Fèlsina's Soulful Chianti Classico

I think it took me at least two years to figure out the proper pronunciation for this winery, it’s [FEL-zina], so don’t feel bad if you didn’t have it correct. I was with Giuseppe Mazzocolin, the then manager of the winery and son-in-law of the owner. Giuseppe had a background in classics—not winemaking or anything to do with it—but he nonetheless jumped in to help resurrect the winery. The Poggiali Family purchased the property in 1966 and began renovating it. In the late 1970s Giuseppe arrived and changed the game.

It was my first visit to Fèlsina in the Spring of 1992; everyone had told me May was the month to go because the weather was the best! The best rain! That year and when I arrived it was storming, driving rain was pounding everywhere, and cold.

Giuseppe was determined to drive me through the vineyards, so we piled into his Range Rover. He paused and said, “I’ve forgotten something, I’ll be right back.” A couple of minutes later he comes back, shakes the rain off his jacket, and puts a cassette tape into the player. It was Stormy Weather sung by Etta James—it made the moment. It also cemented in me the idea of who this man was—an artist, creative and sensitive, not a scientist or salesman.

As he guided us through the winery, after slip-sliding through the Rancia vineyard—named after an old convent on the property with a giant caper bush growing out of the side (it started a lifelong passion for me of caper growing)—his true hand strength began to show.

Entering into the cellar there was a long, rotating, downward grade. Single barrels had been placed along the wall and were backlit. The effect was spine tingling. Giuseppe was way ahead of his time.

He entrusted the winemaking to one of Italy’s most famous (now) consulting enologists, Franco Bernabei (also works for Fontodi). Franco upgraded the vineyard attention and modernized the cellar without getting too international. I remember tasting the first year of their Chardonnay, and I was a bit underwhelmed with the oak treatment— it was all new, but Giuseppe looked at me and said, “We didn’t buy used barrels, and we’ll use the same barrels for 6-7 years, but you have to start somewhere!”

The estate lies in the southeastern corner of Chianti Classico against its southern boundary. Here the wines gain power, structure, and show more tannin than their cousins on Chianti Classico’s western boundary. The 2020 Fèlsina Berardenga Chianti Classico $21.99 JS92 is truly representative of this zone, lots of plumy density with spice and an earthy underbrush in the finish.

The 2019 Fèlsina Chianti Classico Riserva $29.99 KO96 JS94 is aged in a mix of Slavonian oak barrels and second- and third-year barriques. The nose is vibrant, full of wild cherry and Middle Eastern spices, while on the palate it’s long, animated, and shows great length. This is a wine that will be able to age 10 years—a truly stunning wine.

One of the estate’s most famous wines is the 2019 Fèlsina "Rancia" Chianti Classico Riserva (Elsewhere $60) $39.99 JS95 RP94+ JD94. This vintage, it is a brooding, hulking wine. It’s going to need a few years and some aeration to really show its best. It’s still drinking well now, but aging will unlock the real font of aromatics.

The 2019 Fèlsina Fontalloro Toscana (Elsewhere $70) $49.99 JS96 VN94 is a truly unique wine. Its vineyards straddle Chianti Classico’s southern border and flow into the Colli Senesi. These are the highest and lowest vineyards on the estate, with a diverse soil structure combining the two areas. Aging 18-22 months in new French oak barriques gives the wine power and the nose is full of plumy richness. On the palate, a bold structure gives this wine longevity. Just to show you winemaking is not easy: this vineyard planting was started in 1966, but its incredibly rocky soil delayed completion until 1993, with the first fruit in 1997, and the first wine finally made in 2006. Only 3,000 bottles of this wine are made each vintage and only in great vintages.

Aged 30 months in new French oak, the wine is dense, dark, and full of concentrated fruit. Layers of spice and Tuscan intrigue make for a classic, destined for your cellar. The 2019 Fèlsina "Colonia" Chianti Classico Gran Selezione $89.99 RP95 VN94+ JS94 is truly something special.

I will admit I am a sucker for good Vin Santo and the 2012 Fèlsina Vin Santo del Chianti Classico (375ml) $36.99 WS94 is delicious. This ain’t no biscotti-dipping Vin Santo, this is the real thing—to be drunk on its own or with some nutmeg-filled dessert. If you’ve never had one, you owe it to yourself.

- Greg St. Clair, Italian Wine Buyer