Fontodi Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Panzano Terrazze di San Leolino 2020

Fontodi Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Panzano Terrazze di San Leolino 2020 is a refined, single‑vineyard expression of Sangiovese from the heart of Tuscany’s famed Conca d’Oro in Panzano. Crafted only in top vintages and from rigorously selected grapes, it captures the depth, elegance and energy that define great Chianti Classico today. This Gran Selezione comes from the historic terraced vineyards surrounding the ancient church of San Leolino, a site long celebrated for producing particularly pure, characterful Sangiovese.

Tasting Notes
In the glass, the 2020 Terrazze di San Leolino shows a deep, vibrant ruby core with youthful purple reflections along the rim. The nose is polished yet expressive, offering layers of wild cherry, black plum and dried raspberry alongside notes of violets, blood orange zest, tobacco leaf and warm Tuscan herbs. Subtle hints of cedar, cacao and espresso emerge with air, framed by a fine mineral edge. On the palate, this is both concentrated and precise, with a vertical structure that showcases Sangiovese’s natural tension. Juicy red and dark berry fruit is wrapped in firm, silky tannins, with savory accents of leather, dried flowers and spice adding complexity. The acidity is vivid but well integrated, lending great freshness and length to a long, stony finish. While already appealing with some aeration, the 2020 clearly has the structure to evolve gracefully; expect it to develop additional tertiary notes of truffle, forest floor and balsamic over 12–18 years from the vintage, and potentially longer in ideal cellaring conditions.

Production
The Terrazze di San Leolino vineyard lies in Panzano’s renowned Conca d’Oro, a natural amphitheater of south- and southwest‑facing slopes with excellent sun exposure and significant diurnal temperature shifts. The terraces are rooted in predominantly galestro (friable marl) and limestone soils, which naturally limit yields and give the wines their hallmark structure and minerality. Fontodi farms these parcels organically and with meticulous attention to detail, hand‑harvesting bunches at optimal ripeness and carefully sorting the fruit before fermentation. The Sangiovese is vinified traditionally in temperature‑controlled tanks with native or carefully selected yeasts, followed by a long maceration to gently extract color, tannin and aromatic complexity. The wine is then matured in a combination of large oak casks and fine-grained French barriques for an extended period, allowing the tannins to refine and the vineyard character to fully emerge before bottling.

Food & Serving
This Gran Selezione is a natural match for classic Tuscan cuisine: think bistecca alla fiorentina, slow‑braised beef or lamb, wild boar ragù with pappardelle, and game birds roasted with herbs. It also pairs beautifully with aged Pecorino, Parmigiano Reggiano, mushroom dishes and truffle‑accented recipes. Serve at 16–18°C (60–64°F) for optimal expression; in its youth, decant for 1–2 hours to allow the aromatics and structure to open. As the wine gains bottle age and tertiary nuances, a shorter decant—just enough to remove sediment and let it breathe for 30 minutes—will be sufficient.

Producer
Fontodi is one of the benchmark estates of Chianti Classico, located in Panzano within the prestigious Conca d’Oro, an area long recognized for producing some of the region’s most compelling Sangiovese. Owned by the Manetti family since the late 1960s, the estate has been instrumental in elevating the reputation of Chianti Classico through a focus on low yields, organic viticulture and careful, quality‑driven winemaking. Fontodi was among the pioneers of single‑vineyard expressions in the area and is widely respected for its pure, terroir‑driven style. Today, wines like the Terrazze di San Leolino Gran Selezione underscore Fontodi’s role as a reference point for modern yet classically grounded Tuscan reds, consistently earning high acclaim from critics and collectors alike.

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