Who says Chianti Classico can't age? This is proof positive that the good ones can for sure. Still has a little backbone left with red cherry and strawberry fruit up front. Definitely tertiary notes left of earth, tobacco, cracked pepper, and stewed tomatoes. Decent acidity and good finish to it. Still very nice after all these years but probably time to drink up.
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Couleur grenat sur le pourtour. Petit côté "basse-cour" au nez qui va s'estomper avec l'aération sans disparaître complètement. Des notes de cuir fin au nez aussi. La bouche est superbe. Très élégante avec un côté Bordelais. Les tannins sont encore présents, mais de texture veloutée, Assez long. Un très beau Chianti. A encore quelques années devant lui.
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From Magnum- 120 min decant- light bodied- baroloesq finish- slight tang above average finish- I'm guessing this improved quite a bit over last two years based on previous comments. Overall very enjoyable.
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Tasting at NK Yong's (Swettenham Road, Singapore): I had quite forgotten that I had tasted it before. No wonder too - this was a decent but rather nondescript Chianti made in the traditional style. nose was funky, with a bit of wet fur, some gamey meat, earth and dusky cherries - tones that were carried on in the palate, where they mingled with fresh, tomato-ish acidty and some dark plum and cherry notes. Finish had a decent length and grip. This would be a very decent food wine I think, but otherwise, I do not think it improved much from one year ago.
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Color is a blend of garnet/cranberry, about 85% saturated with slow, thick legs. Average intensity aroma of smokey petrol, baked cherry pie, vinyl seat, a little butterscotch. Big, brooding acidity and tannins of suede. Medium-big body. Dry and dark flavor profile reminiscent of Barolo with a medium finish. (4+10+16+7) = 87
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As the glass was placed on the table a fantastic fruity waft leapt up and sucked me in. That was some introduction. Sour cherry flavour dominated with hints of liquorice and spice. There was a good lick of ripe tannins on the finish which really sets this out as a food wine despite its luscious fruit. I really enjoyed this one. (may ’09)
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Dark red. Nice nose of sour cherries and some dark spice. In the mouth there is nice acidity, hints of dusty tannins and soft fruit. Not terribly intense, but drinking nicely. Nowhere near the great 04.
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Giron 2nd Tasting (NK's Home): Compared to the 06 vintage, this has more flavours of spice accented cherries. More cherry acidity and cut to it. Sharper fruits. Mouth-coating tannins.
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Tasting at NK Yong's (Swettenham Road, Singapore): I did not quite like this as much as the 2006 that we tasted alongside. I found this rather less balanced. Nose was more expressive than its younger sibling, with grassy herbs, leathery barnyard tones and a cherry orchard underlayer. The acid and tannins rather stuck out on the palate though, rather noticeable grippy and a little spikey, with some sweet cherry cola and a touch of cheese tones as the wine wound into a medium-length finish. Not bad as Chianti Classicos go, and it should integrate better with time, but I expected more from this maker.
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Notes of sour cherries, red cabbage, and leather. Light bodied and fruity on the palate with a refreshing acidity. Terrific with pasta. Might have been better with a decant, but alas, we were thirsty and this was too easy to drink. 89-90 points.
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Aroma: A mid section of butter scotch, deep, ripe strawberries and a tail end of fresh, dark cigar Taste: Huge Refreshing acidity with overwhelming flavours of crab apple and green apple lollipop. Finishes with creme brulee and pecan tart. Strawberries linger a bit.
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Fontodi Vertical Dinner (Acquerello, San Francisco): Nose of smoked meat, animale, sour cherry. Gritty in the mouth, with good freshness and lively acid. This is primary now and dominated by juicy sour cherry. Less concentrated and less structured than the 2004, but be approachable sooner.
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Went great with lasagna and a fresh garden salad. Softer and more refined than some of the slightly less expensive chiantis I've been drinking lately. A good value and I would buy again. Fell apart after being open about 4 hours.
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Italy (Wine Exchange (Orange, CA)): Dark bright red. High toned tobacco smoke and subtle vanilla. Extracted but not aggressively so. Good length, but the initial brightness gives way to some excess sweetness that would pose some challenges to food pairing.
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Blends Practice Session - Red and white (Stellenbosch): Warm baked fruit with an initial nose of rind cheese, sour cherries and herb. A rich entry, sourer, suggesting Sangiovese with plenty of morello cherries, some redcurrant and lots of tinned tomatoes! Medium-bodied with lively acidity but lacking some weight leads to dry and firm chalky tannins (a touch phenolic) that can only be Chianti.
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5/3/2022 - brianofthevine Likes this wine: 92 Points
Who says Chianti Classico can't age? This is proof positive that the good ones can for sure. Still has a little backbone left with red cherry and strawberry fruit up front. Definitely tertiary notes left of earth, tobacco, cracked pepper, and stewed tomatoes. Decent acidity and good finish to it. Still very nice after all these years but probably time to drink up.
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12/23/2014 - Machiavelli wrote:
Very ripe nose, almost rubber, black fruit and smoke. Low-medium acidity, short length. Maybe held too long?
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12/24/2013 - jerrysvino wrote: 91 Points
Aged nicely, still has backbone, still has fruit, not long finish, classic Chianti. Excellent!
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3/22/2013 - poste244 wrote: 91 Points
Couleur grenat sur le pourtour. Petit côté "basse-cour" au nez qui va s'estomper avec l'aération sans disparaître complètement. Des notes de cuir fin au nez aussi. La bouche est superbe. Très élégante avec un côté Bordelais. Les tannins sont encore présents, mais de texture veloutée, Assez long. Un très beau Chianti. A encore quelques années devant lui.
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1/6/2013 - Armando B wrote: 87 Points
Good, solid performance, but nothing more. Slightly disappointing.
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11/22/2012 - N.Bonaparte wrote: 92 Points
From Magnum- 120 min decant- light bodied- baroloesq finish- slight tang above average finish- I'm guessing this improved quite a bit over last two years based on previous comments. Overall very enjoyable.
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12/11/2010 - Paul S wrote: 89 Points
Tasting at NK Yong's (Swettenham Road, Singapore): I had quite forgotten that I had tasted it before. No wonder too - this was a decent but rather nondescript Chianti made in the traditional style. nose was funky, with a bit of wet fur, some gamey meat, earth and dusky cherries - tones that were carried on in the palate, where they mingled with fresh, tomato-ish acidty and some dark plum and cherry notes. Finish had a decent length and grip. This would be a very decent food wine I think, but otherwise, I do not think it improved much from one year ago.
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3/27/2010 - acintheoc wrote: 88 Points
Nice nose. A little sour on the first sip making your mouth pucker. After that goes down nicely with some italian food.
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12/9/2009 - fingers wrote: 87 Points
Color is a blend of garnet/cranberry, about 85% saturated with slow, thick legs. Average intensity aroma of smokey petrol, baked cherry pie, vinyl seat, a little butterscotch. Big, brooding acidity and tannins of suede. Medium-big body. Dry and dark flavor profile reminiscent of Barolo with a medium finish. (4+10+16+7) = 87
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10/23/2009 - Bmiller514 wrote: 86 Points
Very nice, bold smell and taste.
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10/13/2009 - quagland wrote:
from 375mL
medium weight
cherries, strawberries, twizzler, and a touch of diesel
the acidity is pretty high
tannins are a little chalky right now
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8/28/2009 - bwillia wrote: 90 Points
Just a terrific traditional bottle of Chianit.
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5/1/2009 - markfitz wrote:
As the glass was placed on the table a fantastic fruity waft leapt up and sucked me in. That was some introduction. Sour cherry flavour dominated with hints of liquorice and spice. There was a good lick of ripe tannins on the finish which really sets this out as a food wine despite its luscious fruit. I really enjoyed this one. (may ’09)
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4/4/2009 - MarkR wrote:
Decanted and drunk over a couple of hours.Lots of sour cherries, the wine filled out over time, quite big, i would not say easy drinking but good.
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3/14/2009 - gorm wrote: 88 Points
Dark red. Nice nose of sour cherries and some dark spice. In the mouth there is nice acidity, hints of dusty tannins and soft fruit. Not terribly intense, but drinking nicely. Nowhere near the great 04.
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1/17/2009 - Alex H wrote: 78 Points
Giron 2nd Tasting (NK's Home): Compared to the 06 vintage, this has more flavours of spice accented cherries. More cherry acidity and cut to it. Sharper fruits. Mouth-coating tannins.
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1/17/2009 - Paul S wrote: 89 Points
Tasting at NK Yong's (Swettenham Road, Singapore): I did not quite like this as much as the 2006 that we tasted alongside. I found this rather less balanced. Nose was more expressive than its younger sibling, with grassy herbs, leathery barnyard tones and a cherry orchard underlayer. The acid and tannins rather stuck out on the palate though, rather noticeable grippy and a little spikey, with some sweet cherry cola and a touch of cheese tones as the wine wound into a medium-length finish. Not bad as Chianti Classicos go, and it should integrate better with time, but I expected more from this maker.
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1/11/2009 - beachbum wrote: 90 Points
better and brighter than first bottle. full rich cherry and tobacco, decanted nicely for the evening
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12/29/2008 - Paul Lin wrote: 89 Points
Notes of sour cherries, red cabbage, and leather. Light bodied and fruity on the palate with a refreshing acidity. Terrific with pasta. Might have been better with a decant, but alas, we were thirsty and this was too easy to drink. 89-90 points.
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11/5/2008 - Voss wrote: 92 Points
Aroma: A mid section of butter scotch, deep, ripe strawberries and a tail end of fresh, dark cigar
Taste: Huge Refreshing acidity with overwhelming flavours of crab apple and green apple lollipop. Finishes with creme brulee and pecan tart. Strawberries linger a bit.
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10/26/2008 - PatrickinKW wrote: 89 Points
Decent Chianti but quite brighter (acidic) than I expected. Should soften in a few yrs.
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4/23/2008 - 5laton wrote:
Fontodi Vertical Dinner (Acquerello, San Francisco): Nose of smoked meat, animale, sour cherry. Gritty in the mouth, with good freshness and lively acid. This is primary now and dominated by juicy sour cherry. Less concentrated and less structured than the 2004, but be approachable sooner.
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4/13/2008 - Zinny wrote: 90 Points
Went great with lasagna and a fresh garden salad. Softer and more refined than some of the slightly less expensive chiantis I've been drinking lately. A good value and I would buy again. Fell apart after being open about 4 hours.
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4/5/2008 - tcfishler wrote: 87 Points
Italy (Wine Exchange (Orange, CA)): Dark bright red. High toned tobacco smoke and subtle vanilla. Extracted but not aggressively so. Good length, but the initial brightness gives way to some excess sweetness that would pose some challenges to food pairing.
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4/5/2008 - EMichels wrote: 87 Points
Wine Exchange - Mambo Italiano: A bit of alcohol on the nose; Bright; Fruit forward; Cherry
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4/5/2008 - wcacern wrote: 87 Points
Mambo Italiano (wine Exchange): 13.5% alcohol. cocoa, spice, plum and cherry. dark fruit balanced by tart acid and firm tannins.
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3/16/2008 - millwhat wrote:
Packed full of red cherries. Perfect with tuna baked with tomatoes and olives. Delicious!
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2/14/2008 - jamesdoeser wrote: 80 Points
lots of black cherry but certainly young and uptight at this stage. dont open til 2010.
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1/30/2008 - peternelson wrote: 91 Points
Italian tasting bri’s: Beaut. ruby-purple; stewed tomatoes, shrooms, rasp, blk berry, cherry; “salty” smell--so yummy, expansive, conc. ripe frt, mixed berries, lovely, complex,dry dusty t’s at end; GRT classic char, long fin, Awesome!
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9/25/2007 - rikipedia Likes this wine: 87 Points
Blends Practice Session - Red and white (Stellenbosch): Warm baked fruit with an initial nose of rind cheese, sour cherries and herb. A rich entry, sourer, suggesting Sangiovese with plenty of morello cherries, some redcurrant and lots of tinned tomatoes! Medium-bodied with lively acidity but lacking some weight leads to dry and firm chalky tannins (a touch phenolic) that can only be Chianti.
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