100 points Robert Parker / 100 points Antonio Galloni
"Fontodis Flaccianello della Pieve 2016 is a masterpiece. This review consists of notes from two separate tasting sessions, one at the winery and a second bottle, tasted repeatedly at my own pace over a 24-hour period. In the case of the second tasting, it ended in one Flying blind alongside the Masseto 2016, and beautiful as this Merlot-based wine is, this wine paints an even more beautiful portrait of a perfect Tuscan landscape thanks to that spicy Sangiovese typicity.This vintage shows amazing depth and balance, with a sense of elegance, which derives from the undisputed quality of the fruit obtained in this balanced vintage.The bouquet opens onto dark cherries, blue flowers and tilled soil.The tannins are firm, almost crunchy and the wine offers deep pedigree and persistence, inspired by the apparent acidity, and this depth is what is most noticeable t. By the 2013 vintage, Flaccianello had matured in barriques for 24 months. After this vintage, 6 months of the total aging time is spent in barrels instead. This 2016 vintage includes for the first time a small part made of clay amphorae. This slight change in the ratio of wine to cask size has resulted in a more elegant and refined wine. This point is particularly emphasized this year. Due to the cool spring temperatures during flowering, yields in 2016 were reduced by 20% compared to 2015. Around 65,000 bottles were made. "(Monica Larner, robertparker.com)
