We have often said that we are going to pursue the 2016 Tuscans until we can’t find them any more. Le Fonti is a brand new face for us…on this side of the ocean. We had a positive impression of the house based on tasting the wine at Consorzio tastings at Vinitaly, probably one of the more difficult places to precisely assess as wine. Why is it tough to get a bead on a wine at a wine show? Simply, it’s the volume. You taste so many wines so quickly to make the best of your limited time there that it’s not always easy to recall the nuances and minutia.
In any case, we liked the Le Fonti Chianti Classico 2016 (the first time we have seen it here) one on one on this side of the ocean as well. Located between Siena and Florence, the winery sits in the heart of Chianti country in Panzano. At this site, nearly 1500 feet above sea level, this 15 hectare estate consists of 9 hectares of vineyards and the rest olive trees. The current owners, the Schimtt-Vitali family, took over the estate in 1994 and have replanted the vineyards since that time with the appropriate clones and rootstock. The vineyard and olive grove are all certified organic and they take meticulous care of their holdings.
The vines are planted to 85% Sangiovese and the rest more international varietals, Cabernet and Merlot. Manuel harvest is the practice here and bleed off 10-15% of the juice to make a rose, concentrating the remaining must. The final wine, predominantly Sangiovese with a small percentage of Cabernet and Merlot are put into French oak for 12 months and another 6 months in bottle before release
This version definitely shows a more modern bent stylistically, with a nice pop of dark cherry fruit right up from and som authority to the midpalate. Plenty of fresh fruit here with the more classic notes of earth and spice, but a rounder, fresher disposition in the glass and an outgoing immediacy to the style. It has all of the ‘pop’ of the 2016s, the lifted fruit and well infused, ripe tannins, but a distinct juicy, some might say ‘modern component that will appeal to a broader audience.
Enthusiastic comments from Vinous’ Antonio Galloni tell a similarstory, “Le Fonti’s 2016 Chianti Classico is fresh, aromatically expressive and a plain delight to taste. This is an especially mid-weight, gracious style that is typical of this sector of Panzano. Spice, licorice, leather, dried herb and menthol add shades of nuance to a Chianti Classico that speaks to finesse, nuance and the natural freshness of Sangiovese in this vintage more than anything else…92 points.”
Another exciting arrival from a very special vintage, enjoy and accumulate them while you can.