Le Fonti Panzano Chianti Classico Gran Selezione DOCG

Chianti Classico Gran Selezione DOCG from Fattoria Le Fonti Panzano

Great pleasure in small & large bottles

With the 2013 vintage, the Chianti Classico Gran Selezione DOCG has found its way into the Fattoria Le Fonti range. Carefully harvested by hand, the Sangiovese grapes - because the Gran Selezione is made from 100% Sangiovese - are first fermented in stainless steel tanks and then aged for 24 months in 400 - 500-liter French oak barrels. The wine is allowed to complete its maturation in the bottle for a further twelve months. The Gran Selezione from Le Fonti shows how elegant a pure Sangiovese wine can be. Typical of Chianti and only produced in the best years, the Gran Selezione is in a sense the best that Le Fonti's vineyards have to offer. The result: a bright, pure ruby red in the glass and lots of fruit on the nose - and the taste: full-bodied and round with a long finish. A wine for every feast. And because you can never have enough celebrations, you should stock up quickly, as only around 700 0.75-liter bottles and around 250 1.5-liter magnums are bottled, depending on the vintage.

The Fattoria Le Fonti in the heart of Chianti Classico

Halfway between Florence and Siena, in the heart of the Chianti Classico region, lies the small village of Panzano. Fattoria Le Fonti is located below the village church, approximately 450 meters above sea level. The winery covers a total area of 15 hectares - 8.5 hectares are vineyards, the rest is planted with olive trees. With an annual production of around 40,000 bottles, Fattoria Le Fonti has remained a relatively small family winery compared to many other wineries in the area. Le Fonti has been owned by the Schmitt-Vitali family since 1994, when Vicky's father Konrad bought the winery. Vicky and her husband Guido took over Le Fonti just a few years ago. In a way, they were newcomers to wine, as neither of them had had much to do with viticulture until then. But the two have thrown themselves into the "Le Fonti" project with a great deal of love and passion and their efforts have been rewarded with numerous international awards.

Sustainability & respect - the roots of a good wine

More than two decades ago, the winegrowers of Panzano came together to form the "Unione di Viticoltori di Panzano". From the very beginning, one of the Unione's goals was to cultivate all vineyards organically and sustainably. This is because Vicky and Guido fully share the conviction that the root of a good wine lies in the vineyard. As a result, in recent years the area around Panzano in Chianti has been described by wine journalists from all over the world as the "organic district of Italy". Today, Sangiovese - the autochthonous leading variety of Chianti Classico - grows for the most part in the winemaker couple's organically certified vineyards. However, the two international grape varieties Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon can also be found here. And of course not to forget: 1,500 olive trees. The vineyards stretch along the back of the Conca d'Oro across the "Alta Valle della Greve" - the Greve Valley. Here, the grapes enjoy a cooler microclimate - an advantage when it gets too hot for the grapes elsewhere in summer.

Vacations in Panzano: vineyards and wine cellars included

Vacationers and connoisseurs are always welcome at Le Fonti! Vicky, the owner of the winery in the middle of Panzano in Chianti, likes to welcome her guests personally and show them around the vineyards and wine cellar. The passionate winemaker and mother tells them all kinds of interesting facts about the special features of the Le Fonti vineyards and, of course, about the different types of wine: the basis of the range is formed by a typical, very drinkable Chianti Classico, a Chianti Classico Riserva and, since the 2013 vintage, a Chianti Classico Gran Selezione. There is also the internationally award-winning Super Tuscan "Fontissimo", a fruity, fresh rosato and the house wine "La Lepre". A fruity, spicy olive oil rounds off the range - and of course the olive oil can also be tasted and purchased.

In Italy, in the region Tuscany, in the region Chianti Classico, in Panzano in Chianti

Vicky Schmitt-Vitali

Marco Pierucci

8.5 ha of which 5.7 ha are classified as Chianti Classico

Galestro

Southeast

350 - 450 meters above sea level.

5,500 - 6,000 plants per ha

Cordon