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 Vintage2007 Label 1 of 124 
TypeRed
ProducerCastello di Monsanto (web)
VarietySangiovese Blend
DesignationRiserva
Vineyardn/a
CountryItaly
RegionTuscany
SubRegionChianti
AppellationChianti Classico DOCG
UPC Code(s)083960540946, 091882439040, 8033237490322, 8033237490360

Drinking Windows and Values
Drinking window: Drink between 2012 and 2020 (based on 56 user opinions)
Wine Market Journal quarterly auction price: See Monsanto Chianti Classico Riserva on the Wine Market Journal.

Community Tasting History

Community Tasting Notes (average 89.5 pts. and median of 90 pts. in 323 notes) - hiding notes with no text

 Tasted by chifred on 12/23/2022 & rated 91 points: No notes. Excellent. Still going strong. (940 views)
 Tasted by stet on 12/11/2022 & rated 92 points: Color: medium ruby with slight bricking, color right to the rim
Nose: mature red fruit at the forefront, with cherry mostly. Wet soil and mushroom, and a little mint. It's still quite primary but the fruit has a slight hint of raisin to it that tells of this being no spring chicken
Palate: medium body, medium-high acidity, pretty lively medium-high tannins. Noticeable alcohol. Confirms the nose mostly, with a little more blue fruit
Finish: medium-long

This is a very nice chianti approaching maturity. It still has vigor both in the fruit and the structure, no reason to believe this can't go a while still. It's enjoyable now, and a great food companion. Had after 1h open, cool room temp, no noticeable decline at all while drinking over 2h (956 views)
 Tasted by chifred on 9/30/2022 & rated 91 points: Nose with forest, hint blue/red fruit. Good acid, minimal tannins, very smooth with nice finish. Still going strong. Beautiful. (1099 views)
 Tasted by mike410 on 7/10/2022 & rated 91 points: Nice dark color, and no bricking. Still drinking very well. (1391 views)
 Tasted by Oenecnist on 2/27/2022: Bought 6b for 18/b from a local independent shop 10 years ago; this is #2. Decanted with normal sediment for its age. Medium purple; mature black cherry, black plum, some oak; mature red fruits, very good mouthfeel. Delicious and glad to have more. Stored horizontally in a cool, dark basement since purchase. Quality, age, price: Notable+. (1364 views)
 Tasted by Shapnyc on 12/29/2021 & rated 89 points: A real surprise. It took 24 hours to open but softened beautifully still a touch tannic but quite drinkable with chicken parm. For such a bottle and considering its age this was a gift. (972 views)
 Tasted by Kentw on 1/29/2021 & rated 91 points: My last bottle. Consistent profile to prior years, just a bit softer with the added age. A very good producer with age-worthy wines at a reasonable price point. (1650 views)
 Tasted by no leashes on 8/30/2020 & rated 90 points: Dark red fruit, spice and tobacco flavors. Beautiful with red meat sauce. Sadly, last bottle. (1577 views)
 Tasted by dlumley on 7/30/2020: drink by should be 2020 (1379 views)
 Tasted by trumpet60201 on 4/28/2020 & rated 94 points: One of the best Chiantis I have had. Full bodied, lovely mouthfeel, some syrah-like elements. Outstanding wine. Amazing qpr. (1720 views)
 Tasted by Josch48 on 4/23/2020 & rated 90 points: Brick orange at the rim in the glass with violet and dusty red fruit and sweet Sangiovese leather in the nose. Soft on the palate with nicely dried fruit flavors and a remembrance of cleansing tannins along with a complementary acid component culminating in a tail of Tuscan earthiness and dried cherry on the finish. These wines, especially given the price point, are remarkable in their longevity and consistency. This is our oldest vintage and as usual, not disappointing. Who says senior citizens have nothing to contribute. (1430 views)
 Tasted by mike410 on 8/26/2019 & rated 91 points: Still drinking well. Good balance and medium finish. Still has at least 3 years at its peak. No bricking whatsoever. (1474 views)
 Tasted by Baylorwine on 3/6/2019 & rated 91 points: Nails it every year. Reliable CCR that always delivers value. (1589 views)
 Tasted by joet626 on 2/10/2019 & rated 91 points: Very good. Smooth. Little bit of fruit. Liked it!! (1580 views)
 Tasted by winemaker on 10/31/2018 & rated 91 points: Lovely cherry fruit. Love this wine. Nice grip. Sappy. Long finish. Last bottle. Amazing QPR. I only paid $15.68 a bottle for these! (1759 views)
 Tasted by EhrlichDY on 4/20/2018: This bottle was less pleasurable than a bottle of 2008 that I recently enjoyed. Dark and brooding with rustic tannin and acid. It’s surprising to me that the 2008 was more open than the 2007. I’d give this one more time to come around and hope for the best. I always find it difficult to asses what lies underneath but I’m hopeful based on my recent experience with the 2008. (2580 views)
 Tasted by Brad T on 4/3/2018 & rated 84 points: Didn’t really live up to the promise of a decent 11 year old Chianti Classico, but quite disappointing for a Riserva because whatever discernible varietal flavors might have been here are masked by moderately astringent and mightily unpleasant unresolved tannins that are not going to soften so don’t hold out hope any longer because like this sentence it will never go anywhere yet I have to say it’s a very pretty bottle so maybe take this juice out the cellar and put it somewhere that pretty yellow pictures can be admired as long as a glass and bottle opener are nowhere in sight. Not exactly like Roundup but weed control potential is promising. (2197 views)
 Tasted by VoVo on 2/13/2018 & rated 86 points: Not for the faint of heart! This is a big wine with nice color and body. We think the fruit is diminished due to age, so drink up. This is a big Chianti, but not tannic. It competed with a bitter greens and mushroom pasta. It’d go better with a milder pasta or chicken. (1816 views)
 Tasted by Champagneinhand on 1/11/2018: Found a hidden bottle of this in the cellar. At 10 years Old it was dated. Not terrible but shut down and not showing anywhere near it’s best. Some fruit as the air got into it. Some leftover tannin and mushrooms. It went okay with pizza but I won’t be holding any of Monsanto CCR longer than 5 years. It’s a good value CCR but not good for longer term aging. (2590 views)
 Tasted by Ken332 on 9/1/2017 & rated 86 points: First had this bottling of Chianti in 2012 and I have generally considered it an 89-90 point wine. However, last year, I reduced my evaluation of this wine because of some mile oxidation and fruit loss. This wine is still good, but should be drunk up in the next year or so. (2835 views)
 Tasted by Kentw on 8/12/2017 & rated 90 points: Similar to last note. Smooth and dry with a touch of dirt . Pleasant drinker with or without food. Probably peaking or just past peak. Friends enjoyed it. (2432 views)
 Tasted by winemaker on 4/28/2017 & rated 90 points: Drinking well. Needed a bit of air to open up. Nose is mostly black cherry and minerals. Fruit has softened a bit as have the acids. Still has nice grip. (2970 views)
 Tasted by mcromain1021 on 3/17/2017 & rated 87 points: My thoughts are similar with other notes already posted. This was someone muted in nose and body. I'd call it medium bodied, tannins have mellowed quite a bit, but still there in mid-palate. I liked this, but not sure if I would have waited longer this would have gotten any better. (3130 views)
 Tasted by Seafoam Manor on 3/10/2017 & rated 87 points: Deep garnet in color, but just barely... is deceptively ruby a thing? The nose is heavy with damp earth notes and the fruit notes are probably closer to on the vine tomatoes, with some dried cherries. On the palate, this is very tertiary, with mushroom, tobacco and a bit of leather, but it mixes in a bit of sweet cherry and a little tomato. Secondary notes of pepper and cedar. The finish is a little clipped, with lingering, grainy tannins. The medium+ acid keeps this vibrant. Complex for a $17 wine, if you like some dirt and funk, but maybe past its prime.

With a few hours of air, both the red fruit and tannin became more pronounced. Maybe this could blossom a bit in the future? (3048 views)
 Tasted by Seafoam Manor on 1/24/2017: This was an off bottle. It seemed like it might have been cooked somewhere along the line. I'm not entirely certain if that was the culprit, but it just wasn't right. (2482 views)
 Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine...

Professional 'Channels'
By Sara d'Amato
WineAlign (3/30/2012)
(Monsanto Chianti Classico Riserva red) Subscribe to see review text.
By David Lawrason
WineAlign (3/28/2012)
(Monsanto Chianti Classico Riserva red) Subscribe to see review text.
By John Szabo, MS
WineAlign (3/20/2012)
(Monsanto Chianti Classico Riserva red) Subscribe to see review text.
By John Gilman
View From the Cellar, May/Jun 2011, Issue #33, Brunello di Montalcino- Where Has the Magic Gone?
(Chianti “Classico” Riserva- Castello di Monsanto) Login and sign up and see review text.
By Ian D'Agata
Vinous, July/August 2010, IWC Issue #151
(Castello di Monsanto Chianti Classico Riserva) Subscribe to see review text.
By Walter Speller
JancisRobinson.com (2/24/2010)
(Castello di Monsanto, Riserva Chianti Classico Red) Subscribe to see review text.
By Richard Jennings
RJonWine.com (10/20/2011)
(Castello di Monsanto Chianti Classico Riserva) Dark red violet color; odd, roasted cherry nose; soft, roasted cherry palate; medium finish  86 points
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of WineAlign and View From the Cellar and Vinous and JancisRobinson.com and RJonWine.com. (manage subscription channels)

CellarTracker Wiki Articles (login to edit | view all articles)

Castello di Monsanto

Producer website
Producer Location (Google Maps)

Sangiovese Blend

Sangiovese blend is used in CellarTracker for Italian wines to represent wines predominantly made of Sangiovese and blended with traditional Italian grapes. It is different than SuperTuscan which is a blend of Sangiovese with non-traditional (eg Bordeaux) varieties, often in closer to equal portions. For example, Chianti is at least 80% Sangiovese and will always be listed Sangiovese blend.

Italy

Italian Wines (ItalianMade.com, The Italian Trade Commission) | Italian Wine Guide on the WineDoctor

Tuscany

Tuscany (ItalianMade.com) | Tuscanyt

Chianti

Consorzio Vino Chianti | Chianti (wikipedia)

 
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