2017 Felsina Fontalloro IGT, Tuscany

Bright ruby. Opens with subtle earthy notes of tobacco, pomegranate, cherry and some strawberry. On the palate surprisingly juicy, shows well worked out fruit, pithy, gripping tannin, well incorporated, salty and with good tension.

94 points falstaff.com

The Fèlsina 2017 Fontalloro pours out of the bottle with a bang. This pure expression of Sangiovese is luscious and dark with thick layers of dark fruit, plum, cherry, leather and tilled earth. This hot-vintage edition shows good depth and intensity with lots of that black-fruit energy and extra concentration that is typical of this growing season. However, you can always count on Fontalloro to show balance, and that's exactly what you get here despite the adversity of the scorching summer season. That Sangiovese acidity remains intact and crisp. Production is 30,000 bottles.

95 points Monica Larner robertparker.com

Fontalloro is exquisite in 2017. It is also such a contrast to the Rancia, as the two wines could not possibly be more different. Fontalloro is bright and vibrant, with more sweet red Sangiovese character than the darker Rancia. It is also incredibly delicious now, even though it clearly has the energy to age for many years. The 2017 is one of the finest Fontalloros I can remember tasting.

95 points Antonio Galloni vinous.com Sep 2020 Drink 2025 - 2037

2017 Fèlsina Fontalloro IGT is one of Tuscany’s great modern Sangiovese wines and a benchmark for what the variety can achieve when site and tradition are allowed to lead. Fontalloro is drawn from two of Fèlsina’s finest hillside vineyards that straddle the border between Chianti Classico and the Colli Senesi, planted on contrasting soils of rocky galestro and clay rich alberese. This unique combination gives the wine both aromatic lift and serious structure, with freshness from higher altitude sites and depth from warmer exposures. The estate lies in Castelnuovo Berardenga, the southernmost and warmest part of Chianti Classico, yet Fontalloro consistently retains elegance thanks to elevation and meticulous vineyard work.

Fèlsina was founded in the 1960s and came to prominence under the guidance of Domenico Poggiali and legendary consultant Franco Bernabei, whose influence helped shape a generation of great Tuscan Sangiovese. Bernabei believed passionately in purity, balance and the expressive power of native varieties, and Fontalloro became his reference point for Sangiovese outside the constraints of DOC rules. Bottled as IGT Toscana to allow complete freedom in vineyard selection and winemaking, Fontalloro has long been regarded as one of Italy’s great single variety wines. The estate is now run by the Poggiali family, with the same commitment to traditional methods, low yields and patient aging that have defined Fèlsina for decades.

The 2017 vintage was warm and dry, producing wines of concentration and intensity, and at Fèlsina careful vineyard management preserved freshness and balance. In the glass Fontalloro shows a deep ruby colour with garnet edges. Aromas are complex and layered, revealing sour cherry, red plum, violet, tobacco, dried herbs and subtle spice. The palate is powerful yet beautifully composed, delivering dense red fruit, firm but refined tannins and a long, savoury finish marked by mineral tension and bright acidity. Despite its richness, the wine never feels heavy, instead unfolding with precision and energy.

Fontalloro is magnificent with roast lamb, bistecca alla fiorentina, game, porcini mushrooms and aged pecorino, and it is built for long aging, evolving gracefully over twenty years or more as notes of leather, truffle and dried flowers emerge. 2017 Fèlsina Fontalloro IGT is a profound expression of Tuscan Sangiovese, combining warmth, structure and elegance in a wine that stands comfortably among Italy’s great reds.