1990 Fontodi Chianti Classico Riserva Vigna del Sorbo

Everyone has a favorite vineyard or two. Giovanni Manetti’s Vigna del Sorbo (8.64 hectares) is one of mine. I simply never tire of gazing over the gnarly old vines planted on a gentle slope of Panzano, in one of the most beautiful corners of Tuscany. 

The Fontodi Chianti Classico Riserva Vigna del Sorbo was originally a 90% Sangiovese/10% Cabernet Sauvignon blend (it is now 100% Sangiovese). I have always believed the 1990 to be one of the best versions ever made. Fermentation and maceration lasted twenty days and the maximum temperature reached was 30°C (86°F). The 1990 spent 18 months in barriques, of which roughly 40% were new. Already delicious and truly remarkable when young, the 1990 Vigna del Sorbo has aged gracefully. Notes of tobacco and botanical herbs complicate expressively delicate, flinty red fruit and mineral aromas and flavors. Best of all, the 1990 is still remarkably alive and deep for a wine pushing twenty-seven years of age. 95/Drinking window: 2016-2026

-- Ian D’Agata