Fontodi
Giovanni Manetti
Fontodi: a flagship of Chianti Classico
Fontodi can be considered one of the flagships of Chianti Classico. Not least because of the size of the vineyard: more than 130 hectares of land, including more than 80 hectares of vineyards and a production of around 400,000 bottles of wine per year. These figures are relevant enough. And every single bottle of wine is literally full of it: the best quality, excellent taste and an unshakeable love of wine.
Best vinyards in the Conca d'Oro
In 1968 the famous for its terracotta production Manetti family acquired the Tenuta Fontodi. Originally they were only searching for a house in the countryside but "coincidentally" acquired 20 hectares of vineyards belonging to that. But very soon the Manettis realized the potential of the Conca d'Oro - the golden valley of Panzano in Chianti. Marco Manetti and his brother Giovanni began to revive the wine production. After experiments with different grape varieties, the brothers decided to plant the majority of the vineyards with the autochthonous Sangiovese. And this was the foundation of an extraordinary success story.
Flaccianello della Pieve
Today Giovanni Manetti is the sole director of Fontodi. When Giovanni took over the winery in the early 1980s, he was influenced by the meteoric success of the first super tuscan - Tignanello from Antinori. Therefore Giovanni got in collaboration with the oenologist Franco Bernabei, who still works for Fontodi today. And in response to this super tuscan and to the other super tuscans they developed in 1981 the Flaccianello della Pieve Colli Toscana Centrale IGT for the first time. A red wine from 100 per cent Sangiovese, but vinified according to new, modern methods and - at that time still unusual - matured in barriques.
Giovanni Manetti
Even today Flaccianello continues to achieve outstanding ratings for its special taste, and it has already been voted several times in the top 10 wines in the world by the famous American wine magazine "Wine Spectator". Giovanni Manetti can thus undoubtedly be considered one of the pioneers who helped the Sangiovese grape to reach its present status in the Chianti Classico. By the way when Giovanni Manetti walks through vineyards and cellars perfectly styled you can say that he has the quintessence of Italian taste in himself.
Sangiovese & Co
Fontodi has currently four 100 per cent Sangiovese wines in its range, the Flaccianello is the cart horse, the Chianti Classico playing the leading role in terms of quantity, so to say it is the "little" brother of Flaccianello,. Since the vintage 2012 the Vigna del Sorbo of Fontodi consists exclusively of Sangiovese , the grapes come from a single vineyard. New is the Filetta di Lamole Chianti Classico in the range. Another red wine is Syrah Case Via which perfectly expresses the terroir of Panzano in Chianti. One of the rare white wines in the region is the Meriggio – a 100% Sauvignon blanc.
Panzano in Chianti
Fontodi has abandoned the use of pesticides at an early stage - today the estate is an organic certified winery with many internationally awarded wines. The key is of course the terroir - i.e. the locations and climate in which the vines grow and the grapes ripen. Fontodi’s sites are located in the Conca d'Oro, in the golden shell, below the village of Panzano in Chianti. Here you will find the perfect conditions for the autochthonous Sangiovese grape variety. Nevertheless international grape varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Syrah or Sauvignon blanc are also in good hands in the Fontodi vineyards.
