Fontodi 2021 Chianti Classico

£26.70
Tasting notes
Full of dark cherries and blackberries and plenty of body. Ideal with rich stews and roasts and, of course, hard cheeses.

Why we recommend this wine
We first heard of Fontodi from the owners of the River Cafe, London who stated that his wines were their 'house' wines at home. When we had a holiday in Tuscany, the Chianti Classico soon became our 'house' wine too. This wine rounds out our fabulous collection of Tuscan Sangiovese wines – a Brunello (click here), a Chianti Classico and a Montepulciano (click here).

The wine
“I loved this wine, which seems to speak so eloquently of the region and the charms of the Sangiovese grape. Its purity that is so magnificent, plus its balance of ripe but extremely fresh fruit and that tanginess that characterises a fine Chianti Classico. With particularly fine tannins, it lasts and lasts. ” - Jancis Robinson.
Open, and preferably decant, about an hour before drinking.

The wine estate
Fontodi, a family owned business, is located in the heart of Chianti Classico in the valley “Conca d’Oro” (the golden shell) which lies south of Panzano. The valley has a distinctive “Terroir”; calcar clay-schist soil, high altitude, lots of light, and a fantastic micro-climate – warm and dry with a marked difference in day and night-time temperatures. Fontodi is a certified organic estate which extends over 130 hectares of which about 70 are planted with vines.
fontodi.com

Food and wine
Full bodied red with plenty of fruit and acidity so a good accompaniment to rich foods – meats with rich fats, hard cheeses. Also see our guide to pairing food and wine here.

Did you know?
Sangiovese is Italy's most widely planted vine variety. It derives its name from the Latin sanguis Jovis, "the blood of Jove" but, until recent dramatic improvements in wine making in Tuscany, was anything but godly wine.