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2009 and 2010 Felsina "Rancia" Chianti Classico Riserva
If you travel by car along the Strada Provincial, heading east out of Sienna, you will wind your way into a verdant stretch of forest and farmland nestled in the southernmost notch of the Chianti hills. The road is an ancient Roman route that has long served pilgrims travelling north. The fields and woods were once the hunting grounds of medieval Tuscan nobles. Architecture spanning a thousand years, some of it ruins and some in use to this day, is scattered through the valley. This is the Felsina estate and history is everywhere.
An uphill hike past the foundation and south wall of a Benedictine monastery, to the valley's uppermost plantings, brings you to the Rancia vineyard. The heart and soul of Felsina, the vineyard was purchased by Dominic Felsina in the 1960s. From these fifteen acres one can see Montepulciano's weathered walls, the vineyard-cloaked hills to the north and, on a clear day, the ocean. From this patch, in 1966, Dominic Felsina could also see the future - the future of a winery, a region and a winemaking tradition.
The 1960s were troubled times for Chianti's reputation. Decades of unregulated quality control, suspect labeling and massive amounts of watered-down wine had ruined Tuscany's image in the wine world. Winemakers serious about restoring this image and delivering on the promise that they saw in the vineyards and traditions of the Chianti region found themselves at a crossroads. One flank of the new garde looked to the wines of Napa and Bordeaux for inspiration, crafting blockbuster, international-style "Super Tuscans" such as Ornellaia and Sassacaia. While these wines have certainly raced to the top of "best of" rankings (and price lists) they mark a departure in style and identity from the old-world, Sangiovese-based wines that had once made the Chianti Classico region famous. Restoring that region to world-class stature would fall to traditionalists such as Dominic Felsina and his son-in-law Giuseppe Mazzocolin, who has followed in his footsteps.
By embracing Chianti Classico's strict quality regulations, adopting biodynamic farming practices and adhering to a Burgundian focus on vineyard-specific winemaking the Felsina team has succeeded in producing expressions of Sangiovese as age-worthy and pure as any Brunello while possessing a warmth and charm that is unmistakably Chianti.
Since all great narratives have more than one plot point (including wine stories) we are proud to offer two back-to-back, knockout vintages that represent the apex of Giuseppe Mazzocolin's expression of his prized Rancia vineyard. The reviewers at Robert Parker's Wine Advocate were bowled over by the style and structure of the 2009 and 2010 Rancia:
2009 Fattoria di Felsina Chianti Classico Riserva Rancia
"The 2009 Chianti Classico Riserva Rancia emerges from the glass with freshly cut roses, sweet red berries, licorice, spices and tar. This is a mid-weight, silky Rancia that impresses for its textural beauty and finesse. The Rancia emerges from a high-altitude site planted from 1958 through1982 with Sangiovese. The wine is aged in French oak barrels, but the oak is never noticeable, even when the wine is young. Just when I thought I was familiar with the wines of Felsina, the estate comes through with one of the very best sets of new releases I have ever tasted. From top to bottom, these are marvelous wines that deserve serious attention. Anticipated maturity: 2017-2029."
94 Points
Robert Parker's
Wine Advocate
2010 Fattoria di Felsina Chianti Classico Riserva Rancia
"The 2010 Chianti Classico Reserva Rancia is chiseled and focused. It offers a full spectrum of Sangiovese characteristics with balsamic herb and medicinal tones followed by crushed stone and delicate clove or nutmeg. Rancia is equally impressive in the mouth with firm structure and enduring fruit flavors. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2030."
95 Points
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
While leading visitors through his vineyards Mazzocolin once remarked "As soon as one sets foot in this countryside, one feels a moral responsibility to the land." He may be too humble to say it, but one could argue that Mazzocolin's Rancia represents the fulfillment of a responsibility that goes far beyond the stewardship of land and soil to the very history of Tuscan winemaking. Do not miss this opportunity to take home two of Chianti Classico's great wines and experience this history and tradition for yourself. Read on for purchasing details. Sante!
*Felsina Rancia is sold out and ordering links have been removed
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