February 7, 2021 - Better on the palate, where the wine is nicely expansive, with good persistence and decent acidity. Earthy red & black fruits on the nose. Given the vintage, I would consider this a drink now wine, but if you wanted, it's probably got another 3-5 years in it at this level.
June 21, 2020 - Ripe red fruits on the nose, decent acidity with the red fruits carrying through on the palate. Not the most expansive Chianti, but for the vintage, not bad at all.
January 11, 2020 - Trenger luft, med modne toner, men fortsatt vital og sødmefull rødfrukt, fine tanniner, god struktur, mye stofflighet. Flott Classico på riktig sted, men holder nok noen år til.
January 26, 2018 - Still very good. Acidity has toned down a bit on the last 5 years. Still has mild tannins on the finish, and the strawberry notes with spice overlay when freshly poured. I'll try to drink the remaining bottle this year.
April 25, 2017 - Given 5-6 hours of air, this is beautifully cool strawberry herbal rocky goodness. Simply brilliant Chianti Classico. Mountain nebbiolo? High toned Gevrey or Nuits? Bloodied iron Cornas or Rotie? No, simple CC from Toscana. Amazing.
August 1, 2015 - Special lot with 25 % riserva. Decanted 3 hours. Cherries and forest floor. Charming with sweet and sour cherry fruit. Strong acidity, solid backbone. Fair length. Better nose than palate. Genuine.
January 11, 2015 - Nose of dark fruit, forest floor. Dusty, tart cherry on the palate, along with a little garrigue coming through. Simple, straightforward Chianti Classico leaving something to be desired, but drinkable. Overpriced at $25/bottle (much better offerings at this level).
December 31, 2014 - Translucent ruby in the glass; popped & poured, but the nose is ready for business, with ripe red fruits, baking spices, menthol and a "farmy" scent, but not enough to be described as barnyard. Nice legs.
It hasn't quite knit together on the palate (and I had a similar reaction to my last bottle three months ago) - acidity is still a little dominant here, overriding the sweet & sour cherry fruit.
If the palate ever gets "on the same page" with the nose, we will be in for a real treat.
September 29, 2014 - This is a shade or two lighter at the core than the Rancia; lighter, airier and more red-fruited on the nose.
The acidity is brighter here, and a little shrill. This is also a bottle that was opened on Friday, and it's still not ready for prime time as I sit here 72 hours later. No denying the Rancia is better drinking today (and to be fair, given the price differential, it may always be). I liked this quite a bit on release, so I'm willing to be patient, but if you have it in the cellar, my advice is to wait right now.
February 10, 2014 - Young, needs time to open up. Funky nose, farmyard. Bitter, red fruit. Genuine wine. Drinkable now, but will gain more complexity with a few more years in the cellar. With the Hansen family in Canazei.