Easy wine of the night among three bottles opened to go with a spare rib ragu. It was showing it's age in a very nice way with smooth fruit backed by soil and floral notes and it still had enough stuffing to hold its own with the big flavorful sugo. Greenblanket is happy that he has several more bottles.
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Popped and poured. Vacu-sealed and refrigerated. Drank over about 8 days. From first to last glass consistently good. Mouthful of herbs, cocoa, tart cherry and a hint of brine. Not smooth, but rather succulent and earthy with a note of oyster shell. Very surprised how complex this was and it has at least three to five years of development ahead.
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This is an upside surprise vs. the notes here! Nice dark nose of black cherry and earth with brighter black but sweet and ripe cherry on the palate. Plenty of earthiness and bitters and pleasing, soft tannins. Finishes with a bit of barrel spice.
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Musty nose of stewed red fruit, Christmas fruitcake, cinnamon/baking spices. Flavors of black cherry, blackberry greet the tongue before baking spices, cloves, along with tar hits mid-stride followed some earthy/leather nuances at the end. Tannins pretty much integrated resulting in a silky long finish. Good Sangiovese, mature, but should hold a couple more years, although I would not wait too long as there are signs of the fruit turning.
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A shade darker than the 2012 Castell I just had. The nose here is good, deeper and more "brooding" than the previous wine, with a mix of black & red fruits. A small dash o' funk present to complete the picture.
Somewhat muddled on the palate. Decent acidity, but like the first wine, a little short on the finish. Nothing wrong per se, but the wine doesn't quite deliver on the palate in the same way that the nose "promised".
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App: deep dark purple red Aroma: cherries, leather, Full-bodied with very good acidity and firm tannins. Excellent structure and concentration. Very good length. (90)
Still young, but available. Very enjoyable!
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Another bottle of this, a couple weeks after my last note.
A darker translucent ruby in the glass (although I just opened an Etna Rosso, so virtually any wine looks dark compared to that). Complex nose with an earthiness as well as some aged meat notes.
Light- to medium-bodied, good acidity, ripe red & black fruits. Consistent with my previous note, I don't think this wine is your typical long distance runner from the Rancia vineyard, but it is drinking well right now, so grab this while we all keep waiting for the 2004 to round into shape ;^)
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Translucent ruby in the glass, with a red-fruited nose that is more open today than it was yesterday; some soil notes as well.
Tart red & black fruits on the palate, with decent persistence. I tried a 2008 Rancia a couple weeks ago - probably borders on heresy, but I think I like the CCR better right now. This still shows good structure as well- very drinkable right now.
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Popped and poured over dinner. The flavors were very tight and not well integrated. Took the left overs home and a couple of hours later the wine was singing!
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Still dark purple but with noticeable brown on the rim. Classic Chianti nose of cherry and tobacco, wine delivers similar flavors on the tongue along with saddle leather and faint spice. Quite silky, tannins mostly integrated, medium bodied, medium long finish with plenty of refreshing acidity. Went well with the homemade deep dish pizza with gobs of Marzano tomatoes. Mostly mature but far from done, I'll drink my other bottle by end of 2020.
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Very smooth and well balanced. Better than Banfi, but probably not worth the 100% premium. No doubt about the quality. Great example of Chianti. This would be a fantastic house wine.
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Meh. Frankly, I think it's pretty green/vegetal. Dark red color, reserved nose of cedar and some leather. Certainly smells like a Chianti. Lots of tannins. Just not a winner for me.
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With veal meatballs and long simmered red sauce home cooked by the young chef. This was delicious and structured with solid red fruit and mushroomy earth. I tasted the 2006 last weekend at a party and judge this younger wine to be better. Differences of opinion certainly exist.
I made Sunday gravy so needed a wine to serve and what better wine to pair with macaroni and gravy (pasta and a meat sauce), than Chianti Classico. Nice nose of plum, some walnut notes, and cedar. Good tannic structure; earthy but with a solid core of plums and prunes. Re-corked and tasted the following day. Tannins are still there. Nicely balance wine.
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Much nicer than the age and price point would lead one to expect. Expressive nose of fruit and earth, and lovely, jammy palate backed up by good tannin and long, dry finish. Will probably improve with age, but no harm in drinking it now either.
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Small taste at Dino's. Nose of dark black fruit, plum, blackberry. Palate of black fruit, more modern in style, some tobacco. Finish was average in length, not really enough acidity IMO. Overall an okay wine that was lacking some acidity and structure.
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Ripe dark cherry fruit, with that distinctive sangio earthiness and a bit of oak spice. There's good intensity to the fruit, the oak is well judged and adds a complimentary creamy quality without being overbearing, there's plenty of chewy tannic structure to give the wine a more serious edge. Very nice.
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I'm usually not a big fan of bracing, backwards Felsinas, but this vintage is softer and rounder. However, the nose is muted and yeasty. Plush palate, low acid. Medium-full with some earth and dull, muddled black fruits. I love the texture and mouthfeel here, but complete lack of aromatics indicates this bottle might be off. 88+
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The Italian Wine Masters (Metropolitan Pavilion): The nose showed dusty cherries and undergrowth. On the palate, it was lean yet focused and structured with pure red fruits. The finish showed sour berries and drying structure. This wine simply needed more time and should show beautifully with two or three years in the cellar.
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8/9/2021 - greenblanket Likes this wine:
Easy wine of the night among three bottles opened to go with a spare rib ragu. It was showing it's age in a very nice way with smooth fruit backed by soil and floral notes and it still had enough stuffing to hold its own with the big flavorful sugo. Greenblanket is happy that he has several more bottles.
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5/15/2021 - guitarkim Likes this wine: 91 Points
Again a nice showing from this wine. It has gained more complexity since my last bottle four years ago.
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2/5/2020 - SMagowan Likes this wine: 92 Points
Popped and poured. Vacu-sealed and refrigerated. Drank over about 8 days. From first to last glass consistently good. Mouthful of herbs, cocoa, tart cherry and a hint of brine. Not smooth, but rather succulent and earthy with a note of oyster shell. Very surprised how complex this was and it has at least three to five years of development ahead.
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10/31/2019 - diggydan wrote: 93 Points
Delicious again. I have a little darker perception of the fruit than a few months ago.
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6/30/2019 - diggydan wrote: 94 Points
This is an upside surprise vs. the notes here! Nice dark nose of black cherry and earth with brighter black but sweet and ripe cherry on the palate. Plenty of earthiness and bitters and pleasing, soft tannins. Finishes with a bit of barrel spice.
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2/8/2019 - Andrew H wrote: 88 Points
Dark red, some sediment. Well integrated. Leather and pencil shaving, a hint of ripe cherry. Some licorice and oak on finish.
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12/22/2018 - Andrew H wrote: 89 Points
Deep reddish-purple. Leather and anise dominate nose, with some ripe black cherry. Lingering tannins keep it chewy and a tad austere.
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9/2/2018 - SchlaepDog Likes this wine: 92 Points
Musty nose of stewed red fruit, Christmas fruitcake, cinnamon/baking spices. Flavors of black cherry, blackberry greet the tongue before baking spices, cloves, along with tar hits mid-stride followed some earthy/leather nuances at the end. Tannins pretty much integrated resulting in a silky long finish. Good Sangiovese, mature, but should hold a couple more years, although I would not wait too long as there are signs of the fruit turning.
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12/23/2017 - Bob H wrote:
A shade darker than the 2012 Castell I just had. The nose here is good, deeper and more "brooding" than the previous wine, with a mix of black & red fruits. A small dash o' funk present to complete the picture.
Somewhat muddled on the palate. Decent acidity, but like the first wine, a little short on the finish. Nothing wrong per se, but the wine doesn't quite deliver on the palate in the same way that the nose "promised".
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10/24/2017 - guitarkim Likes this wine: 90 Points
App: deep dark purple red
Aroma: cherries, leather,
Full-bodied with very good acidity and firm tannins. Excellent structure and concentration.
Very good length. (90)
Still young, but available. Very enjoyable!
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9/4/2017 - Bob H wrote:
Another bottle of this, a couple weeks after my last note.
A darker translucent ruby in the glass (although I just opened an Etna Rosso, so virtually any wine looks dark compared to that). Complex nose with an earthiness as well as some aged meat notes.
Light- to medium-bodied, good acidity, ripe red & black fruits. Consistent with my previous note, I don't think this wine is your typical long distance runner from the Rancia vineyard, but it is drinking well right now, so grab this while we all keep waiting for the 2004 to round into shape ;^)
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8/18/2017 - Bob H wrote:
From a bottle opened last night.
Translucent ruby in the glass, with a red-fruited nose that is more open today than it was yesterday; some soil notes as well.
Tart red & black fruits on the palate, with decent persistence. I tried a 2008 Rancia a couple weeks ago - probably borders on heresy, but I think I like the CCR better right now. This still shows good structure as well- very drinkable right now.
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7/30/2017 - wynnewood500 Likes this wine:
Popped and poured over dinner. The flavors were very tight and not well integrated. Took the left overs home and a couple of hours later the wine was singing!
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6/29/2017 - SchlaepDog Likes this wine: 91 Points
Still dark purple but with noticeable brown on the rim. Classic Chianti nose of cherry and tobacco, wine delivers similar flavors on the tongue along with saddle leather and faint spice. Quite silky, tannins mostly integrated, medium bodied, medium long finish with plenty of refreshing acidity. Went well with the homemade deep dish pizza with gobs of Marzano tomatoes. Mostly mature but far from done, I'll drink my other bottle by end of 2020.
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4/29/2017 - Bob H wrote:
From a bottle originally opened last night.
Color is a dark ruby at the core, lightening out to translucence at the rim. Ripe red fruits and an earthy note on the nose.
Light-bodied, somewhat dilute, but with fresh flavors and nice energy. Pleasant enough, but not a wine that will get much better, IMO.
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6/19/2015 - ATL wrote:
As nice as ever. Great value. Drink or hold.
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2/1/2015 - ATL wrote:
Very nice - lots of initial fruit but long dry finish. Drink or hold.
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9/21/2014 - Winedog1 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Very smooth and well balanced. Better than Banfi, but probably not worth the 100% premium. No doubt about the quality. Great example of Chianti. This would be a fantastic house wine.
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5/8/2014 - Tad GW Likes this wine: 89 Points
50+5+11+16+7=89
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11/14/2013 - cliffo41 wrote: 84 Points
Meh. Frankly, I think it's pretty green/vegetal. Dark red color, reserved nose of cedar and some leather. Certainly smells like a Chianti. Lots of tannins. Just not a winner for me.
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10/3/2013 - RussK wrote: 91 Points
Russk. Stacole tasting at Rubell. In the zone. 91+
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9/30/2013 - greenblanket wrote:
With veal meatballs and long simmered red sauce home cooked by the young chef. This was delicious and structured with solid red fruit and mushroomy earth. I tasted the 2006 last weekend at a party and judge this younger wine to be better. Differences of opinion certainly exist.
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9/8/2013 - yofog wrote: 91 Points
Keeps with the style of the non-riserva, but much more structured and in need of rest, as well as being finer.
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9/4/2013 - lolo66 wrote:
a disappointing bottle. Too much oak. Not integrating over several days. Not for me
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6/22/2013 - mclanew wrote: 89 Points
Powerful and tannic for a chianti reserva. This will probably be better in a couple years. Cherry, tar, licorice.
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3/22/2013 - laralh wrote: 87 Points
Kirsebær, lær og lakris. Fortsetter med et hint av grapefrukt. Snerper bra, medium lengde og fylde. Etter 1,5 time i dekanteren.
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3/3/2013 - t_moderne wrote: 88 Points
I made Sunday gravy so needed a wine to serve and what better wine to pair with macaroni and gravy (pasta and a meat sauce), than Chianti Classico. Nice nose of plum, some walnut notes, and cedar. Good tannic structure; earthy but with a solid core of plums and prunes.
Re-corked and tasted the following day. Tannins are still there. Nicely balance wine.
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1/14/2013 - ATL wrote:
Much nicer than the age and price point would lead one to expect. Expressive nose of fruit and earth, and lovely, jammy palate backed up by good tannin and long, dry finish. Will probably improve with age, but no harm in drinking it now either.
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11/20/2012 - manonthemoon wrote: 84 Points
Small taste at Dino's.
Nose of dark black fruit, plum, blackberry.
Palate of black fruit, more modern in style, some tobacco.
Finish was average in length, not really enough acidity IMO.
Overall an okay wine that was lacking some acidity and structure.
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8/2/2012 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
More rye than cherry (reversed on the basic CC), still very tight and structured. Well done to say the least.
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6/4/2012 - coremill wrote: 90 Points
Ripe dark cherry fruit, with that distinctive sangio earthiness and a bit of oak spice. There's good intensity to the fruit, the oak is well judged and adds a complimentary creamy quality without being overbearing, there's plenty of chewy tannic structure to give the wine a more serious edge. Very nice.
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4/12/2012 - shaftlet wrote: 88 Points
I'm usually not a big fan of bracing, backwards Felsinas, but this vintage is softer and rounder. However, the nose is muted and yeasty. Plush palate, low acid. Medium-full with some earth and dull, muddled black fruits. I love the texture and mouthfeel here, but complete lack of aromatics indicates this bottle might be off. 88+
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2/7/2012 - Eric Guido Likes this wine: 89 Points
The Italian Wine Masters (Metropolitan Pavilion): The nose showed dusty cherries and undergrowth. On the palate, it was lean yet focused and structured with pure red fruits. The finish showed sour berries and drying structure. This wine simply needed more time and should show beautifully with two or three years in the cellar.
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