Served to the family by Lori and Vinny T. at their Thanksgiving table. Had a glass full from each of two bottles. Notes similar to last year. Wine is not showing much fruit or aroma on the nose as well as he palate. In addition, although the dolor remains vibrant there is now an oxidative quality. Anyone holding this wine in their cellar should drink up and hope for the best.
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Was served at Vinny and Lori's Christmas Eve family dinner. Had a full glass this time. Impression is the same as when served for Thanksgiving. The wine seems to have given up the ghost. Not much fruit, structure or texture. Seems that Ruffino is styling their wine with the intention that it be enjoyed shortly after release.
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had a few sips at lori and vinny's thanksgiving day party. when first opened, the wine was pretty flat. the wine developed a little bit with air but never really showed much fruit or body. appears to be past peak drinking window.
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If you are unsure what Chianti to purchase, this is always consistently good. Light, well balanced and perfect with virtually any Italian dish. The wine looks ruby colored. The legs are medium. There is no sediment in the bottle. It smells like black pepper and red currant.
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Dark garnet/crimson color turning rust at the rim with a transparent edge. The nose gives off a rich earthy, leathery character to the dark berries with hints of dried roasted mushroom. The palate is aptly structured, needing some room to gain complexity through breathing. There are underlying flavors of tobacco, meat, black tea and dusty earth that linger all the way to the long, persistent finish. This is very traditional in character and true to form for this maker. Drink now with a 30-minute decant until 2025.
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The drinking window is in fact ending, but nothing similar to what was said on previous notes. This is still very nice! I does needed 1h of air to open up, but than it turned into a very good wine. Drink now.
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Tastes past its drinking window, at least from the half bottle. Tastes old and tired, like the drinking window closed in 2014. Couldn't drink more than a small glass of it. A waste of money.
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Med red with thin garnet edge. Slightly floral, along with sour cherry. Silky feel, with spicy finish. Flavours of cherry, wood, tabaco. Harmonious and soft.
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This a chianti on the serious side, more character and structure and not as light and fruity as some might expect from Chianti. But very nice and sophisticated and well structured. We always find this an enjoyable wine. Grade: A-.
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13.5% - Clear, med to deep ruby with a slightly bricking hue/ clean, med+ intensity - blackberries, cherries, plum, tobacco, leather, floral notes retro-olfaction / dry, med+ acidity, med body with fleshy tannin, med intensity and length.
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A lot of personality on this chianti. Intense perfume of wild flowers with blackberries, bacon, leather and spices. After some rest, it opened up into a powerful attack of savory flavors, specially smoked meat. Medium body, very refreshing and sufficiently harmonic. Finishes with an exotic mix of spices, smoked cheese and tobacco. Due to its aggressiveness, this is not an easy drink.
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2010 Chianti Classico's and a couple of others; 11/19/2014-11/20/2014 (Chris H's home): Another wine that people seem to dismiss because it is so ubiquitous. More than solid, this was outstanding. The nose is very tight on opening. With air it shows cherries and sandalwood. Perhaps some menthol too. On the palate, lots of tannins. Dusty, juicy cherries and some spice. Nice backbone of acidity. Needs a couple of years I think but drinking well today.
Translucent red cherry color. Somewhat restrained but nicely fragrant nose with aromas of sweet red cherries, some perfumed floral character, a little bit of leather and a hint of savory wood. The wine feels relatively light and delicate on the palate with elegant flavors of sour cherries, dusty earth, some fresh red fruits, a little bit of savory wood and a hint of savory dark fruits. Overall the wine feels pretty balanced with its moderately high alcohol and lightly grippy tannins. The finish is dry and delicate with mediumlong and rather simple flavors of cherry-driven red fruits, some stony minerality and a hint of dusty earth.
A light and delicate Chianti Classico. Overall a pretty easy-and-early-drinking effort for the style; this feels more like slightly more serious regular-level Chianti than anything you'd expect for a Chianti Classico Riserva. If served blind, it would be easy to guess that this is a Tuscan Sangiovese, but I'd never guess it was a Chianti Classico Riserva. This is just too light and straightforward for such. Not really a wine I'd buy to age. Good and pretty tasty, but nothing memorable. Not really worth the price at 20€.
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Medium dark red. Excellent Sangiovese varietal character with richness too. Tannin is soft. Very enjoyable today. 80% Sangiovese and balance merlot and cab sauv.
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The wine looks tawny colored. The legs are fast. There is light sediment in the bottle. It smells like light toast and bark. It tastes like blackberry and sherry. The body is light/medium. The wine has smooth texture. The wine finishes medium. The wine has low acidity.
This is easy to drink...much lighter than I anticipated. Would have preferred a longer finish and more tannin.
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Very fruit forward, with minimal acidity for a classic CC. Typical cherry flavors, with secondary notes of tobacco and a bit of baking spice. You could sit on this a for a few years to develop the secondary notes.
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Had a glass of this after Caymus and Burgess glasses of cab. This didn't hold it's on, but it was solid enough I suppose. The depth wasn't what I would hope, but this was well-rounded and fleshy for an old world wine.
I agree with the last couple of notes. Price is high for somewhat simple style - but the whole package is in balance, smooth and tasty enough to enjoy solo and with light or heavier fare. Will hold in cellar for awhile, but don't thing this will age or improve much going forward.
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Bright garnet with a salmon rim. Reserved nose with rusty, bloody notes along with spice and strawberry, sour cherry undercurrents. Mid weight, tight and well focused. Good, refreshing acidity with some herbal tang and a bitter end.
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Ruby red in color. Medium legs. I was a bit apprehensive about this one, given the average reviews I've seen. First glass was quite smooth, with hints of tobacco and leather. Should drink just fine with little decanting.
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Blind tasted. Orange-pink rim, mod plus viscosity. Dark cherry, leather, tea leaf. High tannins, mod plus alcohol, acidity. I guessed Barbaresco. Not a fan in general of this wine.
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10/1/2020 - BcDuncan Likes this wine: 90 Points
This wine was great. Very smooth, great flavour
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5/4/2020 - KVM wrote: 83 Points
Cherry, earthy and a little cheese in the nose. Soft, attractive, simple and clean in the mouth. Probably near its peak, given the fleeting finish.
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3/6/2020 - Rudolph Schmidt wrote:
Enjoyed from a double Magnum. The wine is becoming a ghost. Flavors are on the verge of slipping into nothingness.
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12/25/2017 - Chef419 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Loved this wine. Brick red with aromas and tastes of black cherry, vanilla and a hint of spice. Very smooth with a medium finish.
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11/23/2017 - bacchus wrote: 84 Points
Served to the family by Lori and Vinny T. at their Thanksgiving table. Had a glass full from each of two bottles. Notes similar to last year. Wine is not showing much fruit or aroma on the nose as well as he palate. In addition, although the dolor remains vibrant there is now an oxidative quality. Anyone holding this wine in their cellar should drink up and hope for the best.
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10/16/2017 - Mtnmd1 wrote:
Fading. Sour notes, thin.
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12/24/2016 - bacchus wrote: 86 Points
Was served at Vinny and Lori's Christmas Eve family dinner. Had a full glass this time. Impression is the same as when served for Thanksgiving. The wine seems to have given up the ghost. Not much fruit, structure or texture. Seems that Ruffino is styling their wine with the intention that it be enjoyed shortly after release.
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12/10/2016 - yaCellar Likes this wine: 90 Points
Others called this dead but I disagree. Rich cherry and flowers, acid shows finesse. Fading, yes, though drinking well.
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11/24/2016 - bacchus wrote: 86 Points
had a few sips at lori and vinny's thanksgiving day party. when first opened, the wine was pretty flat. the wine developed a little bit with air but never really showed much fruit or body. appears to be past peak drinking window.
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9/29/2016 - YackAttack213 wrote:
3.5*
Black currant, pleasant lingering heat from alcohol, light, not spicy. Good.
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9/12/2016 - NJWINELOVERS Likes this wine:
If you are unsure what Chianti to purchase, this is always consistently good. Light, well balanced and perfect with virtually any Italian dish.
The wine looks ruby colored. The legs are medium. There is no sediment in the bottle. It smells like black pepper and red currant.
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6/6/2016 - Life At Your Leisure 🍷 wrote: 89 Points
Dark garnet/crimson color turning rust at the rim with a transparent edge. The nose gives off a rich earthy, leathery character to the dark berries with hints of dried roasted mushroom. The palate is aptly structured, needing some room to gain complexity through breathing. There are underlying flavors of tobacco, meat, black tea and dusty earth that linger all the way to the long, persistent finish. This is very traditional in character and true to form for this maker. Drink now with a 30-minute decant until 2025.
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5/7/2016 - thomasjelle Does not like this wine: flawed
This bottle was gone, brown/orange redcolor, waterlike consistence
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2/1/2016 - KVM wrote:
Medium dark red. Subtle, soft. Ready now.
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1/7/2016 - ThalesGaspar Likes this wine: 88 Points
The drinking window is in fact ending, but nothing similar to what was said on previous notes. This is still very nice! I does needed 1h of air to open up, but than it turned into a very good wine. Drink now.
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12/31/2015 - H2OMansLibrary Does not like this wine: 78 Points
Thin, without much flavor. Glad I don't have any more in my cellar. My 15 year old son says it tastes like water. That's pretty bad.
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12/29/2015 - Ombibulous wrote:
Tastes past its drinking window, at least from the half bottle. Tastes old and tired, like the drinking window closed in 2014. Couldn't drink more than a small glass of it. A waste of money.
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12/29/2015 - hermann wrote:
ok
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12/24/2015 - hermann wrote: 85 Points
Uninspiring - drinks like a $12 weekday bottle. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but it lacks fruit & finish.
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7/25/2015 - KVM wrote:
Med red with thin garnet edge. Slightly floral, along with sour cherry. Silky feel, with spicy finish. Flavours of cherry, wood, tabaco. Harmonious and soft.
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7/18/2015 - Siv og Kjell Likes this wine: 80 Points
Det var på tide å drikke den
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7/12/2015 - Brendel Likes this wine: 90 Points
This a chianti on the serious side, more character and structure and not as light and fruity as some might expect from Chianti. But very nice and sophisticated and well structured. We always find this an enjoyable wine. Grade: A-.
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5/21/2015 - ScottGoodwin Likes this wine: 89 Points
Nice red fruited CCR. Improved over several days. Scorched earth. Fine grained tannins. There was a pleasant element of fennel on the mid-palate.
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5/19/2015 - rdm1235 Likes this wine: 86 Points
13.5%. Smooth, balanced
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1/18/2015 - vinnyg wrote:
Very light. Neera didn't like
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1/18/2015 - vinnyg wrote:
Very light. Neera didn't like
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1/16/2015 - cmiller wrote: 88 Points
Still rather harsh; not very integrated.
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12/18/2014 - Apalten Does not like this wine:
The description made it sound very flavorful but I found it dull.
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12/13/2014 - SiR wrote: 88 Points
13.5% - Clear, med to deep ruby with a slightly bricking hue/ clean, med+ intensity - blackberries, cherries, plum, tobacco, leather, floral notes retro-olfaction / dry, med+ acidity, med body with fleshy tannin, med intensity and length.
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11/27/2014 - kbcadeponei wrote: 92 Points
A lot of personality on this chianti. Intense perfume of wild flowers with blackberries, bacon, leather and spices. After some rest, it opened up into a powerful attack of savory flavors, specially smoked meat. Medium body, very refreshing and sufficiently harmonic. Finishes with an exotic mix of spices, smoked cheese and tobacco. Due to its aggressiveness, this is not an easy drink.
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11/19/2014 - Loren Sonkin wrote: 91 Points
2010 Chianti Classico's and a couple of others; 11/19/2014-11/20/2014 (Chris H's home): Another wine that people seem to dismiss because it is so ubiquitous. More than solid, this was outstanding. The nose is very tight on opening. With air it shows cherries and sandalwood. Perhaps some menthol too. On the palate, lots of tannins. Dusty, juicy cherries and some spice. Nice backbone of acidity. Needs a couple of years I think but drinking well today.
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11/2/2014 - KVM wrote: 86 Points
Dark. Fresh cherries. Some almond bitterness and a little Italian cheese.
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9/17/2014 - forceberry wrote: 85 Points
Translucent red cherry color. Somewhat restrained but nicely fragrant nose with aromas of sweet red cherries, some perfumed floral character, a little bit of leather and a hint of savory wood. The wine feels relatively light and delicate on the palate with elegant flavors of sour cherries, dusty earth, some fresh red fruits, a little bit of savory wood and a hint of savory dark fruits. Overall the wine feels pretty balanced with its moderately high alcohol and lightly grippy tannins. The finish is dry and delicate with mediumlong and rather simple flavors of cherry-driven red fruits, some stony minerality and a hint of dusty earth.
A light and delicate Chianti Classico. Overall a pretty easy-and-early-drinking effort for the style; this feels more like slightly more serious regular-level Chianti than anything you'd expect for a Chianti Classico Riserva. If served blind, it would be easy to guess that this is a Tuscan Sangiovese, but I'd never guess it was a Chianti Classico Riserva. This is just too light and straightforward for such. Not really a wine I'd buy to age. Good and pretty tasty, but nothing memorable. Not really worth the price at 20€.
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8/31/2014 - KVM wrote: 86 Points
Medium dark red. Excellent Sangiovese varietal character with richness too. Tannin is soft. Very enjoyable today. 80% Sangiovese and balance merlot and cab sauv.
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8/29/2014 - alfaverde Likes this wine: 89 Points
A good everyday chianti. Pairs well with a large variety of foods including the usual red sauce and pasta fare. Cheers!
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8/27/2014 - Nate_G Likes this wine: 88 Points
The wine looks tawny colored. The legs are fast. There is light sediment in the bottle. It smells like light toast and bark. It tastes like blackberry and sherry. The body is light/medium. The wine has smooth texture. The wine finishes medium. The wine has low acidity.
This is easy to drink...much lighter than I anticipated. Would have preferred a longer finish and more tannin.
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7/20/2014 - urban_dk wrote: 88 Points
Very fruit forward, with minimal acidity for a classic CC. Typical cherry flavors, with secondary notes of tobacco and a bit of baking spice. You could sit on this a for a few years to develop the secondary notes.
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7/14/2014 - mike410 wrote: 87 Points
Average run of the mill Chianti Classico. Nothing special here.
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5/29/2014 - RandomCoil wrote: 88 Points
Had a glass of this after Caymus and Burgess glasses of cab. This didn't hold it's on, but it was solid enough I suppose. The depth wasn't what I would hope, but this was well-rounded and fleshy for an old world wine.
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5/14/2014 - YWG Wine Guy Likes this wine: 89 Points
I agree with the last couple of notes. Price is high for somewhat simple style - but the whole package is in balance, smooth and tasty enough to enjoy solo and with light or heavier fare. Will hold in cellar for awhile, but don't thing this will age or improve much going forward.
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4/20/2014 - Umay Ceviker wrote: 88 Points
Bright garnet with a salmon rim. Reserved nose with rusty, bloody notes along with spice and strawberry, sour cherry undercurrents. Mid weight, tight and well focused. Good, refreshing acidity with some herbal tang and a bitter end.
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3/14/2014 - wrmccall Likes this wine: 89 Points
Very smooth and had nice fruit flavors. Unfortunately I expected more at this price point
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2/23/2014 - mpholiday Likes this wine: 89 Points
Ruby red in color. Medium legs. I was a bit apprehensive about this one, given the average reviews I've seen. First glass was quite smooth, with hints of tobacco and leather. Should drink just fine with little decanting.
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1/27/2014 - GTFreek wrote:
Blind tasted. Orange-pink rim, mod plus viscosity. Dark cherry, leather, tea leaf. High tannins, mod plus alcohol, acidity. I guessed Barbaresco. Not a fan in general of this wine.
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1/1/2014 - Robwild Likes this wine: 88 Points
Nice medium bodied. Nose of cherries and berries. Smooth and approachable. Medium finish. Mild tannins. A nice, reliable Chianti.
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12/24/2013 - samperez134 wrote:
Drank at the Fitch's home
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12/7/2013 - Outplaying wrote: flawed
AWS White Clay Chapter - Chianti (Wilmington, Wilmington): Corked. TCA.
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