2013 Chianti Classico Riserva Vigna del Sorbo

The 2013 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Vigna del Sorbo possesses off-the-charts richness and textural intensity. Beams of tannin give the wine its shape, but they are nearly buried by the sheer depth of the fruit. Readers should expect a dark, virile Vigna del Sorbo that is likely to develop at a glacial pace. The 2013 was reticent last year and is even more so this year.

The 2013 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Vigna del Sorbo possesses off-the-charts richness and textural intensity. Beams of tannin give the wine its shape, but they are nearly buried by the sheer depth of the fruit. Readers should expect a dark, virile Vigna del Sorbo that is likely to develop at a glacial pace. The 2013 was reticent last year and is even more so this year.

A wine like this gives you a visceral rush of excitement. The 2013 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Vigna del Sorbo speaks to your most profound instincts and awakens a sudden and tangible taste of Tuscany. If you've ever visited Panzano in Chianti, you will be immediately transported there thanks to this fabulous wine. Vigna del Sorbo (100% Sangiovese aged in new and neutral barrique for two years) is authentic and focused with tart berry flavors surrounded by spice, truffle and rose petal. It offers a deep and lasting sense of richness. It is impossible to exaggerate my enthusiasm for this set of new releases from Giovanni Manetti's venerable Fontodi. I'll start with the 2013 Flaccianello della Pieve that left me speechless. This is the wine that taught me to love the 2013 vintage in Central Tuscany. I also want to underline my excitement surrounding the two outlier wines - the Syrah Case Via and the Pinot Nero Case Via - that bring a fresh new vision to the winemaking potential of Panzano in Chianti. These revolutionary wines break all the rules in one of Italy's most regulated wine regions. Good for Fontodi.