Fontodi Filetta di Lamole Chianti Classico 2021

Fontodi is one of Panzano's reference estates, run by the Manetti family on the Conca d'Oro in Chianti Classico. This bottling comes from Lamole, a high sub-zone on the eastern side of the appellation where galestro and alberese soils and cooler altitude slow ripening and hold acidity in the Sangiovese. The thin, schistous marl gives small berries with thick skins, the source of the grape's firm tannin and savoury, mineral character, while the wide diurnal swing fixes aromatic precision. The estate farms organically. Fruit is fermented on its skins to extract colour and structure, then aged around eighteen months in oak, where slow oxygen exchange softens the tannin and adds a layer of cedar and spice without masking the fruit. The wine is medium ruby, with a nose of sour cherry, red currant and dried herbs over earth and tobacco. The palate is firm and savoury, carried by bright acidity and grippy but fine tannin, closing dry and long with a leather and oak edge. Serve at 16 to 18C, decanted an hour, with roast meats, mushroom dishes and aged hard cheese.