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Toscana 99 with Vitis Bergensis
Hotel Terminus, Bergen, Norway
Tasted February 18, 2007 by abbulf with 1,375 views
Introduction
This was a tasting of Sangiovese based Tuscans from 1999, with some 2001s put in for comparison. The overall quality was very good, with food-friendly wines at not too high a price.
Flight 1 - Flight 1 (3 notes)
The first wine of the tasting was from Angelini, and it was also the cheapest at 60$ for a magnum. Still, it outclassed the two other wines of this flight, and also quite a few of the more expensive ones that came later.
Red
1999 Tenimenti Angelini Chianti Classico Monsenese
From magnum. Lovely wine. Very dark colour. Intense, very nice nose with lots of fruit. Seems completely mature. The palate was acidic, rather intense and with well rounded tannins. Also pretty long in the aftertaste. Very nice and probably great with food.
Red
1999 Querciabella Chianti Classico Riserva
A bit less intense nose than Angelini. Seems a bit less mature. Opened up in the glass with air, but it never reached the heights of the former. The palate was also a step down from the first wine. A bit less complex, but in no way a bad wine.
Red
1999 Cantine Innocenti Acerone
A bit sweet on the nose with lots of fruit, but less intense then the other two wines of the flight. A little pale also on the palate. possibly a bit over.
Flight 2 - Flight 2 (4 notes)
Red
1999 Tenuta Le Farnete Carmignano Riserva
Fine nose. Fruity, a little bit of oak. Not quite as intense as Angelini though. Does not seem quite as mature. Nice also on the palate. Cherries, lots of acid. A little rough, with lots of tannins. Good wine.
Red
1999 Castello Vicchiomaggio Chianti Classico Riserva Petri
Lovely nose. Intense with cherries and wood. A little bit sweet but very nice. Rounder on the palate than the Carmignano 99, the berries are a little bit darker here. This does on the other side not have the intensity of the Carmignano, but it is still a fine wine.
Red
2001 Castello Vicchiomaggio Chianti Classico Riserva Petri
Less developed on the nose than the 99. Not as intense, clearly a younger wine. Some cherry can be detected but it is rather closed. The palate is also clearly younger, with more tannins. It is also a bit shorter on the aftertaste. Not quite mature yet.
Flight 3 - Flight 3 (4 notes)
In this flight two wines with a bit more roundness and less acidity did very well. The Vino Nobile and the Fontodi were both very impressive.
Red
2001 Valdipiatta Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Riserva
Incredible nose. Lots of pure fruit. Cherries. Best nose so far. Also very nice on the palate. More round than acidic compared to the former wines. Very long. This drinks very well now. Great wine.
Red
1999 Castello di Querceto / Querceto Chianti Riserva
Not as fruity on the nose as the Vino Nobile, but still very nice. Neither as good on the palate. Less fruit and with a slightly bitter aftertaste. Still far from bad.
Red
1999 Fontodi Flaccianello della Pieve Colli della Toscana Centrale IGT
Lovely nose in a different style than the former wines. Not as much punch, more subtle. Very nice. Also delicious on the palate. A little round, very long. Quite a bit of cherry. Not very much acid, but drinks very well without food. Probably not one for a very long life due to the relative lack of acid, but it is great now.
Red
1999 Cafaggio Chianti Classico Villa Cafaggio Riserva
Incredible nose. Lots of cherries, very pure cherries. The nose is hovewer better than the palate. It is a little thin, with more acid than taste. Not bad, but clearly outclassed by Valdipiatta and Fontodi in this flight.
Flight 4 - Flight 4 (4 notes)
Except for the Monna Lisa which appeared to be a bit over, this was a very nice flight where particularly the Fontalloro and the Brunello stood out.
Red
1999 Fattoria di Fèlsina Berardenga Fontalloro
Lovely nose of totally ripe cherries. Also stunning on the palate. Perfectly mature, fruity, acidic. Very long. Very very nice wine.
Red
1999 Fattoria di Fèlsina Berardenga Chianti Classico Riserva Rancia
Different from Fontalloro on the nose. Black currant? Not quite as intense and good. Better on the palate than the nose. Lots of tannins. A good wine.
Red
1999 Ciacci Piccolomini d'Aragona Brunello di Montalcino
Incredible wine. Very nice nose of ripe cherries. A little bit subtle. Feels great in the mouth with an awesome balance. Intense, lots of tannins. Fantastic wine and clearly the best so far tonight.
Red
1999 Vignamaggio Chianti Classico Riserva Castello di Monna Lisa
Nice nose, cherries. Seems mature. Less powerful than the brunello though. Also less balance on the palate, but still ok. Som oaky dryness. Sems a bit over, better on the nose than on the palate.
Flight 5 - Flight 5 (3 notes)
Another very nice flight where the 99 Poliziano was absolutely stunning.
Red
1999 Poliziano Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Vigna Asinone
From magnum. Nice nose with lots of cherry and some barn. Dark cherries on the palate. Mature. Acidic finish, great balance. Long aftertaste. Stunning wine that is drinking very well now. One of the best tonight.
Red
2001 Poliziano Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Vigna Asinone
Resembling the 99 on the nose, but clearly less mature. A bit more power. Clearly younger also on the palate, sharper tannines. Clearly the same wine as the 99, but this one needs a bit more time. Delicious.
Red
1999 Cafaggio Villa Cafaggio San Martino Toscana IGT
Lovely nose of cherries and also darker berries. Very dark and intense aromas. Less consentration in the mouth than the two Polizianos, but definitely a good wine.
Flight 6 - Flight 6 (3 notes)
Another great flight with some very fine wines.
Red
1999 Fattoria Selvapiana Chianti Rùfina Riserva Bucerchiale
Cherries and a bit too much oak on the nose. Also a bit oaky dry on the palate. Maybe not quite mature yet. Nice balance between fruit and acid, lots of tannines. Long. If the oak gets integrated this will probably be very good. Seems very young, clearly the youngest of the 99s tonight.
Red
2001 Fattoria Selvapiana Chianti Rùfina Riserva Bucerchiale
Purer fruit on the nose than the 99. Still some oak, but this one doesn't seem as dry. On the other hand is this less consentrated on the palate, and there is more fruit and less tannines. In a way this is more approachable now than the 99, even though it is a younger bottle. Might not be as long-lived as the 99.
Red
1999 Isole e Olena Cepparello Toscana IGT
Less intense nose than the two Selvapianas, but a bit more fruity and less oaked. Pure cherry on the palate. Consentrated, feels very good in the mouth. A bit more approachable than the two other wines of the flight. Delicious.
Flight 7 - Flight 7 (2 notes)
At last we finished with two really impressive Brunellos, where particularly the Salvioni was just incredible.
Red
2001 Cerbaiola (Salvioni) Brunello di Montalcino
Extremely pure fruit on the nose. Cherries. This is great! Fantastic in the mouth, very fruity cherries. Clearly the purest fruit of the night. Incredibly delicious. A bit dry tannines, so still a long time to live. Also amazing acid. Complex, everlasting, divine wine. Clearly the wine of the night.
Red
1999 Casanova di Neri Brunello di Montalcino Tenuta Nuova
Big wine, enormous aromas. Very to the point. The nose immediately overshadows the Salvioni. Incredibly consentrated, like cherry extract. Also complex. Intense also on the palate, but not as complex and balanced as the Salvioni. This one is in a bigger style. Long and a bit spicy in the aftertaste. A very good wine, but does not measure up to the Salvioni.
Closing
I was really impressed with the generally high quality of the wines tasted here. The high level of acidity also make the wines very food friendly, and most of them are in a price range that make them affordable without totally breaking the budget, even though these are not every day wines (for me anyway).