Fontodi
Vigna del Sorbo
Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
2016

The producer

Fontodi. Fontodi has been owned by the Manetti family since 1968, a family which for centuries before that was associated with the production of terracotta tiles. In 1968, Fontodi was a run-down estate, but the Manettis totally replanted the vineyards and renovated the estate and winemaking facilities , and today Fontodi is recognized as one of the finest producers in the region.

Giovanni Manetti has run the estate since 1980, amongst other things achieving organic certification for the over 70 ha of vineyards of which 90% are planted with Sangiovese. Vigna del Sorbo Gran Selezione is 100% Sangiovese from and over 40 year old vineyard.

The wine

Fontodi’s flagship wine is derived from 40-year-old vines in the Vigna del Sorbo vineyard with southwest exposure. 100% Sangiovese is fermented and macerated in stainless steel with indigenous yeast, following which it ages for 24 months in Troncais and Allier oak barrels of which 50% are new.

We choose our wines based on a range of criteria (see how we choose our wines) of which critic scores is just one. Rather than simply highlight the best score to promote a wine, our average critic score is calculated from the scores provided by several respected wine critics, who we follow for specific regions. They do not represent all critic scores and, wherever possible, we try and give more weight to more recent reviews. Where appropriate we consider market-based scores like Global Wine Score or Wine Searcher Average scores.

As a rule, we look to offer wines that achieve a 92/100 average critic score or better and frankly a lot of very good wines simply don’t make the cut. As a high-end provider we want to reflect that positioning in the quality of wines we offer. Such wines are only a tiny fraction of those generally on offer in the market. We believe that an average score is a more conservative and representative approach, but it is still subjective and only offered as a guide to our customers, who will (and should) do their own research. We will add individual critic scores to our website in the future.