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Fattoria Felsina, Benchmark Sienna-styled Chianti Classico

Felsina was added to the Row 95 portfolio last week. Andrea Bonivento, the Estate's new GM, was in town to give an update on happenings there. While we might expect to see a few tweaks to the Farnetella line up, there really isn't anything "new" going on there. The wines remain the same old incredibly soulful, balanced "wines of place", that they have been since the 70's...a concept that, only now, the rest of the world seems to be catching on to. The website, however, is new so check it out, it is filled with wonderful words and images of the Estate. See below:

…From the Estate

"Fèlsina’s Sangiovese is the result of an extraordinary variety of climates, landscapes and terrains. A combination of variants – different soils and clones – that constitute a unified asset to hand down to future generations. For this reason, since 1983, together with Franco Bernabei, we have proceeded with rigorous selections that have allowed us to conserve an important patrimony of various Sangioveses grown - crus - at Fèlsina. The safeguarding and enhancement of Sangiovese is a constant in our work, giving sense to the word tradition. The oldest peasants have been able to give new expression to customary gestures and experience, and marry them with modern viticulture, transmitting the ensemble with authority to the younger generations. In this context, the cultural-agricultural choice to produce Sangiovese is not only ideological, but justified by knowledge gained through in-depth work experience and experimentation, in which the pairing of vine and terrain is a critical requirement. Like all good farmers, our main concern is to protect the soil’s natural fertility, which we strive to do by keeping an open mind to new techniques, avoiding excess, and working in an experimental environment that embraces biodynamic production through the most modern technologies and innovations available worldwide. The Rancia vineyard takes its name from the historic Rancia estate, once a Benedictine monastery. Located in Castelnuovo Berardenga at elevations ranging between 400 and 420 metres with a fine southwest-facing exposure, the vineyard covers 6.25 hectares. The more recent plantings utilized genetic material from massal selections gathered from the old Rancia vineyard. The soil is composed of the limestone-derived alberese classic to the Castelnuovo Berardenga area and of galestro marl in some areas. First vintage was 1983."

…From Burton Anderson

"Margaux of Chianti"

Numbers:

…From the Wine Advocate

The Wine Advocate Issue#191 Oct. 2010 94

The 2007 Chianti Classico Riserva Rancia bursts onto the palate in a big, brooding expression of Sangiovese from Castelnuovo Berardenga. Muscular and dense to the core, the 2007 powers all the way through to the long finish. Hints of smoke, tar, leather and scorched earth emerge over time, but only with great reluctance. In a vintage where so many wines are open, the Rancia comes across as quite stubborn and in need of at least five more years in bottle. That said, it is a standout, not to mention one of the greatest values in fine, age-worthy wine. In a second tasting the 2007 Rancia came across as decidedly more elegant and restrained in style, so it will be interesting to see where this ultimately settles within the context of recent vintages. Today I don’t think the 2007 has the elegance of the 2004 nor the power and ageworthiness of the 2006, but we will see. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2027. Felsina is a reference-point property for readers who want to discover the best Tuscany has to offer. Prices remain exceedingly fair considering the quality of what is in the bottle.

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