Unfulfilled expectations.
Wine 2 of the Wineknot dinner with Kevin and Jenny.
Wine 1 Review here – 2011 Michele Chiarlo Barbaresco Reyna
After the RunRig, this was the wine I was most looking forward to trying. I am a big fan of the Fèlsina Chianti Classico, a wine that delivers concentrated fruit that is pure Chianti. With Fontodi, one of the few wines I can pick from the glass.
A single vineyard Reserva, the Rancia vineyard has an interesting story. The vines range from 20-40 years old, and the reason for the age variation is significant. The more recent plantings utilize genetic material from Massal selections gathered from the old Rancia vineyard. This carefully selected genetic material produces concentrated fruit profiles unique to the region.
Further, the Rancia soil type is composed of limestone-derived Alberese classic to the Castelnuovo Berardenga area and of Galestro marl in some areas.
The first vintage was in 1983.
Vinification details from Fèlsina directors Domenico and Giuseppe Poggiali-
‘After the quality-selected clusters are de-stemmed and pressed, the must is fermented and macerated in stainless steel for 16-20 days at 28°C and 30°C, with programmed punch-downs and daily pump-overs. In March-April, the new wine goes into new French oak barrels; after 18-20 months of maturation, the final blend is assembled, bottled, and aged in the bottle a minimum of 6-8 months.’
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| Image courtesy of Paradise Wine. |
Decanted for two hours.
100% Sangiovese.
Deep ruby. Much darker than a typical Chianti. The fruit is not dissimilar to the Chianti Classico, concentrated dark berries dominate the nose. There is spiciness in the background, sweet and perfumed, definitely oak. It is polished, there is now savoriness typical of Chianti here. Perhaps the fruit overwhelms it, or maybe the oak. The palate is concentrated with medium acid. Blackberries dominate but the oak sits in the background. The oak is well integrated and there is a long silky finish.
It is a difficult wine to judge on two fronts. Firstly, it is not what you would expect from Chianti, the savoriness is lacking and the oak is present. Secondly, with the Chianti Classico being such a great wine, my expectations for this wine were extremely high, and it didn’t really meet them.
This is a good wine, but for all the extra work, fruit selection, and the use of French oak, it is not really hitting my sweet spot for Chianti.
Maybe it needs a lot more time to show its best?
Drink 2025-2030.
91 pts.
