The blackberry, currant, nutmeg and chocolate aromas follow through to a full body, with velvety tannins and lots of savory fruit. Some balsamic and citrus fruit underneath it all. Needs a little time to soften. Pure sangiovese. From organically grown grapes. Better in 2016.

Beautiful deep ruby with incredible richness in aroma—blackberry, blueberry and plum—tempered by sweet spice from the oak. This offers mouth filling lushness, intense fruit, terrific balance and harmony, with a long, complex finish.—Non-blind Flaccianello vertical (July 2014). Best from 2017 through 2032. 4,000 cases made, 2,000 cases imported. — BS

The 2011 and 2012 vintages are close cousins, with the 2011 Flaccianello della Pieve appearing a bit softer and plumper around the midsection. This was a notoriously warm vintage that saw sugar and phenolic ripeness shoot up very quickly at the end of the growing season. Indeed, this wine produces a noticeable level of sweetness on the finish, all surrounded by jammy flavors of cherry confit and blackberry marmalade. My observation is that this 2011 vintage feels more overtly ripe, whereas the 2012 vintage is able to hide some of its ripeness within the general fleshiness and succulence of the fruit. Giovanni Manetti says that 2011 resulted in some dried berries on the clusters that had to be removed by hand on the sorting table. This problem did not occur in 2012. ML

A precocious year from bud break all the way through to harvest in mid-September. Towards the end of August, a heat spike caused some shrivelling of berries, making careful sorting necessary. The wine is fruity rather than graceful in character, the generous ripeness showing through with macerated cherry and currant flavours offset by balsamic and tobacco nuances. This is already starting to demonstrate some evolution though the palate, but has serious structure and density for at least another seven to eight years of ageing. In this vintage, Manetti started reducing the percentage of new wood. Drinking Window 2018 - 2026
Tasted by Michaela Morris (at Chambar Restaurant, Vancouver, 17 Oct 2018)
Part of Fontodi’s Flaccianello della Pieve: Ten vintages compared