Carpineta Fontalpino Dofana Chianti Classico 2017
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James
Suckling -
Wine
Spectator -
Robert
Parker
Product Details
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Typical example of a pure Sangiovese , red with purple reflections, with interesting aromas of plum, cherry and currant. Its structure makes itself known immediately. And it is persistent, pleasing and versatile. Balanced, great finish and warmth, like a big hug. Berries and spices, freshness, expressing the potential of the best Sangiovese.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Purity and raciness to this wine with blueberry and raspberry aromas and flavors that give it energy and brightness, which is very enjoyable.
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Wine Spectator
A lean, chewy red highlighted by leather, camphor, cherry and iron aromas and flavors. Borders on racy, with vivid acidity working in tandem with the tannins. Best from 2024.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Winemaker Gioia Cresti's 2017 Chianti Classico Dofana veers toward the jammy side of the hot-vintage spectrum. I'm typically unmoved by those super ripe aromas, and that's why I show less enthusiasm for the 2017 vintage in general. Black fruit and dried blackberry segue to prune and black plum. The wine shows generous volume and texture on the palate. There is a point of softness on the close. This is a pure expression of Sangiovese.
Other Vintages
2016-
Robert
Parker -
James
Suckling -
Wine &
Spirits -
Wine
Spectator
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James
Suckling -
Wine
Spectator -
Robert
Parker
Gioia is the vineyard's oenologist and she is responsible for all the production phases, from the wine making to the aging. She literally “picks up” the best grapes so that the whole wine production is imprinted on her own personal style. Filippo is mainly involved in the organizational activities of the land working of the Winery. He is also the commercial and marketing development mind of Carpineta Fontalpino Estates. The property extends to about 80 hectares and presents various cultivars. The vine planted area extends to about 23 hectares in many varieties of specialized vines, sub-divided into grape types of Sangiovese, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and other experimental vines (Petit Verdot, Alicante, and many others). The production areas denominations are the one of the Chianti Classico and the one of the Colli Senesi.
Among Italy's elite red grape varieties, Sangiovese has the perfect intersection of bright red fruit and savory earthiness and is responsible for the best red wines of Tuscany. While it is best known as the chief component of Chianti, it is also the main grape in Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and reaches the height of its power and intensity in the complex, long-lived Brunello di Montalcino. Somm Secret—Sangiovese doubles under the alias, Nielluccio, on the French island of Corsica where it produces distinctly floral and refreshing reds and rosés.
One of the first wine regions anywhere to be officially recognized and delimited, Chianti Classico is today what was originally defined simply as Chianti. Already identified by the early 18th century as a superior zone, the official name of Chianti was proclaimed upon the area surrounding the townships of Castellina, Radda and Gaiole, just north of Siena, by Cosimo III, Grand Duke of Tuscany in an official decree in 1716.
However, by the 1930s the Italian government had appended this historic zone with additonal land in order to capitalize on the Chianti name. It wasn’t until 1996 that Chianti Classico became autonomous once again when the government granted a separate DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita) to its borders. Ever since, Chianti Classico considers itself no longer a subzone of Chianti.
Many Classicos are today made of 100% Sangiovese but can include up to 20% of other approved varieties grown within the Classico borders. The best Classicos will have a bright acidity, supple tannins and be full-bodied with plenty of ripe fruit (plums, black cherry, blackberry). Also common among the best Classicos are expressive notes of cedar, dried herbs, fennel, balsamic or tobacco.