Fontodi Chianti Classico Riserva Vigna del Sorbo 2006
-
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2006 Chianti Classico Riserva Vigna del Sorbo is seriously dark, rich and intense. Dark cherries, tobacco, herbs and minerals come together in this brooding, weighty Vigna del Sorbo. Today the wine comes across as completely closed and folded in on itself, but with time it should emerge as a beauty. The elegance of the superb 2004 seems missing, and this looks to be an especially concentrated vintage for this wine. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2026.
-
Wine Spectator
Full-bodied, displaying an amazing concentration of fruit and big, chewy tannins. Velvety and chewy, yet there's so much underneath. Layered and impressive, what a great wine. Best after 2011. 2,085 cases made.
Other Vintages
2010-
Parker
Robert -
Suckling
James -
Spectator
Wine -
Enthusiast
Wine
-
Suckling
James -
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine
-
Suckling
James -
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine
-
Parker
Robert
-
Parker
Robert -
Enthusiast
Wine
-
Spectator
Wine -
Parker
Robert
-
Spectator
Wine -
Parker
Robert
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.