Fontodi Bianco 2024

“The 2024 Bianco is 100% Trebbiano from 60-year-old vines, vinified mostly in two 600-liter barrels, with one amphora. Dried pear, chamomile, dried flowers and almond are nicely woven together. There’s a bit of new oak in this vintage that needs time in bottle to soften, but all the elements are beautifully woven together. Deep varietal notes and underlying mineral tones extend the effortless, resonant finish. Superb. Drinking window: 2027-2034. 93 points

Proprietor Giovanni Manetti and his team turned out some of the most thrilling wines of the 2023 harvest. “We started to see Peronospora very early in the year. It rained almost every day during flowering, then we had very hot days. ” Manetti recounted. “Ideal for mushrooms,” he added ironically. However, canopies stayed healthy, and that seems to have been the key to the vintage at Fontodi. Yields are down 30-40% across the board. The wines are incredibly intense and textured, not entirely surprising given low yields and a very hot summer. Even so, the wines have tons of site character, something to which I give great importance. Manetti did not bottle his Chianti Classico Dino; all the other wines were bottled. For readers who want to taste the best of 2023 in Chianti Classico, this is about as good as it gets.”

Antonio Galloni, Wine Advocate (08/26)