What a beautiful surprise. The Fontodi 2008 Chianti Classico Riserva Vigna del Sorbo comes from the proverbial sleeper vintage that is hot-trotting it today with gangbuster results. This is a savory, almost full-bodied expression with ample doses of fruit sweetness and tertiary or savory characteristics that are carefully interwoven and integrated. The mouthfeel is voluptuous and rich with a creamy, fleshy finish. Dark fruit, cigar ash and scorched earth emerge from the glass. Aromatically, this wine has less of the mineral signature that we see in the newer vintages, and this could be explained by the fact that a small percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon was added to the blend back in 2008. This underlines an important stylistic shift in the timeline of Vigna del Sorbo (that would later go from Riserva status to Gran Selezione). Overall, this wine is most impressive in terms of mouthfeel, and I'm betting that it will hold for an additional 10 years, if not more.

The 2008 Chianti Classico Riserva Vigna del Sorbo is beautiful in this vintage. It shows gorgeous mid-palate depth and pliancy, with wonderful richness in its sweet dark fruit, smoke, licorice and grilled herbs. The 10% Cabernet Sauvignon works particularly well in this vintage, as it seems to give the wine a measure of depth and delineation that is less obvious in the Flaccianello. Higher toned floral notes add lift on the finish. The Vigna del Sorbo is a touch restrained in 2008, as are most wines, yet it shows fabulous balance and tons of personality. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2028. Giovanni Manetti describes his 2008s as higher in acidity and lower in alcohol than his 2007s. The spring and early summer were quite damp, which caused quite a bit of shatter and therefore lowered yields considerably. The summer was on the cool side and the harvest began in late September. The 2008s are decidedly mid-weight wines from Fontodi, yet the acidities are excellent and the wines are texturally very fine. I would not at all be surprised to see some of these wines show even better in another 5-10 years. Such is the nature of Sangiovese.Importer: Vinifera Imports, Ronkonkoma, NY; tel. (631) 467-5907