2012 Fontodi Vin Santo DOC Half Bottle 375ml, Tuscany

Fontodi is located in the heart of Chianti Classico precisely in the valley which lies south of the town of Panzano and is called the “Conca d’Oro” (the golden shell) because of its amphitheatre shape. A genuine and characteristc “Terroir”, famous for centuries for its tradition of quality wine cultivation, thanks to a unique combination of high altitude, calcar clayschist soil, lots of light, and a fantastic micro-climate – warm and dry with a marked difference in day and night-time temperatures.

This extremely precious dessert wine pours from the bottle with thick and slow-moving waves of glycerin and sweetened richness. In fact, my fingers are sticking to my keyboard as I write this review. Aged in small caratelli barrels for 84 months, this Vin Santo shows a dark amber color with polished copper highlights. The bouquet is profoundly complex with dried fruit aromas of apricot and pineapple followed by brown sugar, maple syrup, toasted chestnut and savory tobacco. This is a full-bodied dessert wine that spreads over the palate with lasting intensity. In fact, you taste the wine in the mouth for many long minutes after you drink it. A mere 2,500 bottles exist.