Young Chianti in the Fort
Tasted Thursday, October 29, 2009 by blanquito with 328 views
Introduction
We had a great Chianti event recently... Notes from memory. These wines are all young, but the tannins are approachable and they can be enjoyed now. That said, I am confident most of these wines will hold and improve with cellar time. Selvapiana won WOTN honors (4 first place votes), Monsanto a very solid second (1 first place vote), and the Fontodi a distant third, though honestly, there was not a bad wine in the house.
My overall impressions: true to form, these wines are very food friendly given the high acidities. Indeed, many tasted better with food, not something I often find with most red wines. All are also currently available for less than $33, many are less than $20. These wines represent tremendous value, and reconfirms our thoughts after the last Chianti tasting: why aren't we drinking more Chianti??
2006 Vignamaggio Chianti Classico Gherardino 85 Points
Italy, Tuscany, Chianti, Chianti Classico DOCG
This was a classic Chianti that was sound but unexciting.
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2006 Fontodi Chianti Classico 88 Points
Italy, Tuscany, Chianti, Chianti Classico DOCG
I'm a fan of this producer, but I think this youngster needs some time (~3 yrs) to come together. You can sense the excellent fruit and depth, but the wine is currently very bright, even tart. Still, clean, classy, long, and promising. 88+ points today.
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2004 Ruffino Chianti Classico Riserva Ducale Oro 90 Points
Italy, Tuscany, Chianti, Chianti Classico DOCG
Wow, there's a marked jump in richness in this flight. These riservas are much better and have a lot going on. Classy, classic, suave, food-friendly, this wine is very good though the "worst" value at $33+.
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2004 Castello di Monsanto Chianti Classico Riserva 91 Points
Italy, Tuscany, Chianti, Chianti Classico DOCG
This was wild and I loved it. It had the best bouquet with wild game notes and unusual aromas of frankencense, there's also a spiceness to the wine that I liked. Give this one some time in the bottle, and then enjoy. 91+ points today.
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2005 Marchesi de' Frescobaldi Chianti Rùfina Nipozzano Riserva 84 Points
Italy, Tuscany, Chianti, Chianti Rùfina
An odd wine, as it had over-ripe grenache-like notes and yet it was also the highest acid wine to the point of shrill. Not my style.
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2004 Fattoria Selvapiana Chianti Rùfina Riserva Bucerchiale 92 Points
Italy, Tuscany, Chianti, Chianti Rùfina
This was my favorite wine, as it possessed the most depth and richness. But still, it was very Chianti in flavor and acid. It seems like there could be some new oak used here, but it's very subtle and a positive. This wine is already very nice, with an expressive bouquet of red currants and cranberries, with a lovely layered mouthfeel, good concentration and length. Drinkable now, better later.
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2003 Chateau Dereszla Tokaji Aszú 5 Puttonyos 91 Points
Hungary, Tokaji
This was beautiful, a hybrid in style between a clasic Tokaji and a classy Sauternes. Not overly complex, it has the perfect amount of sweetness for my tastes, excellent acidity, and a intriguing flavor profile of burnt oranges wed to creme brulee.
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