Bill's bottle. Garnet edges but not much fade, overall impressive appearance that does not suggest a wine nearly 30 years old. Aromatic and classic nose of dark cherries notes with a hint of raisin and sandalwood. Long finish. An outstanding showing.
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Seems I last opened and noted a bottle of this a few years ago. That bottle was at peak maturity. This one, with good fill and very sound cork, perhaps a bit past peak. Some browning; a plummy, sweetish nose, perhaps VA. Soft on the palate, tannins nowhere in the picture and acidity just enough to keep it lively. Still pleasant enough, in an earthy sort of way, and perfectly alright with a woodsy porcini risotto. Fruit is not a strong element here, however. It’s an old soldier.
But as my prior note said, expect some bottle variation at this age! Drink up; some may surprise on the upside, some in the other direction.
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Coravin sample tasted immediately after pour. Mature tertiary notes with figgy sweetness. Smooth resolved tannin with good fruit levels left. Good until the mid palate but then it tips over the edge into a metallic finish. Gets better with an hour of air...?
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A courtesy of a good friend. Bottle #16057. The wine still has good fruit. Medium- to full-bodied cherry, chocolate, tobacco, spice and earthy notes, with fresh acidity and very good length of the dry finish. The tannin is still present, and even seems a little rustic at first, but becomes round and well-behaved after only a few minutes of aeration. Medium complex, with great concentration. Bottles stored in perfect conditions should be good for at least another ten years. A great Chianti!
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Good level. Medium Full body. There’s bricking well into the wine, but it still has a bright and vibrant look about it with plenty of red and orange glints. We gently decanted it for about an hour which helped the nose open up and it improved over the following couple of hours, there’s plenty of life here yet. There’s balsamic and soy notes, bovril and plenty of dark cherry fruit, there’s some medium fine tannin left, it’s all cut through with lovely cleansing acidity, just a rasp of tannin on the end of the finish shows any coarseness, but that’s being really picky. The kind of wine you want to share over a dinner table with friends over a few hours.
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Opened with some trepidation that I had waited too long to break into a half dozen purchased on release - we’re pushing the 30 year envelope here. But no worries. The color is a healthy ruby, pale at the rim. The nose features mushroom, soy, smoke, blueberries and blackberries, a bit of morello cherry. On the palate, soft and silky, sappy with a sweet mid-palate, just enough acidity and fine grained finishing tannin to leave an impression of freshness. Seemingly at a plateau, I’d guess this will continue to be interesting and pleasurable drinking for another 5 to 10 years, although I imagine at this age bottles may vary considerably.
A very nice surprise; and just perfect with a creamy/cheesy, slightly over the top risotto with saffron and porcini.
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Two bottles drunk in one week. Big bottle variation now. One bottle was very weak and lean. The second one better, but far from the sensation of some bottles in the past. Lost its fruit and turns to a austere apearance. On decline. Drink up.
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Bottle #16041. In perfect condition. The wine was medium to dark garnet in colour and threw some sediment. It had a nice, mature Sangiovese nose of earthy notes, lots of spice and some tobacco. On the palate the dry, medium- to full-bodied wine showed red fruit, red cherry, earth, tobacco and spices, with high, lively acidity, round, well-integrated tannin and superb length. The balanced, medium-complex, very concentrated wine drank well. Its length and its great concentration stood out. Bottles like this, stored under ideal conditions, should be good for another ten to fifteen years. A great Chianti!
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After 22 years in my cellar and some strange bottles (very tannic in the nineties and one flawed bottle in 2010) this was overwhelming. 24 hours in an opened, re-corked and chilled bottle this wine opened up after half an hour in the glass. Big wine with no sign of decline. Still lively, firm, rather bold, with great length and a typical, beautiful mature scent and flavour (licorice, Cherries etc.) . This Chianti Rufina blows away a lot of wines from Tuscany and left-Bank-Bordeaux in this legendary vintage. I would recommend to decant this for 2-3 hours before drinking. Bottle variation could be frustrating.
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From magnum - bricking dark red violet color; mature, dried berry, mushroom nose; tasty, tart black fruit, dried blackberry, dried berry palate with medium acidity; medium-plus finish
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LI Blind at Dodici. Matched with a hideously corked Monsanto Il Poggio of same vintage. This more than made up for that misfortune. Stellar bottle with youthful fruit and an amazing cornucopia of more more mature aromas and flavors. It screamed zestful life!
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Aromas are very much like a tincture of anise and fennel. Smells like charcoal and blackberries covering hot lava rocks. It's actually quite lovely. Throw a slab of meat on those lava rocks too. Very earthy, soily, and volcanic driven. Nice. Soft and spicy palate, with similar flavors. Very soft, smooth, lovely texture on the palate. Some tartness, some acid, and some tannins nicely integrated on the finish, which tastes more mature. Some of that fennel and tar flavors are on the finish. Quite a bit of tannins remain after successive sips. Nice earthy flavors, but I kind of wish for a bit more fruit notes throughout. Still, pretty enjoyable.
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Quite some browning at the rim, with the nose being somewhat meaty/feral/smoky.
On the palate the fruit takes the background to the feral (presumably brett related) elements, yet the wine still offers interest, a degree of balance and complexity. Acidity supports well and there are surprisingly tight tea-like tannins.
Overall though, over mature and I presume in many people's eyes, flawed. Doesn't stop it being interesting or enjoyable though.
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13.5% A mature, even old nose - it's all quite secondary, redolent of a cedary cigar box that's had cherries and plums stored in it. Gorgeous palate. This is fully mature and initially feeling very integrated. But then there's a really very firm tannic structure and - on the finish - an almost bracing acidity, especially on the finish, on the tip of the tongue. The fruit is now really fairly secondary, but there's certainly rush to drink this up. Butter makes everything taste better ... and that includes this wine. The fat really cuts the tannins/ This would have been better with a nice rib eye than with a lean game bird. My mistake. When the mouth's got a bit of a fat coating, this seems much more Chianti-like and actually younger. It's quite remarkable how it changes with some bread and butter.
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CT London Event (Hide Bar, Bermondsey, London): I think this had dipped over-the-hill. What a pity. The wine obviously had really good material. Just barely enjoyable now, with a port-like nose of figs and soil. Palate showed quite a few signs of oxidation, with sweet, porty flavours of dried fruit and sweet cherries mixed with bovril notes. Finish was dried out, with some dried fruit lingering spicily at the back of the palate.
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Much better than the brett-affected previous bottle. Whilst there is still a touch of farmyard in the wine, it's just the faintest whiff and in that context adds complexity. The fruit is still vibrant and the classic sangiovese grip is there and gives it a nicely astringent finish.
Really good wine with plenty of complexity - whilst I'm not the greatest fan of the grape, this wine does well and no rush to drink the last bottle, but also no reason to wait either.
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dinnner with the astor kids: Powerful nose with deep minerally limestone notes, crisp fruits, freshly tanned leather, hint of ripe herb over a pool of very ripe dark berry fruits. Mouthfilling with lovely ripe acidity framing dark fruits. Very structured midpalate with vibrant acidity that supports a long finish of red fruit that turns dark and tarry. At peak and firmly mature with great freshness, one of my favorite CCR and this shows why.
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Just after opening: nose somewhat unclean. earthy. decent amount of fruit. still closed though. In the mouth it is already very very promising a great amount of fruit, nice smooth tannins and good structure. I will let it rest for a few hours and be back!
Some four hours later: Beautiful nose of red fruit, licorice, earth and some glue. quite fresh. is this from 1990? In the mouth you get some clue that this is an older Sangiovese. I think it is at peak, but has a life ahead. This a very well structured wine that embeds the fruit (mostly red cherry) with some nice acidity, firm tannins and a nice sweety touch. Spicy, fruity.. raspberries, red berries, cherries, licorice, bayleaf.. great stuff.
really really great stuff.......
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1/9/2024 - Neecies Likes this wine:
Bill's bottle. Garnet edges but not much fade, overall impressive appearance that does not suggest a wine nearly 30 years old. Aromatic and classic nose of dark cherries notes with a hint of raisin and sandalwood. Long finish. An outstanding showing.
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12/20/2022 - chambolle wrote:
Seems I last opened and noted a bottle of this a few years ago. That bottle was at peak maturity. This one, with good fill and very sound cork, perhaps a bit past peak. Some browning; a plummy, sweetish nose, perhaps VA. Soft on the palate, tannins nowhere in the picture and acidity just enough to keep it lively. Still pleasant enough, in an earthy sort of way, and perfectly alright with a woodsy porcini risotto. Fruit is not a strong element here, however. It’s an old soldier.
But as my prior note said, expect some bottle variation at this age! Drink up; some may surprise on the upside, some in the other direction.
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11/16/2020 - Mascarello59 wrote:
Coravin sample tasted immediately after pour. Mature tertiary notes with figgy sweetness. Smooth resolved tannin with good fruit levels left. Good until the mid palate but then it tips over the edge into a metallic finish.
Gets better with an hour of air...?
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8/4/2020 - PSPatrick wrote: 92 Points
A courtesy of a good friend. Bottle #16057. The wine still has good fruit. Medium- to full-bodied cherry, chocolate, tobacco, spice and earthy notes, with fresh acidity and very good length of the dry finish. The tannin is still present, and even seems a little rustic at first, but becomes round and well-behaved after only a few minutes of aeration. Medium complex, with great concentration. Bottles stored in perfect conditions should be good for at least another ten years. A great Chianti!
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5/10/2020 - kingkanu wrote:
Good level. Medium Full body. There’s bricking well into the wine, but it still has a bright and vibrant look about it with plenty of red and orange glints. We gently decanted it for about an hour which helped the nose open up and it improved over the following couple of hours, there’s plenty of life here yet. There’s balsamic and soy notes, bovril and plenty of dark cherry fruit, there’s some medium fine tannin left, it’s all cut through with lovely cleansing acidity, just a rasp of tannin on the end of the finish shows any coarseness, but that’s being really picky. The kind of wine you want to share over a dinner table with friends over a few hours.
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1/26/2019 - chambolle Likes this wine:
Opened with some trepidation that I had waited too long to break into a half dozen purchased on release - we’re pushing the 30 year envelope here. But no worries. The color is a healthy ruby, pale at the rim. The nose features mushroom, soy, smoke, blueberries and blackberries, a bit of morello cherry. On the palate, soft and silky, sappy with a sweet mid-palate, just enough acidity and fine grained finishing tannin to leave an impression of freshness. Seemingly at a plateau, I’d guess this will continue to be interesting and pleasurable drinking for another 5 to 10 years, although I imagine at this age bottles may vary considerably.
A very nice surprise; and just perfect with a creamy/cheesy, slightly over the top risotto with saffron and porcini.
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9/18/2017 - Dancing with bottles Likes this wine: 90 Points
Two bottles drunk in one week. Big bottle variation now. One bottle was very weak and lean. The second one better, but far from the sensation of some bottles in the past. Lost its fruit and turns to a austere apearance. On decline. Drink up.
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3/21/2017 - PSPatrick wrote: 92 Points
Bottle #16041. In perfect condition. The wine was medium to dark garnet in colour and threw some sediment. It had a nice, mature Sangiovese nose of earthy notes, lots of spice and some tobacco. On the palate the dry, medium- to full-bodied wine showed red fruit, red cherry, earth, tobacco and spices, with high, lively acidity, round, well-integrated tannin and superb length. The balanced, medium-complex, very concentrated wine drank well. Its length and its great concentration stood out. Bottles like this, stored under ideal conditions, should be good for another ten to fifteen years. A great Chianti!
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3/11/2017 - karl.1480 wrote: flawed
I think this was the third bottle I've tasted of this wine during the last six months and all of them have been way over the hill.
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12/14/2016 - appel54 wrote: 86 Points
Mörk tät kärna, lite fällning i vinet, mörkbrun kant
Först mycket tomatsoppa, en hel del söt frukt, efterhand mindre tomatsoppa och mer fatade toner
Syrligt i munnen, lite kort längd, ingen vidare komplexitet.
Lite over the hill i min mening. Provar gärna en yngre årgång.
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6/8/2015 - Dancing with bottles Likes this wine: 95 Points
After 22 years in my cellar and some strange bottles (very tannic in the nineties and one flawed bottle in 2010) this was overwhelming. 24 hours in an opened, re-corked and chilled bottle this wine opened up after half an hour in the glass. Big wine with no sign of decline. Still lively, firm, rather bold, with great length and a typical, beautiful mature scent and flavour (licorice, Cherries etc.) . This Chianti Rufina blows away a lot of wines from Tuscany and left-Bank-Bordeaux in this legendary vintage. I would recommend to decant this for 2-3 hours before drinking. Bottle variation could be frustrating.
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5/9/2015 - rjonwine@gmail.com wrote: 92 Points
From magnum - bricking dark red violet color; mature, dried berry, mushroom nose; tasty, tart black fruit, dried blackberry, dried berry palate with medium acidity; medium-plus finish
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3/3/2015 - VDLT Wine Likes this wine:
LI Blind at Dodici. Matched with a hideously corked Monsanto Il Poggio of same vintage. This more than made up for that misfortune. Stellar bottle with youthful fruit and an amazing cornucopia of more more mature aromas and flavors. It screamed zestful life!
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4/5/2014 - David Paris (dbp) wrote: 91 Points
Aromas are very much like a tincture of anise and fennel. Smells like charcoal and blackberries covering hot lava rocks. It's actually quite lovely. Throw a slab of meat on those lava rocks too. Very earthy, soily, and volcanic driven. Nice. Soft and spicy palate, with similar flavors. Very soft, smooth, lovely texture on the palate. Some tartness, some acid, and some tannins nicely integrated on the finish, which tastes more mature. Some of that fennel and tar flavors are on the finish. Quite a bit of tannins remain after successive sips. Nice earthy flavors, but I kind of wish for a bit more fruit notes throughout. Still, pretty enjoyable.
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8/20/2011 - andtheodor wrote: 88 Points
Earth, smoky cherry, orange peel nose. Hint of oxidation alongside the spicy, bright acidic almond palate. Dense tannin, pretty classic old Chianti.
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5/29/2010 - Ian S wrote:
Quite some browning at the rim, with the nose being somewhat meaty/feral/smoky.
On the palate the fruit takes the background to the feral (presumably brett related) elements, yet the wine still offers interest, a degree of balance and complexity. Acidity supports well and there are surprisingly tight tea-like tannins.
Overall though, over mature and I presume in many people's eyes, flawed. Doesn't stop it being interesting or enjoyable though.
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10/15/2009 - andrewstevenson.com wrote: 92 Points
13.5%
A mature, even old nose - it's all quite secondary, redolent of a cedary cigar box that's had cherries and plums stored in it. Gorgeous palate. This is fully mature and initially feeling very integrated. But then there's a really very firm tannic structure and - on the finish - an almost bracing acidity, especially on the finish, on the tip of the tongue. The fruit is now really fairly secondary, but there's certainly rush to drink this up.
Butter makes everything taste better ... and that includes this wine. The fat really cuts the tannins/ This would have been better with a nice rib eye than with a lean game bird. My mistake. When the mouth's got a bit of a fat coating, this seems much more Chianti-like and actually younger. It's quite remarkable how it changes with some bread and butter.
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6/20/2009 - Paul S wrote: 87 Points
CT London Event (Hide Bar, Bermondsey, London): I think this had dipped over-the-hill. What a pity. The wine obviously had really good material. Just barely enjoyable now, with a port-like nose of figs and soil. Palate showed quite a few signs of oxidation, with sweet, porty flavours of dried fruit and sweet cherries mixed with bovril notes. Finish was dried out, with some dried fruit lingering spicily at the back of the palate.
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6/28/2008 - Ian S wrote:
Much better than the brett-affected previous bottle. Whilst there is still a touch of farmyard in the wine, it's just the faintest whiff and in that context adds complexity. The fruit is still vibrant and the classic sangiovese grip is there and gives it a nicely astringent finish.
Really good wine with plenty of complexity - whilst I'm not the greatest fan of the grape, this wine does well and no rush to drink the last bottle, but also no reason to wait either.
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10/26/2007 - Ian S wrote:
A little too farmyardy from recollection (and not something I normally object to)
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5/17/2007 - Gregory Dal Piaz wrote: 91 Points
dinnner with the astor kids: Powerful nose with deep minerally limestone notes, crisp fruits, freshly tanned leather, hint of ripe herb over a pool of very ripe dark berry fruits. Mouthfilling with lovely ripe acidity framing dark fruits. Very structured midpalate with vibrant acidity that supports a long finish of red fruit that turns dark and tarry. At peak and firmly mature with great freshness, one of my favorite CCR and this shows why.
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2/13/2007 - Scheper wrote: 93 Points
Just after opening:
nose somewhat unclean. earthy. decent amount of fruit. still closed though.
In the mouth it is already very very promising a great amount of fruit, nice smooth tannins and good structure. I will let it rest for a few hours and be back!
Some four hours later:
Beautiful nose of red fruit, licorice, earth and some glue. quite fresh. is this from 1990?
In the mouth you get some clue that this is an older Sangiovese. I think it is at peak, but has a life ahead. This a very well structured wine that embeds the fruit (mostly red cherry) with some nice acidity, firm tannins and a nice sweety touch.
Spicy, fruity.. raspberries, red berries, cherries, licorice, bayleaf.. great stuff.
really really great stuff.......
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10/23/2004 - andrewstevenson.com wrote: 84 Points
A very even mature ruby nose. Stinky nose. A bit dried out on the palate.
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