1997 Fontodi Flaccianello della Pieve, 3-bottle Lot

Located in the heart of the Chianti Classico region, Tenuta Fontodi is owned and operated by the Manetti family. The 320-acre estate includes about 175 acres of certified organic vineyards. The estate produces 300,000 bottles of wine a year, and the signature win is the Flaccianello della Pieve, a 100% Sangiovese. The Flaccianello was first produced by Giovanni Manetti in 1981 as a single-vineyard bottling. But starting in 2001 Manetti has used the estate’s best fruit, regardless of which vineyard it came from, for the wine. Robert M. Parker Jr. has frequently rated the Flaccianello della Pieve with high scores, though he has also written that collectors “should not ignore the estate’s other wines, which are equally outstanding.”

Tuscany, or Toscana in Italian, is Italy’s best-known wine region and its most diverse. Historically Sangiovese was the primary grape grown in Tuscany and Chianti was considered the purest expression of Sangiovese. Sangiovese and its many clones are still important, and they are the grapes used for the Tuscan appellations of Brunello di Montalcino, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, Morellino di Scansano, Chianti, Chianti Classico and Carmignano. But in the last 50 years innovative producers, many of them in southwestern Tuscany in the area called Maremma, have also planted Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc. The tradition defying producers have blended those varietals with Sangiovese to produce dazzling wines that do not conform to Italy’s appellation regulations. Such wines are called Super Tuscans and cannot be labeled with either of Italy’s highest level quality designations, which are in order of status Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantia, (DOCG), and Denominazione di Origine Controllata, (DOC). (This has not at all hindered the demand for Super Tuscans, some of which are consistently among the world’s most admired and well-reviewed wines.) Tuscany has six DOCG appellations and thirty-four DOCs. Though famous for its red wines, Tuscany also produces whites made primarily from Trebbiano and Vernaccia. There are also many Tuscan Indicazione Geographica Tipica (IGT) wines that are often an innovative blend of traditional and non-traditional grapes. This relatively new appellation status was started in 1992 as an attempt to give an official classification to Italy’s many newer blends that do fit the strict requirements of DOC and DOCG classifications. IGT wines may use the name of the region and varietal on their label or in their name.