2018 Fattoria Fibbiano, IGT Tuscana Rosso “Le Pianette” Tuscany, Italy.
I hadn’t had Fibbiano in a while, so it was fun to catch up with this winery with old vines near Pisa, and this 2018 Le Pianette IGT Toscana Rosso, made from 70% Sangiovese and 30% Colorino, is a very tasty and authentic wine to enjoy now. In the glass this all organic Tuscan red with its dark garnet color and spicy nose shows off an old school Chianti style palate with subtle florals and smooth layers of blackberry, strawberry, plum and dusty cherry fruits, along with background notes of tobacco leaf, minty herbs, anise, earthy truffle, cedar and dried roses. The grapes, coming from rolling hillsides are all hand harvested and are gentle de-stemmed, crushed and settled inside specialized stainless steel tanks, for 10 days, with a natural yeast fermentation. The wine gets racked and pressed, then it ages for about 4 months in cement tanks where it finishes malolactic fermentation, after which it saw 12 months in old used Slavonian oak barrels and finally 4 months in bottle before release. 2018 was a bit lighter vintage, but is drinking well with good balance and easy to enjoy and I wouldn’t pass on it if you see it around, drink now through 2026.
Fattoria Fibbiano, which dates back to the 1700s, is located in the municipality of Terricciola, in the province of Pisa in the Era valley, west of Florence and above the Chianti Classico zone in Tuscany and has been owned Giuseppe Cantoni, who bought the estate in 1997. The wines, made by Nicola Cantoni, come from vines that are 100% organic, some 100 years old now, and include a range of varietals, such as Sangiovese Forte, Sangiovese Polveroso, Canaiolo, Ciliegiolo, Colorino for red wines, and Vermentino and Colombana, for the whites here. Most of Fibbiano’s vineyards are south-facing, with ripe exposures, all set on the the hills between Pisa and Volterra with excellent ancient seabed soils and is rich in fossil shells from the Pliocene epoch, as well as medium-textured corals. This area has many old vineyards that lucky for us haven’t been all re-planted to new clones, and the wines here show off classic and rustic charms and go great with the local cuisine, as well as simple dishes you can find closer to home, like I found with this 2018 going nicely with my pasta dish and hard sheep cheeses. Fibbiano has many offerings in the collection, but this Le Pianette IGT Toscana Rosso is a super place to start getting to know this label.
($20 Est.) 90 Points, grapelive