2006 - Flaccianello delle Pieve, Fontodi, Colli della Toscana Centrale

The 2006 Flaccianello della Pieve is monumental, as it has been since the very beginning. Smoke, black cherries, plums, incense, licorice and tar are some of the many notes that burst from the glass in this powerful wine. The 2006 has fruit and structure to burn. It is going to be an absolutely fabulous wine to follow over the coming years, but patience is key. A huge, explosive finish rounds things out in style.

The two bottles of the 2006 Flaccianello della Pieve opened during this retrospective were both below my admittedly high expectations. I had bad luck with a vintage that has every reason to impress, seriously impress, and for that reason, I am putting a question mark next to my score. There is a vegetal note that is out of place, and although it appears only in brief and contained pluses, I kept finding it each time I returned my nose to the glass. It reminded me of green olive or dried garden herb. The bouquet delivers dark plum, prune, earthy notes, menthol freshness, camphor ash and pronounced minerality. The wine shows beautiful elegance, freshness and silkiness in terms of mouthfeel. This vintage was characterized by extreme diurnal shifts that reached as high as 30 degrees Celsius during the days toward the end of August, and dropped down to ten degrees Celsius at night. On the positive side, that green note recalls balsam herb, and on the negative side, it feels a tad stringy and astringent. The wine may just be in an awkward phase, requiring extra time to iron out those rough spots.

This 2006 Fontodi Flaccinello della Pieve starts off with polish, tar, and cherry aromas while on the palate it has an attractive tangy, bright acidity followed by salty, savory flavors. The cherry fruit has a cool, slight green, tart cherry note, and a firmness to the tannins. The 2006 vintage had big diurnal shifts in temperature which is usually a very good thing in terms of fruit and flavor accumulation, but this wine feels a little less ripe than I was expecting. I am not sure it will ever entirely come round but time will tell. Nevertheless, it is a characterful example of its time.

Very deep crimson. Volcanically explosive on the nose. Tight and dry on the finish. Real drive. Very linear with a pretty dry finish. Desperately needs food – so it's lucky I'm enjoying this at the famous Dario meat restaurant in Panzano. (JR)