Mannelli-Graetz, Isola delle Falcole Vecchia Vigna | 2018

An exciting new project from two friends, Mannelli-Graetz is one to watch. If you’ve ever had the wines of Paolo Bea or Stella di Campalto, there’s a familiarity in style — robust and wild aromatics, hedonistic palate. This Vecchia Vigna (Old Vine) bottling comes from a very special place, a micro-zone, 500m in elevation, between Panzano and Montefioralle, in the Chianti Classico region. Planted right after WWII, it’s a field blend of the old-timers Chianti recipe: Sangiovese, Colorino, Canaiolo, Ciliegiolo, Malvasia, and Trebbiano, co-fermented in steel, then aged in big, old barrels. This is how Chianti used to be, the indigenous red grapes with the white ones, and it’s simply, magnificent. So, remember this eye-catching label whose big colors symbolize all the pretty grapes in the field, because you’ll be seeing, and hopefully drinking, more of it. ~Allegra A