2015 Chianti Classico, Vigna del Sorbo, Gran Selezione, Fontodi, Tuscany, Italy

2015 Chianti Classico, Vigna del Sorbo, Gran Selezione, Fontodi, Tuscany, Italy

Product: 20158109020
Prices start from £336.00 per case Buying options
2015 Chianti Classico, Vigna del Sorbo, Gran Selezione, Fontodi, Tuscany, Italy

Buying options

Available by the case In Bond. Pricing excludes duty and VAT, which must be paid separately before delivery. Storage charges apply.
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1 x 300cl double magnum
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Description

The 2015 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Vigna Del Sorbo ratchets up the concentrated richness and the sheer amount of material over the base Chianti Classico. Made from 100% Sangiovese, it’s still not opaque in color but packs an incredible intensity in its black cherry liqueur, new leather, truffle, tobacco leaf, and liquid rock-like minerality. Sangiovese on steroids, yet flawlessly balanced, with loads of ripe tannins balanced by rock-solid acidity and beautiful purity of fruit, this magical Chianti is one for the ages. I love it today with all its baby fat and opulence, yet it’s going to benefit from a solid 4-6 years of bottle age, and I suspect it will evolve for 30 years or more. It’s that good.

Drink 2024 - 2036

Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com (May 2020)

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Critics reviews

Antonio Galloni, Vinous98+/100

The 2015 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Vigna del Sorbo is flat-out stunning. Rich, ample and seductive, with tremendous intensity, the 2015 will go down as one of the truly epic wines of the year. All the elements come together in a deep, sensual Chianti Classico loaded with class and personality. I would give the 2015 at least a few years in the cellar to shed some baby fat, but it is very clearly a tremendous wine in the making, and even more impressive than it was last year. Wow!

Drink 2023 - 2040

Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com (August 2019)

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Wine Advocate96+/100

The 2015 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Vigna del Sorbo (100% Sangiovese) is a wine that inspires a deep, deep breath into your glass. There's so much to take in and admire. So, where to start? First, the wine shows a beautiful appearance that is thick and dark but allows for just enough ambient light to make it shine with ruby rays from deep inside. Then, you have the bouquet that presents a solid wall of interwoven and ultimately beautifully balanced aromas. There is dark fruit, tobacco, leather, spice and polished river stone. 

Lastly, the mouthfeel reveals a similar level of extreme flavour equilibrium with very fine but still very young tannins. That mid-weight structure, matched to the wine's natural acidity, is a major guarantee of longevity. Bottle production in this vintage is 30,000 units strong.

Drink 2020 - 2045

Monica Larner, Wine Advocate (October 2018)

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Jancis Robinson MW17.5/20

Panzano – Greve in Chianti. 100% Sangiovese.

Lustrous deep ruby. Very closed and brooding. Bags of ripe fruit on the palate, but spectacularly balanced. Huge focus as well as concentration. One for the cellar. 

Drink 2022 - 2032

Walter Speller, JancisRobinson.com (March 2019)

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James Suckling97/100

What a nose of clay, earth, crushed stones, rose petals, red licorice, baking spices, tar and Chinese spices. The level of sophistication to the red-fruited core, laser-sharp acidity and polished tannins, which grip and caress the palate, make this the greatest Chianti Classico ever made by Fontodi. From organically grown grapes. A long, long finish. 

Drink in 2022

Walter Speller, JamesSuckling.com (December 2018)

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Decanter97/100

Fontodi's Vigna del Sorbo sits in front of the estate. Southwest facing on galestro soil, the vineyard totals 8ha at an altitude of 450 metres. First produced in 1985, it has been designated as a Gran Selezione since the 2010 vintage. Initially closed, this expands slowly with nuances of red cherry, currants, earth, sage and liquorice coming into clear focus. The palate is well-endowed with compact fruit that has effortlessly absorbed the oak and maintained its integrity. The tannins are vigorous yet harmonious, making for a powerful wine that manages to remain elegantly poised.

Drink 2021 - 2036

Michaela Morris MW, Decanter.com (February 2019)

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Jeb Dunnuck98/100

The 2015 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Vigna Del Sorbo ratchets up the concentrated richness and the sheer amount of material over the base Chianti Classico. Made from 100% Sangiovese, it’s still not opaque in color but packs an incredible intensity in its black cherry liqueur, new leather, truffle, tobacco leaf, and liquid rock-like minerality. Sangiovese on steroids, yet flawlessly balanced, with loads of ripe tannins balanced by rock-solid acidity and beautiful purity of fruit, this magical Chianti is one for the ages. I love it today with all its baby fat and opulence, yet it’s going to benefit from a solid 4-6 years of bottle age, and I suspect it will evolve for 30 years or more. It’s that good.

Drink 2024 - 2036

Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com (May 2020)

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About this WINE

Fontodi

Fontodi

Fontodi is located in the hills south of the town of Panzano in the heart of the Chianti Classico region.This 90-hectare estate was in a run down and derelict state when it was acquired by Domiziano and Dino Manetti in 1968. They totally replanted the vineyards and renovated the winemaking facilities and today Fontodi is recognised as one of the finest producers in the region.

The estate is now run by Macro and Gioivanni Manetti, ably assisted by winemaker Franco Bernabei. Its benchmark Chianti Classico is made from a blend of Sangiovese and Canaiolo and aged in large oak barrels whereby the Chianti Classico Riserva has a small amount of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend, and a portion is aged in small French barriques. Its finest wine is the 100% Sangiovese, Flaccinello della Pieve.

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Chianti Classico

Chianti Classico

Chianti Classico is a leading Tuscan DOCG zone which covers approximately 7,000 hectares between Florence and Siena. Its vineyards stretch into the Apennine foothills at altitudes of between 150m and 500m, and encompass two distinct terroirs and styles. The sandy, alluvial soils of the lower sites yield fuller, meatier wines while the limestone and galestro rocks of the higher vineyards deliver finer, more ethereal examples.

The origins of Chianti date back to the Middle Ages, although Chianti Classico was really born in 1716 when Grand Duke Cosimo III of Tuscany classified the zone, identifying the villages of Radda, Greve, Panzano, Gaiole and Castellina as the leading sites; these same villages still represent the nucleus of the Chianti Classico DOCG today. The regulations have been revised, however, to insist that the wine is made from a minimum 80 percent Sangiovese and a maximum 20 percent Canaiolo and ameliorative grapes (ie Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon); from the 2006 vintage, no white grapes are allowed.

Chianti Classico cannot be released until 1st October in the year following the harvest, while Chianti Classico Riserva must undergo 24 months of ageing before release, including at least three months in bottle. At the region’s top addresses, French barriques are gradually being adopted in the place of the traditional, larger slavonian botte.

Recommended Producers: Monte Bernardi, Tenuta Fontodi, Castelo di Ama, Bibbiano

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Sangiovese

Sangiovese

A black grape widely grown in Central Italy and the main component of Chianti and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano as well as being the sole permitted grape for the famed Brunello di Montalcino.

It is a high yielding, late ripening grape that performs best on well-drained calcareous soils on south-facing hillsides. For years it was blighted by poor clonal selection and massive overcropping - however since the 1980s the quality of Sangiovese-based wines has rocketed upwards and they are now some of the most sought after in the world.

It produces wines with pronounced tannins and acidity, though not always with great depth of colour, and its character can vary from farmyard/leather nuances through to essence of red cherries and plums. In the 1960s the advent of Super Tuscans saw bottlings of 100% Sangiovese wines, as well as the introduction of Sangiovese/Cabernet Sauvignon blends, the most famous being Tignanello.

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When is a wine ready to drink?

We provide drinking windows for all our wines. Alongside the drinking windows there is a bottle icon and a maturity stage. Bear in mind that the best time to drink a wine does also depend on your taste.

Not ready

These wines are very young. Whilst they're likely to have lots of intense flavours, their acidity or tannins may make them feel austere. Although it isn't "wrong" to drink these wines now, you are likely to miss out on a lot of complexity by not waiting for them to mature.

Ready - youthful

These wines are likely to have plenty of fruit flavours still and, for red wines, the tannins may well be quite noticeable. For those who prefer younger, fruitier wines, or if serving alongside a robust meal, these will be very enjoyable. If you choose to hold onto these wines, the fruit flavours will evolve into more savoury complexity.

Ready - at best

These wines are likely to have a beautiful balance of fruit, spice and savoury flavours. The acidity and tannins will have softened somewhat, and the wines will show plenty of complexity. For many, this is seen as the ideal time to drink and enjoy these wines. If you choose to hold onto these wines, they will become more savoury but not necessarily more complex.

Ready - mature

These wines are likely to have plenty of complexity, but the fruit flavours will have been almost completely replaced by savoury and spice notes. These wines may have a beautiful texture at this stage of maturity. There is lots to enjoy when drinking wines at this stage. Most of these wines will hold in this window for a few years, though at the very end of this drinking window, wines start to lose complexity and decline.