1997 Flaccianello at Graileys
A number of great bottles lined the tables at Graileys last Friday, but the WOTN for me was without question Fontodi’s 1997 Flaccianello, a pure breed Sangiovese produced from the estate’s best grapes across several vineyard parcels that span the Panzano zone of Chianti Classico.
Maybe it was nostalgia, but you should have seen me beaming from ear to ear when I unpacked the first box in a member’s cage and unearthed this gem; heeding a member’s request to pick him a nice bottle from his stash. As it happens, I just had a bottle of this 97 Flaccianello about a week prior at Don Alfonso 1890, a two-star Michelin restaurant in the little town of Santa Agata near Sorrento, and it was an absolute stunner!
1997 Flaccianello at Don Alfonso 1890
The Don Alfonso bottle was fully mature yet it showed a markedly vibrant character with fresher fruit and lifted aromatics. Powerful, structured with flavor depth. Tannins were resolved, creating this sense of generosity and roundness in the mouth absent any harsh edges. Fantastic acidity kept the wine fresh and seemingly youthful. On the nose, the wine showed a complex bouquet of tobacco pipe, leather, roasted espresso, cooking spices, dried flowers, and a touch of sweet, red plums and cherries. I suppose that’s what happens when a bottle has been joyously resting in the depths of a cellar that is dug some 80 feet below ground thus enjoying naturally cool conditions. The Dallas bottle showed a slightly more of an oxidative character with a dried fruit component (plums, figs) and more prominent earth/tobacco undertones. But very similar, velvety texture and rounded mouthfeel. Definitely, gorgeous bottles on both occasions.
Don Alfonso 1890’s Wine Cellar