Very nice wine in top drinking spot. It developed with air. With a very slight overripe nose in the beginning, this was gone after 60 minutes and the wine. Red cherry, red currant, leather, dark chocolate. Drink it now and over the next 3 years.
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Popped & poured, and at first blush, the nose reminds me more of Bordeaux than Chianti. There's something similar to that sandalwood/cedar element that I often get in Bordeaux - not exactly the same, but close.
The 2008 and 2009 vintages are both, in retrospect, weak in the overall Chianti vintage hierarchy, and this is one of the lesser Rancia wines from that decade. To be sure, pleasant enough, but it doesn't really resonate "Chianti" to me - this comes across more like a Tuscan IGT.
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Chianti that thinks it's a Brunello. Blockbuster out of the gate. Very fruit forward on the palate with a floral nose. Delicious! Faded quickly though, so no need to over decant.
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A dark and brooding chianti, with strong black berry and dark fruited core. Still have the tell-tale lifted saline aromatics. Quite tannic and a bit closed on the palate seems to imply it needs more time.
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Nose: The nose is fragrant and in perfect harmony yielding red cherries, savory notes, violets, rose petals, licorice, herbs, pipe tobacco, leather tones, raspberries, plums, and lavender.
Taste: The feel is medium bodied with medium+ acidity and silky, medium+ tannins. The feel is showing maturity with its balance and poise along with red cherries, savory notes, violets, licorice, herbs, leather tones, raspberries, plums, and lavender.
Overall: This is in a lovely place right now.There is great interplay between the red fruits and the savory parts. There is excellent depth and the tannins are there, but are beginning to resolve. This will easily hold for a long while, but it is more than ready to go right now with a few hours of air.
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Perfect ripe fruits, excellent ballance, just missing a bit of complexity, the acidity nicely kicks in at the end of the middle part and prolonges during the aftertaste where we also find a very small and delicate sweet touch, not related too the alcohol. A really nice and smooth wine, esp. considering the vintage.
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Robe cerise dense; Nez profond, intense, sur la cerise noire & autres petits fruits foncés légèrement alcoolisés. Petite dimension de sous-bois & la feuille de tomate apporte un aspect agréable au bouquet. L'anis complète l'ensemble. La bouche est dense, structuré, large, sur les petits fruits rouges presque confit. La finale se resserre avec des notes rocailleuses & épicées. L'acidité est suffisante pour supporter la densité & rondeur des arômes, bel équilibre. Ne semble pas avoir du tout 12 ans, presqu'aussi fringant qu'une fraîchement débarqué en succursale!!!!
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One of the weaker vintages for Rancia in recent years. I seem to recall a lot of rain this year, but while I don't think it affected the harvest, this is a smaller-scaled Rancia. The acidity is more pronounced than the fruit at this time, so at least IMO, there is a risk that the wine becomes even more unbalanced as time goes on.
You get fruit it is cherries, blackberries and raspberries - in the beginning we clearly got some notable tannins - but after a while the tannins got very relaxed - still medium acidity and tannins - the wine is well integrated and has a very nice balance and that is why we are giving it a big and well deserved 92.
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Super nice Sangiovese. Still plenty of fruit but will probably not get better. Quite dense in nose, lovely sour cherries in mouth. Long aftertaste. For a not optimal Tuscany vintage, this one really delivers.
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Tuscany 2008 (Winicjatywa): very dark cherry colour with lighter rim. nose: tobacco, wood, mushrooms, cigar; light and pleasant. taste: high acid - really fresh; young tanins; crisp cherries, red currants; long and fresh. Excelent.
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Our first Rancia, and it won't be our last. Very nicely balanced right now. There are fruit, earth, and savory flavors, and no overpowering alcohol. I understand this is a somewhat weaker Tuscany/Rancia vintage. If that is is the case, we are really looking forward to trying some from other more acclaimed years. Thoroughly enjoyed.
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Opened for dinner later today (and my 2nd bottle this month).
Very open nose, like a Luden's cherry cough drop, with a floral note as well - very likable nose.
Nicely balanced on the palate, with adequate acidity and decent persistence. Probably drinking as well as it will right now, which is why I am actively consuming my remaining bottles.
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Improved a since last bottle 1 1/2 years ago. Dark berries on the nose. Palate was dark red berries, a hint of plum/ink. Nice complexity. Medium to long finish finish.
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Balanced, but somewhat thin/dilute on the palate. I am a big fan of the Rancia bottling, but this may be their weakest effort in the 2003-2013 time period. Acceptable, but inferior to the '08 Argiano I just tried.
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Be sure to give this some air. Very disjointed at first. Spicy finish with mocca, coffee notes. Came together after some time. Dark fruit pushed the coffee to the background. Probably Won’t buy again.
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Solid aromas of spice, licorice, and black cherries. Sweet and powerful, with bold flavors of candied plums, blackberries. Nice finish, although a bit dry for my liking. Seems rich for the year. 89+
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Oeil rubis très dense; Nez sur la cerise foncée, petite touche sauvage & rustique, boisé léger & bien intégré. L'anis est plus présente avec le temps, la feuille de tomate apporte une fraîcheur au bouquet qui est intense, agréable & invitant. L'ensemble semble plus harmonieux & fondu. Bouche bien ronde en attaque, sur la cerise surette, la tomate & la réglisse noire. Acidité vive, longue finale sur des amers & les épices vertes séchées (thym, romarin). Très agréable!
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Decanted 2 hours. Drank over 2 days. Night in the fridge. Good, but not as good as I had hoped. A bit more simple than the last Rancia I had, which was the 2006. This compares more to the 2005. Dark berries on the nose. Palate was dark red berries, a hint of plum/ink. Medium finish.
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Fine earthy nose, red berries, cherrie, some Tobacco, fresh herbs. Taste is medium+ bodied, long, with a sweet touch. Perfect with rich food. At a perfect Place right now.
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Probably not a long ager, the '08 Rancia hits a sweet-spot between youthful and mature. Just as the previous bottle two years ago, this one shows great complexity and nuance, with fairly understated oak. Highly drinkable and appreciated around the table.
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Excellent and drinking very well after 8 hours slow O and a two hour decant. Dark red, classic nose and palate, good nose and clean finish. Does not have the depth and panache of vintages like 06, 07, 10, but is open for business now and works really well with food.
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This is such a wonderful wine with cherry notes hitting on all cylinders. What a treat to drink this wine. It is everything I expect in a fine Chianti Classico Riserva.
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Drank as part of a Chianti Classico tasting. This was the star of the night. Years of life ahead of it. A really nice structure that had cherries and herbs on the palate. Decanted for 2 hours before we started the night!
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Thought it was cooked at first. An hour after opening it was all stewed prunes and unyielding tannin. Little on the palate. Double decanted and corked it.
Day 2: cooked quality dissipated, tannins evened out but still gripping, however the bottle was starting to show like a good sangiovese. Very dark black cherries, a bit of menthol, lovely tobacco and subtle oak spice. My conclusion is that the while the wine may have had some storage issues, it is really just way too young to drink, at least without a 12+hr decant. Still an amazing value for such a serious wine.
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What a beauty this bottle turned out to be. Rich dark cherry and earthy flavors dominate. Decanted and served in large bowl glasses. There is so much going on here. It tasted great from beginning to end. Nice deep color and a nose of fruit and spices.
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Oeil violet foncé très profond. Le nez montre une belle puissance. La cerise foncée est bien présente. L'ensemble est enrobée par un petit qqchose de fumée/boisée & superbement intégrée. Les épices brunes sont aussi bien présentes & apporte une belle couche de complexitée à l'ensemble. Il y a aussi du tabac & le temps apporte des beaux arômes d'anis. Un petit qqchose de poussiéreux complète un superbe nez. La bouche est massive & en un bloc. Le fruit foncé domine la bouche. Bonne ampleur & longueur avec une finale épicée & légèrement minérale. Bonne aciditée & balance exemplaire. Bon compagnons pour une repas bien relevé.
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A murky ruby at the core, lightening out to translucence on the rim. Red & black fruits, menthol, a "cool", fairly primary nose at this point. Nice legs.
More red-fruited on the palate, with spice nuances and nice persistence on the slightly bitter finish. This is a glass from a bottle I opened on Friday, so I don't know if it was more or less accessible at that time, but 72 or so hours after opening this is showing nicely for what should be a relatively young riserva.
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Complete, integrated, classy, sheer elegance. Drinking perfectly now with structure to go 10 more years. Absolutely worth $40 and should be a staple of your cellar. A one or two case buy, year after year after year. Tremendous.
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Just as the '07, the '08 has closed up a bit, but in a direct comparison it shows a lot more. Sagebrush, sour cherry, tobacco, tea, cocoa, liquorice, gravel, ground almonds, rose-bud, and a hint of mint, are some of the notes here. The dry, mid-weight, fairly concentrated and astringent tea & sour-cherry palate has a balance towards freshness, and lacks the big muscle of the '07, which is a good thing for early drinking. It finishes on a bright and clear acid tone, but oak bitterness also chimes in on the long aftertaste, so a few more years won't hurt.
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Dark red / purple in the glass, open nose, tannins are still prominent with rich flavors of dark cherries and tobacco and plenty of structure, throwing off a fair bit of sediment, quite drinkable now, but I would give this wine another 5 years to soften the hard edges and allow the very promising pieces to come together, definitely a buy for the cellar
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How disappointing. The second bad bottle. Both from k and L. First was at a restaurant Rhione xii in Seattle. A great bottle. Bought a half dozen from K and L both have been mediocre. I think a trend is developing here.
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Deeply concentrated but quite closed with rich dark cherry fruit with some tartness on the edges. This is too young to drink at the moment, but not sure whether it will ever evolve to match the 2007.
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Just delicious, even with just a short decant. Second glass, about 90 mins later than the firat, was even better. Wonderful balance and everything you'd look for in a high end Sangiovese.
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Nose: Young and tight with roasted herbs, dark red cherries, licorice, red florals, violets, lavender, and some marjoram. While this is on the tight side, it is showing real nice style.
Taste: Medium bodied with medium/high acidity and youthful tannins. The structure is fairly imposing with roasted herbs, dark red cherries, licorice, red florals, and lavender.
Overall: This is a very young, but very pretty Rancia. There is a lot of potential lying underneath, but it will take a while to find out.
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agree with others, this is so delicious right now, needs a short decant of 30min and it sings. one of the best 2008s from tuscany for sure. drink while 2006 and 2007 are waiting in the cellar for their prime
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First bottle tried from this vintage. Deep, impenetrable color, which frankly surprised and induced a little apprehension about the winemaking style. Needn't have worried! Fresh and complex aromas. Drank without air time in bottle or glass. Remarkable for the restraint of the dark fruit flavors, which pushed some more interesting herb and tobacco notes forward. All of this wrapped up in nicely balanced acidity and fine tannins. To me a winner even at this young age.
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Wonderful sweetness combined with perfect acidity and rich fruit in this one. It's really very drinkable now. We drank it down to quickly to see how it evolved! Wish we had lots more of this wine.
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Needs air. Closed at first but develops during the evening. Dark cherries, vanilla, dark chocolate and coffeebeans. Touch of mint in the aftertaste. Would like to try again during a day or two. Decant!
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Too young to fully appreciate. The cork was raised beyond the bottle top so I have to wonder about this one. 30 minute decant. Seemed a bit hot initially with hints of nice fruit. Never seemed to fully develop over the evening. Good deep color with no sense of anything untoward on the edges.
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Quite dark purple/red. Great medium intense nose of black cherry, mineral, earth and some smoky black pepper. Nice extracted black cherry and mineral flavours, A quite grippy finish. AG says for early drinking and I agree because this shows extremely well right now.
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Mycket bra Sangiovese. Doft något knuten men desto öppnare och rik i smak. Tydlig körsbärssmak, hög syra men inte kartig. Finsandiga tanniner och lång rik eftersmak. Perfekt till pasta penne med gräddig sås på kastanjechampinjoner och strimlat kött.
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Decanted one hour, drunk over next four. Unusually open for business for this bottling, this has a powerful primary nose of tart cherry, more cherry on the palate with some earth and dry tannins. Good acidity. Very pleasant now, does not have the stuffing of vintages like 04 and 06, but a really enjoyable wine now and will improve for several years I suspect.
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Medium garnet. Complex nose with notes of red cherry, cranberry, raspberry, game, tobacco and clove. Good astrigent tannin. Good length of cherry and plum fruit coupled with savoury herbs, tobacco and cedar. Very good wine.
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Slow Wine 2012 Tasting (Cafe Spiaggia - Chicago IL): Tart red cherry aromas with floral elements in background. Red cherry flavors with hint of licorice, supported by very good acidity. Lean, well textured wine that will be well served by 5+ years in the cellar.
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Slow Wine Guide 2012 (Release tasting) (Metropolitan Pavilion): The ’08 Rancia was unexpectedly open at this young age. The nose showed red berries, cocoa powder and deep floral notes. On the palate, it was open and juicy with red berry fruits. The finish showed more of the structure I was expecting. This is a fine example of Rancia that (in this year’s case) is more open in its youth than the Fontalloro.
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At Felsina - Spicy red fruits / red and black cherry, tart raspberry, lilacs and balsamic notes on the nose. Very nice bouquet. The wine is very young and extremely well concentrated. The purity of fruit is very intense at such a young age. Same flavor profile on the palate. Very long finish with only a touch of vanilla from French oak. Great wine. Powerful stuff.
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10/13/2023 - Guido L. wrote: 93 Points
Very nice wine in top drinking spot. It developed with air. With a very slight overripe nose in the beginning, this was gone after 60 minutes and the wine. Red cherry, red currant, leather, dark chocolate. Drink it now and over the next 3 years.
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5/6/2021 - Bob H wrote:
Popped & poured, and at first blush, the nose reminds me more of Bordeaux than Chianti. There's something similar to that sandalwood/cedar element that I often get in Bordeaux - not exactly the same, but close.
The 2008 and 2009 vintages are both, in retrospect, weak in the overall Chianti vintage hierarchy, and this is one of the lesser Rancia wines from that decade. To be sure, pleasant enough, but it doesn't really resonate "Chianti" to me - this comes across more like a Tuscan IGT.
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4/17/2021 - guido23 Likes this wine: 100 Points
Chianti that thinks it's a Brunello. Blockbuster out of the gate. Very fruit forward on the palate with a floral nose. Delicious! Faded quickly though, so no need to over decant.
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4/8/2021 - Nutty08 Likes this wine: 92 Points
A dark and brooding chianti, with strong black berry and dark fruited core. Still have the tell-tale lifted saline aromatics. Quite tannic and a bit closed on the palate seems to imply it needs more time.
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11/15/2020 - Bob H wrote:
Pretty good for a so-so vintage. More black fruits than red, with an earthiness to the nose. Good persistence.
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5/13/2020 - maderay Does not like this wine: 86 Points
Had lost its flavors
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5/12/2020 - KeithAkers wrote: 92 Points
Nose: The nose is fragrant and in perfect harmony yielding red cherries, savory notes, violets, rose petals, licorice, herbs, pipe tobacco, leather tones, raspberries, plums, and lavender.
Taste: The feel is medium bodied with medium+ acidity and silky, medium+ tannins. The feel is showing maturity with its balance and poise along with red cherries, savory notes, violets, licorice, herbs, leather tones, raspberries, plums, and lavender.
Overall: This is in a lovely place right now.There is great interplay between the red fruits and the savory parts. There is excellent depth and the tannins are there, but are beginning to resolve. This will easily hold for a long while, but it is more than ready to go right now with a few hours of air.
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4/18/2020 - Kris G wrote: 91 Points
Perfect ripe fruits, excellent ballance, just missing a bit of complexity, the acidity nicely kicks in at the end of the middle part and prolonges during the aftertaste where we also find a very small and delicate sweet touch, not related too the alcohol. A really nice and smooth wine, esp. considering the vintage.
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4/16/2020 - nphase Likes this wine: 92 Points
Such a great value wine
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4/5/2020 - sidaga Likes this wine: 90 Points
Robe cerise dense;
Nez profond, intense, sur la cerise noire & autres petits fruits foncés légèrement alcoolisés. Petite dimension de sous-bois & la feuille de tomate apporte un aspect agréable au bouquet. L'anis complète l'ensemble.
La bouche est dense, structuré, large, sur les petits fruits rouges presque confit. La finale se resserre avec des notes rocailleuses & épicées. L'acidité est suffisante pour supporter la densité & rondeur des arômes, bel équilibre. Ne semble pas avoir du tout 12 ans, presqu'aussi fringant qu'une fraîchement débarqué en succursale!!!!
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12/19/2019 - Italiana Likes this wine:
Very good. Lots of fruit. Tannins starting to soften. Good acidity. And the price is right for this level of quality and satisfaction.
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12/14/2019 - Bob H wrote:
One of the weaker vintages for Rancia in recent years. I seem to recall a lot of rain this year, but while I don't think it affected the harvest, this is a smaller-scaled Rancia. The acidity is more pronounced than the fruit at this time, so at least IMO, there is a risk that the wine becomes even more unbalanced as time goes on.
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8/29/2019 - ILarsen wrote: 92 Points
You get fruit it is cherries, blackberries and raspberries - in the beginning we clearly got some notable tannins - but after a while the tannins got very relaxed - still medium acidity and tannins - the wine is well integrated and has a very nice balance and that is why we are giving it a big and well deserved 92.
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6/22/2019 - Thomas123 wrote: 92 Points
Super nice Sangiovese. Still plenty of fruit but will probably not get better. Quite dense in nose, lovely sour cherries in mouth. Long aftertaste. For a not optimal Tuscany vintage, this one really delivers.
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3/1/2019 - Jeffyboy Likes this wine: 92 Points
Tuscany 2008 (Winicjatywa): very dark cherry colour with lighter rim. nose: tobacco, wood, mushrooms, cigar; light and pleasant. taste: high acid - really fresh; young tanins; crisp cherries, red currants; long and fresh. Excelent.
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2/24/2019 - MaineMark Likes this wine: 93 Points
Our first Rancia, and it won't be our last. Very nicely balanced right now. There are fruit, earth, and savory flavors, and no overpowering alcohol. I understand this is a somewhat weaker Tuscany/Rancia vintage. If that is is the case, we are really looking forward to trying some from other more acclaimed years. Thoroughly enjoyed.
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1/19/2019 - Bob H wrote:
Opened for dinner later today (and my 2nd bottle this month).
Very open nose, like a Luden's cherry cough drop, with a floral note as well - very likable nose.
Nicely balanced on the palate, with adequate acidity and decent persistence. Probably drinking as well as it will right now, which is why I am actively consuming my remaining bottles.
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1/11/2019 - Buick455 wrote: 92 Points
Improved a since last bottle 1 1/2 years ago. Dark berries on the nose. Palate was dark red berries, a hint of plum/ink. Nice complexity. Medium to long finish finish.
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1/11/2019 - Bob H wrote:
You know, considering how poorly this vintage is rated in Chianti, this is showing well today - in fact, I think I prefer this to the '07 right now.
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11/16/2018 - Bob H wrote:
"Leafy" notes with red & black fruit on the nose.
Balanced, but somewhat thin/dilute on the palate. I am a big fan of the Rancia bottling, but this may be their weakest effort in the 2003-2013 time period. Acceptable, but inferior to the '08 Argiano I just tried.
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1/28/2018 - danckie wrote: 88 Points
Be sure to give this some air. Very disjointed at first. Spicy finish with mocca, coffee notes. Came together after some time. Dark fruit pushed the coffee to the background. Probably Won’t buy again.
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11/29/2017 - macker100 wrote: 89 Points
Solid aromas of spice, licorice, and black cherries. Sweet and powerful, with bold flavors of candied plums, blackberries. Nice finish, although a bit dry for my liking. Seems rich for the year. 89+
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10/26/2017 - golfhawk Likes this wine: 88 Points
This was very tannic even after a long decant. I will wait on the next one in hopes that it softens with time. Could be good in the future.
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10/14/2017 - sidaga wrote: 89 Points
Oeil rubis très dense;
Nez sur la cerise foncée, petite touche sauvage & rustique, boisé léger & bien intégré. L'anis est plus présente avec le temps, la feuille de tomate apporte une fraîcheur au bouquet qui est intense, agréable & invitant. L'ensemble semble plus harmonieux & fondu.
Bouche bien ronde en attaque, sur la cerise surette, la tomate & la réglisse noire. Acidité vive, longue finale sur des amers & les épices vertes séchées (thym, romarin). Très agréable!
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8/4/2017 - Bob H wrote:
Popped & poured; translucent ruby in the glass, with ripe red and black fruits on the nose.
Comes across a little shrill on the palate - not bad, but in the normal context of what one should expect from this vineyard, only okay.
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7/23/2017 - Buick455 wrote: 91 Points
Decanted 2 hours. Drank over 2 days. Night in the fridge. Good, but not as good as I had hoped. A bit more simple than the last Rancia I had, which was the 2006. This compares more to the 2005. Dark berries on the nose. Palate was dark red berries, a hint of plum/ink. Medium finish.
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5/26/2017 - Blauweiss Likes this wine: 91 Points
Fine earthy nose, red berries, cherrie, some Tobacco, fresh herbs. Taste is medium+ bodied, long, with a sweet touch. Perfect with rich food. At a perfect Place right now.
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2/28/2016 - Finare Vinare wrote: 91 Points
Probably not a long ager, the '08 Rancia hits a sweet-spot between youthful and mature. Just as the previous bottle two years ago, this one shows great complexity and nuance, with fairly understated oak. Highly drinkable and appreciated around the table.
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8/14/2015 - Rechrom wrote: 92 Points
Excellent and drinking very well after 8 hours slow O and a two hour decant. Dark red, classic nose and palate, good nose and clean finish. Does not have the depth and panache of vintages like 06, 07, 10, but is open for business now and works really well with food.
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7/8/2015 - wineduggery wrote: 89 Points
Agree with Rorykinnear. Stewed prune dominated on day one. Too soon to drink this.
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4/19/2015 - Eric wrote:
Drinking nicely with black cherry, loamy earth and a hint of tobacco. Classic, well balanced wine.
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1/22/2015 - lvjohn Likes this wine: 94 Points
This is such a wonderful wine with cherry notes hitting on all cylinders. What a treat to drink this wine. It is everything I expect in a fine Chianti Classico Riserva.
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1/21/2015 - Troon wrote: 92 Points
Drank as part of a Chianti Classico tasting. This was the star of the night. Years of life ahead of it. A really nice structure that had cherries and herbs on the palate. Decanted for 2 hours before we started the night!
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12/26/2014 - ex-sommelier Likes this wine:
Thought it was cooked at first. An hour after opening it was all stewed prunes and unyielding tannin. Little on the palate. Double decanted and corked it.
Day 2: cooked quality dissipated, tannins evened out but still gripping, however the bottle was starting to show like a good sangiovese. Very dark black cherries, a bit of menthol, lovely tobacco and subtle oak spice. My conclusion is that the while the wine may have had some storage issues, it is really just way too young to drink, at least without a 12+hr decant. Still an amazing value for such a serious wine.
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11/26/2014 - lvjohn Likes this wine: 94 Points
What a beauty this bottle turned out to be. Rich dark cherry and earthy flavors dominate. Decanted and served in large bowl glasses. There is so much going on here. It tasted great from beginning to end. Nice deep color and a nose of fruit and spices.
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10/17/2014 - sidaga Likes this wine: 90 Points
Oeil violet foncé très profond.
Le nez montre une belle puissance. La cerise foncée est bien présente. L'ensemble est enrobée par un petit qqchose de fumée/boisée & superbement intégrée. Les épices brunes sont aussi bien présentes & apporte une belle couche de complexitée à l'ensemble. Il y a aussi du tabac & le temps apporte des beaux arômes d'anis. Un petit qqchose de poussiéreux complète un superbe nez.
La bouche est massive & en un bloc. Le fruit foncé domine la bouche. Bonne ampleur & longueur avec une finale épicée & légèrement minérale. Bonne aciditée & balance exemplaire. Bon compagnons pour une repas bien relevé.
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9/29/2014 - Bob H Likes this wine:
A murky ruby at the core, lightening out to translucence on the rim. Red & black fruits, menthol, a "cool", fairly primary nose at this point. Nice legs.
More red-fruited on the palate, with spice nuances and nice persistence on the slightly bitter finish. This is a glass from a bottle I opened on Friday, so I don't know if it was more or less accessible at that time, but 72 or so hours after opening this is showing nicely for what should be a relatively young riserva.
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9/26/2014 - AndrewR wrote: 95 Points
Complete, integrated, classy, sheer elegance. Drinking perfectly now with structure to go 10 more years. Absolutely worth $40 and should be a staple of your cellar. A one or two case buy, year after year after year. Tremendous.
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5/13/2014 - mattyboy_ Likes this wine:
red and dark berry fruit, licorice, herbs and spices. dusty spicy tannins. a bit muted on the nose. not quite ready.
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4/6/2014 - mchiew Likes this wine: 92 Points
decanted for 1/2 and drank over 1hr+.
nose of plum, tea, cherry. very complex and enticing, and prompted me to taste it.
medium to full body, soft tannin, and very savoury, and end with good length. a few more yrs will be good, but it is drinking well now!
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4/5/2014 - Finare Vinare wrote: 91 Points
Just as the '07, the '08 has closed up a bit, but in a direct comparison it shows a lot more. Sagebrush, sour cherry, tobacco, tea, cocoa, liquorice, gravel, ground almonds, rose-bud, and a hint of mint, are some of the notes here. The dry, mid-weight, fairly concentrated and astringent tea & sour-cherry palate has a balance towards freshness, and lacks the big muscle of the '07, which is a good thing for early drinking. It finishes on a bright and clear acid tone, but oak bitterness also chimes in on the long aftertaste, so a few more years won't hurt.
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2/2/2014 - baroloboy55 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Really good, well balanced Rancia. Young but rich enough to be enjoyable. Should think abbout adding.
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1/19/2014 - Federsin Likes this wine:
Dark red / purple in the glass, open nose, tannins are still prominent with rich flavors of dark cherries and tobacco and plenty of structure, throwing off a fair bit of sediment, quite drinkable now, but I would give this wine another 5 years to soften the hard edges and allow the very promising pieces to come together, definitely a buy for the cellar
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12/29/2013 - David J Cooper wrote: 80 Points
How disappointing. The second bad bottle. Both from k and L. First was at a restaurant Rhione xii in Seattle. A great bottle. Bought a half dozen from K and L both have been mediocre. I think a trend is developing here.
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11/27/2013 - maderay wrote: 90 Points
VG+. astringent but in a pleasant way. Dark cherries, a little bit of licorice. Drank it at Seven Sows with Erica and David
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11/15/2013 - farinas wrote: 91 Points
Deeply concentrated but quite closed with rich dark cherry fruit with some tartness on the edges. This is too young to drink at the moment, but not sure whether it will ever evolve to match the 2007.
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10/3/2013 - RussK wrote: 91 Points
Russk. Stacole tasting at Rubell. 91-
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9/29/2013 - smorris291 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Just delicious, even with just a short decant. Second glass, about 90 mins later than the firat, was even better. Wonderful balance and everything you'd look for in a high end Sangiovese.
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9/27/2013 - KeithAkers wrote: 91 Points
Nose: Young and tight with roasted herbs, dark red cherries, licorice, red florals, violets, lavender, and some marjoram. While this is on the tight side, it is showing real nice style.
Taste: Medium bodied with medium/high acidity and youthful tannins. The structure is fairly imposing with roasted herbs, dark red cherries, licorice, red florals, and lavender.
Overall: This is a very young, but very pretty Rancia. There is a lot of potential lying underneath, but it will take a while to find out.
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9/8/2013 - yofog wrote: 92 Points
Quite a big wine, not what I was expecting. Lots of extract and structure here. I might actually like the regular riserva better.
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8/22/2013 - Linn wrote: 92 Points
agree with others, this is so delicious right now, needs a short decant of 30min and it sings. one of the best 2008s from tuscany for sure. drink while 2006 and 2007 are waiting in the cellar for their prime
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8/21/2013 - Italiana Likes this wine: 92 Points
First bottle tried from this vintage. Deep, impenetrable color, which frankly surprised and induced a little apprehension about the winemaking style. Needn't have worried! Fresh and complex aromas. Drank without air time in bottle or glass. Remarkable for the restraint of the dark fruit flavors, which pushed some more interesting herb and tobacco notes forward. All of this wrapped up in nicely balanced acidity and fine tannins. To me a winner even at this young age.
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8/20/2013 - lvjohn Likes this wine: 93 Points
Delicious, but a definite food wine. Gave it a quick decant, then drank over next hour with company. No obvious defects and outstanding purity.
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8/19/2013 - Rechrom wrote:
No detailed notes, but tight at open and better after a few hours. Drank well with food. B+/A-
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6/8/2013 - maderay wrote: 85 Points
G.
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6/4/2013 - lvjohn Likes this wine: 93 Points
Wonderful sweetness combined with perfect acidity and rich fruit in this one. It's really very drinkable now. We drank it down to quickly to see how it evolved! Wish we had lots more of this wine.
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12/29/2012 - JohanPe wrote: 88 Points
Needs air. Closed at first but develops during the evening. Dark cherries, vanilla, dark chocolate and coffeebeans. Touch of mint in the aftertaste. Would like to try again during a day or two. Decant!
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12/17/2012 - lvjohn wrote: 91 Points
Too young to fully appreciate. The cork was raised beyond the bottle top so I have to wonder about this one. 30 minute decant. Seemed a bit hot initially with hints of nice fruit. Never seemed to fully develop over the evening. Good deep color with no sense of anything untoward on the edges.
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12/1/2012 - europat55 wrote:
Donato's 2012 Enoteca 100 Italian Tasting Event (Redwood City, CA): Generous nose. Good density on the palate. Still quite tannic. B+
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12/1/2012 - David J Cooper wrote: 92 Points
Quite dark purple/red. Great medium intense nose of black cherry, mineral, earth and some smoky black pepper. Nice extracted black cherry and mineral flavours, A quite grippy finish. AG says for early drinking and I agree because this shows extremely well right now.
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11/5/2012 - Omar Khayyam Likes this wine: 88 Points
November releases at Systembolaget with munskänkarna (Näringslivets hus, Stockholm): Tight nose, elegant, ripe fruit, very good energy and grip, very easy to drink now, perhaps a bit simple. Not sure how priceworthy this is at about USD 40 (at the Government Monopoly Store) though.
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11/1/2012 - Nomen Nescio Likes this wine: 92 Points
Mycket bra Sangiovese. Doft något knuten men desto öppnare och rik i smak. Tydlig körsbärssmak, hög syra men inte kartig. Finsandiga tanniner och lång rik eftersmak. Perfekt till pasta penne med gräddig sås på kastanjechampinjoner och strimlat kött.
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10/18/2012 - Rechrom wrote: 92 Points
Decanted one hour, drunk over next four. Unusually open for business for this bottling, this has a powerful primary nose of tart cherry, more cherry on the palate with some earth and dry tannins. Good acidity. Very pleasant now, does not have the stuffing of vintages like 04 and 06, but a really enjoyable wine now and will improve for several years I suspect.
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8/11/2012 - G.M. wrote: 93 Points
Medium garnet. Complex nose with notes of red cherry, cranberry, raspberry, game, tobacco and clove. Good astrigent tannin. Good length of cherry and plum fruit coupled with savoury herbs, tobacco and cedar. Very good wine.
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6/30/2012 - AlexGarner Likes this wine: 93 Points
Tuscany Sangiovese tasting (Prince Wine Store - Bank Street): Spices, dark fruit and tar on the nose with zingy acidity, tight tannins and (at this early stage) subdued fruits.
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4/28/2012 - pizzler wrote: 93 Points
Wine Spectator's Grand Tour, Washington DC 2012 (Ronald Reagan Building): great nose, young but still was yummy, tart cherry taste with just the right amount of sweetness at the end, compares favorably with the 2004
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2/2/2012 - Burgundy Al wrote: 91 Points
Slow Wine 2012 Tasting (Cafe Spiaggia - Chicago IL): Tart red cherry aromas with floral elements in background. Red cherry flavors with hint of licorice, supported by very good acidity. Lean, well textured wine that will be well served by 5+ years in the cellar.
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1/30/2012 - Eric Guido Likes this wine: 93 Points
Slow Wine Guide 2012 (Release tasting) (Metropolitan Pavilion): The ’08 Rancia was unexpectedly open at this young age. The nose showed red berries, cocoa powder and deep floral notes. On the palate, it was open and juicy with red berry fruits. The finish showed more of the structure I was expecting. This is a fine example of Rancia that (in this year’s case) is more open in its youth than the Fontalloro.
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4/27/2011 - Jack O'Brien wrote: 93 Points
At Felsina - Spicy red fruits / red and black cherry, tart raspberry, lilacs and balsamic notes on the nose. Very nice bouquet. The wine is very young and extremely well concentrated. The purity of fruit is very intense at such a young age. Same flavor profile on the palate. Very long finish with only a touch of vanilla from French oak. Great wine. Powerful stuff.
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