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Wines by Fattoria
di Fèlsina |
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Fattoria
di Fèlsina
In the 17 published editions of Gambero
Rosso, this Tuscan estate has won the coveted Tre Bicchieri
(Three Glasses) award 17 times. And they did it by revealing
the true essence of the Sangiovese grape and the Chianti
Classico terroir. This tells us that this is a winery of
consistency, producing Chianti Classicos with the ability
to age up to two decades for the right vintage. As at the
great Brunello estates, it is the marriage of an ideal microclimate
and the uncompromising commitment of a dedicated staff that
educes the full character of Tuscany's noble grape, even
in off vintages. Even more importantly, this is a producer
who creates compelling wines and releases them at contained
prices, making Felsina accessible to all wine enthusiasts
and one of Italy's greatest values!
Fattoria di Felsina is situated in the hills northeast
of Siena in the commune of Castelnuovo Berardenga, on
the southern tip of the Chianti Classico DOCG production
region. The estate maintains the majority of the 75 hectares
inside the Classico borders with a small part resting
in the Crete Senesi. How this estate came to be is a Tuscan
love story: in 1976, Giuseppe Mazzocolin married Gloria
Poggialli in the chapel on the Felsina estate. From that
day on, the role of the dedicated Latin and Greek school
teacher quickly changed from educator to agricultural
artisan. Though the Poggialli family had purchased Felsina
in 1964, it wasn’t until the early '80s that Mazzocolin
took the helm of the estate and changed its course to
focus on more Sangiovese. With the arrival of talented
wine consultant Franco Bernabei began a period of experimentation;
Franco and Giuseppe tried and tested new methods and vines
and determined that the southern estate was a natural
breeding ground for a unique, richer Sangiovese capable
of producing more full-bodied wines that could retain
the traditional elegance of the grape. Thus in 1983 Fontalloro
and Chianti Classico Riserva Rancia were born!
Fontalloro is a cuvee of grapes from vineyards spread
across three sites, two of which rest outside the delineated
zone of Chianti Classico. Because parts lie outside of
the Classico borders the Fontolloro will never be labeled
Chianti Classico, but rather a Super-Tuscan or IGT wine.
Mazzocolin deliberately took the vineyard outside the
zone because he felt that the mixture of soils provide
the wine with a distinctive flavor. With the 2000 vintage
the cru select Riserva Rancia, a dark, powerful union
of three different vineyards, stole the Tre Bicchieri
award from Fontalloro, and the two wines continue to compete
for critical acclaim.
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