The 1997 Flaccianello della Pieve shows broad shoulders and a robust style that has carried it forward over the years with grace and determination. Compared to the 1999 vintage, this wine is a bigger and bolder expression of Fontodi's best Sangiovese grapes. The vintage was characterized by a hot and dry summer, and the resulting berries were smaller and more compact in structure with thicker skins. This has contributed to the wine's sizable width and breadth. I also want to point out that the tannins have achieved a perfect point of silkiness. Those 18 years of aging have ushered this wine forward to a spectacular moment in its drinking window. If you have a bottle, you will be well rewarded by its current state of excellence.