Collection: Fattoi - Tuscany

After a week spent in Montalcino, - and after having tasted an innumerable amount of labels -, the Fattoi wine to me seemed to be the most clear choice due to their elegance and superfine final aromatic persistence combined with a persuasive drinkability.

On top of this, I must say I really appreciated the down to earth and charming approach of Lucia (3rd generation of the Fattoi family) during my visit. 

The Fattoi winery lays in Santa Restituita, in the southern part of Montalcino; which winks at the Case Basse di Soldera, the Pieve di Angelo Gaja and it is litterally few steps away from the Padovani twins of Fonterenza. This corner of the Montalcino DOC has lately conquered the attention of many wine enthusiasts for the elegance and depth of the wines. This is due to the fact that here the vines can benefit of one of the best maturation process in the entire DOC, thanks to the South-East exposition and the Mediterranean climate influenced by the winds coming from the Tyrrhenian Sea, which allow humidity to be kept low, thus containing the risks of fungal diseases and springs frosts. Reason why the vineyards are not subject to any use of pesticides nor chemicals. 

Founded by Ofelio Fattoi in the 60s and today managed with the same passion by his sons Leonardo and Lamberto, in addition to wine, the estate produces excellent quality oil from typical Tuscan cultivars. In fact, of the 70 hectares owned, 9 are dedicated to vines, 5 to olive trees and the remaining part is intended for woodland and wheat crops. Fattoi approach to Brunello and Rosso is traditional and aimed to transmit all the terroir elegance and personality in the glass.

The rows, exclusively of Sangiovese Grosso, are located at about 350 meters above sea level, on soils made up of clay, sand, tuff and marl.  Fattoi pays scrupulous care throughout the entire production process, from the vineyard to the cellar, with manual harvesting and careful selection of the bunches, which are subsequently destemmed and softly pressed. Fermentation takes place in steel tanks with 15-20 days of contact between the must and the skins, while, as regards the Brunellos, the consequent aging period includes at least 3 years in large 50 hectoliter Slavonian oak barrels and 350 liter French oak tonneau. The release on the market takes place 5 years after the year of harvest, which rise to 6 years for the Riserva version.

The range proposed by Fattoi consists of all red wines from Sangiovese Grosso alone. Whether it's Rosso di Montalcino or Brunello, all Fattoi's Sangiovese show an extraordinary territorial and varietal adherence. While the Rosso, with its crisp freshness, reveals the more accessible face of the area, the Brunello expresses its deeper, more complex and elegant character. 

Salute!