Photo courtesy of Fattoria di Fèlsina

The Brunello of Chianti
Best Cellar Buy!

Fattoria di Fèlsina is one of the great estates of Tuscany. A pillar of Chianti, Felsina is one of the leading champions of pure Sangiovese wines. Smart buyers have known for decades that Felsina represents one of the greatest buys for long aging wines.

The Chianti Classico Riserva Rancia is one of the most heralded and prized Chianti that is regarded as one of the most structured, powerful and age-worthy wines of Tuscany. Many view Rancia as the most Brunello-like of Chianti. In fact, for us, Rancia in many vintages excels well beyond the depth of most Brunello. 

Rancia is a single vineyard Chianti Classico that takes its name from the historic Rancia farmhouse, once a Benedictine monastery. Here the average vine age exceeds 50 years and Felsina captures with Rancia a singular structured expression of Castelnuovo Berardenga. 

Fontalloro, on the other hand, is the most representative expression of Fèlsina’s Sangiovese from Chianti Classico and the Chianti Colli Senesi zones. A blend of three distinctive old-vine parcels that averages 50 years of age, Fontalloro, while a true Chianti, is labeled simply Toscana to highlight the uniqueness of Sangiovese blended from two of Chianti’s greatest zones. A long distance runner as well, Fontalloro while aged in barrique, is about as pure and classic as it comes for Sangiovese. 

There is a third wine at Felsina, very limited and rare that is also a dedicated single vineyard Chianti Classico.  Colonia Chianti Classico Gran Selezione is the sister vineyard to Rancia and the only wine that Giuseppe Mazzocolin and Giovanni Poggiali award the Gran Selezione designation.

Colonia is a dedication to the multi-generation commitment at Felsina. This sunny spot that sits next to Rancia along a slope that reaches up to the forest line is extremely rocky and one that took three generations to cultivate before releasing their first vineyard designated wine in 2006. Here the production is a mere 3,000 bottles and the singular expression of Sangiovese yields a wine of greater finesse and harmony than the blockbuster Rancia Riserva.

The wines at Felsina are made in very traditional and “old-world” manners, allowing for the quality of vines, grapes and vineyards to define the wines. Youthful for decades is a key attribute for these wines. They are beautiful on release, but impress more with moderate bottle age.

Cheers,
Jeremy