to age gracefully in the cellar for another decade. It's a phenomenal, blue-chip bottling that over-delivers in every possible way.