Fontodi Flaccianello Della Pieve 2008 (750ML)

96+ WA / 93 WS

Here's a vintage that came out of left field and knocked me flat with delight. The 2008 Flaccianello della Pieve is just my kind of Sangiovese with a gorgeous level of silkiness and smoothness, all followed by tangy menthol freshness and balsam herb that give so much momentum to the vertical lift and drive of the bouquet. The wine's complexity is enhanced by drying mineral notes with barbecue smoke and mesquite. There is a slight hint of ripeness here that you taste in the sweetness of the tannins and the satiny nature of the finish. I love the balance between the wine's natural acidity and the softer side of its fruit.- Monica Larner, the Wine Advocate

Linear, austere, the '08 is beginning to show some woodsy, underbrush elements, matched to a racy, nervous profile. The tannins are assertive for now and the length fine.—Non-blind Flaccianello vertical (July 2014). Best from 2016 through 2030.-Bruce Sanderson, The Wine Spectator