Flaccianello Della Pieve Fontodi 1995 (750ML)

93+ Points, Monica Larner, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: "This is an interesting but challenging vintage that started off with cool and below-average temperatures that delayed the entire growing cycle. The temperatures picked up during the sunny summer months, but the harvest remained delayed throughout, with fruit coming off the vines at the end of October. This makes for a risky proposition for vintners who are faced with waiting, but great rewards were paid to those who did in terms of complexity, depth and acidic backbone. When Sangiovese grapes are given this long to mature on the vines, the results are always spectacular. The 1995 Flaccianello della Pieve opens to a lean and fragile bouquet with bright accents of dried mint, balsam herb, dried rose and tilled earth. That balsamic signature, with cola, dried ginger and rosemary oil, is very well defined in this beautiful expression. The mouthfeel is slender and thin, but everything is in the right place in terms of acidity, fiber and structure. This is the oldest vintage to be labeled with the IGT Colli della Toscana Centrale appellation." 7/19

94 Points, Antonio Galloni, Vinous: "The 1995 Flaccianello della Pieve wraps around the palate with layers of dark fruit deeply informed by the cold growing season and late harvest that year. The cold summer gave the wine its structure, while the fruit is clearly that of the Indian summer that followed. I especially like the way the wine continues to open up as it sits in the glass. This is a fabulous showing, not the mention a beautifully balanced wine." 6/2012.