Felsina, Chianti Classico DOCG (Tuscany, Italy) 2017

 The folks at Felsina are Sangiovese purists making their Chiantis solely from that grape, an unusual practice in the region.  When they need to replace older vines, they plant from cuttings of their existing vines, a technique called massal selection, to maintain the clonal variation of these older vineyards.  Enticing aromas of black cherry, berry fruit with hints of earth, leather and dried herbs.  The dark fruit is velvety and smooth lifted by Sangiovese’s trademark acidity and backed up with solid, ripe tannins and a long finish that invites food like a platter of salami, a plate of pasta or a juicy steak.  The company was established in 1966 when Domenico Poggiali Fèlsina bought the estate.  They consider themselves farmers dedicated to the preservation of biodiversity and, according to their website, keeping an “open mind to new techniques, avoiding excess, and working in an experimental environment that embraces biodynamic production through the most modern technologies and innovations available worldwide.”