Gave it a few hours to open before dinner, then drank it with our brick oven pizzas. Very nice with dinner, showing sour cherries, a bit of earth, and substantial body. Wish I had one more.
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Still drinking very young. Decanted for an hour before serving, but didnt really start to show its potential for 2 more hours.. then it came together very nicely. Nice dry sour cherry, dusty dry tannins with a touch of herb.
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Definitely needs a couple of hours open -- because upon initial pour it was pretty closed. But later it became nicely luscious and rich. Excellent nose of dark fruit and cedar. Palate is very plummy and chewy with moderate tannins at the end that extend a dryness to it.
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Has matured nicely. The previous oak notes seem to have abated, and now the nose is full of sangiovese fruit and tobacco. The palate is earthy, spicy, and dark fruity, quite dense. Very pleasant chianti riserva with some gravitas.
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Over the past 5 or 6 years this has been one of the few case purchase recommendations I did not regret. The last bottle still has that tremendous sour cherry but has smoothed out and was appropriately the last of 12 bottles consumed. Not as tannic or sharp as early bottles somewhat like an medium bodied aged Pommard in texture and elegance. Great fruit and abundant acids every time. Really a pleasure and not a bad bottle in the bunch. Score is an average of the case. Not really done because I only drank half and hoping for it to hold for 24 more hours.
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Took hours to open up. Upon opening the nose was all band-aids, and the flavor hollow. This did improve quite a bit with time. This is not a pop & pour wine. Purchased for under $14 a bottle, so definitely a good qpr if willing to let it breathe a few hours before serving. Best served with a meal. I'd recommend a pot roast or such. For a pop-n-pour I'd score this a 79. If you are willing to let it breathe 3-4 hours before serving, it jumps up to the 89 range. Scoring 86 as the mid-point since most people won't wait for it to open up.
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The previous bottles I opened really needed more time in the cellar. To date this has had the biggest cherry lovely nose yet. Big cherry fruit in flavor and some spice.
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Nose has a pretty strong bit of oak on it along with intense sangiovese fruit. Palate is dense and spicy, and a bit barnyardy after it opened for half hour.
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Just grabbed something that I knew I had mutliple bottles of. The last bottle showed more than the first 2. This showed big cherry on the nose and a little vanilla. The palate was dusty and dry and didn't quite have the cherry that the nose suggested. Day 3 however showed much more cherry and vanilla in taste. I will hang on to the rest to let it evolbve.
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Needed a bottle to cook the braised beef. Much better than the previous 2 bottles. Just as I thought it needs time. The cherry and black cherry were much more apparent in aroma and taste. Tasty.
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Drinking perfect right now, no longer need to wait. Great wine to open with spegetti and meatballs or a BYOB pizza joint. A more developed version of what I had 2 years ago
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I can't quite figure this out: initially there was more sweet fruit evident than you'd normally expect of a chianti, but then it dissappeared quickly leaving only a sour cherry aftertaste. I have 8 more bottles; maybe it will improve over time?
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big brooding, purple. More dense than most chainti, I dont think we gave it enough air (opened and poured a glass 3 hours before serving) as it was mostly tannin and wood, but right at the end some fruit started to show up, and seemed like it would become great. I left a glass for tomorrow.
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still has years of improvement ahead of it. Very good showing, but this wine still needs 3+ hours to show its classic Sangio character. Dark mocha under the sour cherry fruit, with some wood framework. Very nice .
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This is turning into such a great QPR ($14) chianti. Every bottle gets better. Wish I bought a few cases instead of just one, as I feel this wine still has a way to go before reaching its prime. Cool, mature red fruits, lots of Sangiovese character of leather, with just the right mix of wood treatment.
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Had that European taste that lets you know it's from Europe that I can't describe and that I don't really love... maybe it kind of tastes like stale sourdough bread? Em liked it, I think maybe the weather was too warm for me to enjoy it. Had with Team Spaulding
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Best showing yet. More fruit is showing and the tannis are much softer. I think this wine has 5 more years before it will show any sign of decline. I aired it out some, and believe it really helped. Drank with chicken cacciatora, with fagiolini e peperoncini.
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popped and poured at my favorite italian restaurant. In addition had very small narrow glasses so wine never really got chance to open up. Paired it with chicken stuffed with procuitto and cheese in a brown mushroom sauce. Dark ruby color, Got an old world restrained sour cherry taste, and some silky tannins. Medium bodied. The finish was one thing that bothered me about this wine and and contained what could be best described as a medicinal aftertaste. As good as the attack was, I couldn't get passed this aftertaste. I will add that I did not remember this aftertaste the last time I had this wine about a year ago.
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Drank with Mr and Ms Good Old Ludwig Van, opened several hours before serving, but did not decant. Paired well with Greek food consisting of gyro and lamb chops, food friendly wine.
Initial nose out of the bottle was described as "dirty cherry" definitely old world in form and was a nice departure from what I've been drinking lately. The palate was silky and well integrated with a dry finish. Nice QPR for old world drinkers.
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great right out of the gate, big tannin core - a bit dry. I hope I have some of these left 4 years from now, as I think they have the stuffing to be a 90 pointer then.
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Decanting- FIrst glass after 10 minutes Dark red Red fruit aroma with quite a bit of earthiness. Some fruit flavors but lots of earth and just a pleaseant hint of barnyard in the nose and earthiness on the mid pallet. Long tangy finish
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Popped and poured. Medium ruby color leads to an initial nose of 'tuscan funk' that blows off after about ten minutes. At this time, cherries dominate the nose. The body is medium to full bodied with just enough heft for this to taste more like a baby brunello than chianti. The tannins are integrated with no noticiable heat. Much better than the bottle I had 1 month ago. Great QPR at $13.
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Ruby to rim. Cherry, red berries, earth on nose. Nice, little light, some vanilla. Dry & young to taste. Red tart berry, acidic nerve, popped & poured. Bet it gets better as it opens.
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light reddish purple. tangy and a bit tart with nice big fruit like tart tart cherries on the plalette. Tight and young needs some time but it shows good balance
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8/9/2013 - JWG wrote: 88 Points
Very similar to bottle opened in 2012. Same qualities -- almost no change over the year.
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5/11/2013 - Adventr.us wrote: 90 Points
Gave it a few hours to open before dinner, then drank it with our brick oven pizzas. Very nice with dinner, showing sour cherries, a bit of earth, and substantial body. Wish I had one more.
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3/30/2013 - gzim Likes this wine:
Still drinking very young. Decanted for an hour before serving, but didnt really start to show its potential for 2 more hours.. then it came together very nicely. Nice dry sour cherry, dusty dry tannins with a touch of herb.
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8/11/2012 - Adventr.us wrote: 88 Points
Ready on pop n pour, and pleasant enough; curious to see if it fills out on day 2.
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7/10/2012 - JWG wrote: 88 Points
Definitely needs a couple of hours open -- because upon initial pour it was pretty closed. But later it became nicely luscious and rich. Excellent nose of dark fruit and cedar. Palate is very plummy and chewy with moderate tannins at the end that extend a dryness to it.
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9/26/2011 - JWG wrote: 87 Points
Has matured nicely. The previous oak notes seem to have abated, and now the nose is full of sangiovese fruit and tobacco. The palate is earthy, spicy, and dark fruity, quite dense. Very pleasant chianti riserva with some gravitas.
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9/14/2011 - Jimdish25 wrote: 91 Points
Over the past 5 or 6 years this has been one of the few case purchase recommendations I did not regret. The last bottle still has that tremendous sour cherry but has smoothed out and was appropriately the last of 12 bottles consumed. Not as tannic or sharp as early bottles somewhat like an medium bodied aged Pommard in texture and elegance. Great fruit and abundant acids every time. Really a pleasure and not a bad bottle in the bunch. Score is an average of the case. Not really done because I only drank half and hoping for it to hold for 24 more hours.
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3/20/2011 - jjoyce wrote: 86 Points
Took hours to open up. Upon opening the nose was all band-aids, and the flavor hollow. This did improve quite a bit with time. This is not a pop & pour wine. Purchased for under $14 a bottle, so definitely a good qpr if willing to let it breathe a few hours before serving. Best served with a meal. I'd recommend a pot roast or such. For a pop-n-pour I'd score this a 79. If you are willing to let it breathe 3-4 hours before serving, it jumps up to the 89 range. Scoring 86 as the mid-point since most people won't wait for it to open up.
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3/18/2011 - McComiskey wrote: 81 Points
Bland, with little in the way of a finish.
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3/14/2011 - caboychuck wrote:
The previous bottles I opened really needed more time in the cellar. To date this has had the biggest cherry lovely nose yet. Big cherry fruit in flavor and some spice.
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1/23/2011 - TonyH wrote: 89 Points
The wine looks Purple colored.
The legs are Medium.
It smells like Red Currant, and Blackberry.
The body is Medium.
The wine is textured Smooth.
The wine finishes Long.
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1/12/2011 - caboychuck wrote:
Cherry on the nose. Dry wine with cherry. They seem to open quite a bit with air.
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10/28/2010 - eporres wrote: 87 Points
For $17, a terrific Tuscan bargain. Cherries, spice, and everything nice.
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6/14/2010 - JWG wrote: 86 Points
Nose has a pretty strong bit of oak on it along with intense sangiovese fruit. Palate is dense and spicy, and a bit barnyardy after it opened for half hour.
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12/27/2009 - caboychuck wrote:
Cherry and black cherry on the nose. Dry, but getting better with some age.
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3/13/2009 - caboychuck wrote:
Just grabbed something that I knew I had mutliple bottles of. The last bottle showed more than the first 2. This showed big cherry on the nose and a little vanilla. The palate was dusty and dry and didn't quite have the cherry that the nose suggested. Day 3 however showed much more cherry and vanilla in taste. I will hang on to the rest to let it evolbve.
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3/1/2009 - caboychuck wrote:
Needed a bottle to cook the braised beef. Much better than the previous 2 bottles. Just as I thought it needs time. The cherry and black cherry were much more apparent in aroma and taste. Tasty.
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2/27/2009 - skm95t wrote: 90 Points
Drinking perfect right now, no longer need to wait. Great wine to open with spegetti and meatballs or a BYOB pizza joint. A more developed version of what I had 2 years ago
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10/26/2008 - grapemaven wrote: 87 Points
I can't quite figure this out: initially there was more sweet fruit evident than you'd normally expect of a chianti, but then it dissappeared quickly leaving only a sour cherry aftertaste. I have 8 more bottles; maybe it will improve over time?
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9/22/2008 - paulst wrote: 87 Points
Smooth light some acidiity.
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9/13/2008 - gzim wrote: 89 Points
big brooding, purple. More dense than most chainti, I dont think we gave it enough air (opened and poured a glass 3 hours before serving) as it was mostly tannin and wood, but right at the end some fruit started to show up, and seemed like it would become great. I left a glass for tomorrow.
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7/26/2008 - gzim wrote: 89 Points
still has years of improvement ahead of it. Very good showing, but this wine still needs 3+ hours to show its classic Sangio character. Dark mocha under the sour cherry fruit, with some wood framework. Very nice .
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2/11/2008 - gzim wrote: 90 Points
This is turning into such a great QPR ($14) chianti. Every bottle gets better. Wish I bought a few cases instead of just one, as I feel this wine still has a way to go before reaching its prime. Cool, mature red fruits, lots of Sangiovese character of leather, with just the right mix of wood treatment.
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8/24/2007 - GOL wrote:
Had that European taste that lets you know it's from Europe that I can't describe and that I don't really love... maybe it kind of tastes like stale sourdough bread? Em liked it, I think maybe the weather was too warm for me to enjoy it. Had with Team Spaulding
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7/6/2007 - gzim wrote: 89 Points
Best showing yet. More fruit is showing and the tannis are much softer. I think this wine has 5 more years before it will show any sign of decline. I aired it out some, and believe it really helped. Drank with chicken cacciatora, with fagiolini e peperoncini.
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6/21/2007 - TonyH wrote: 89 Points
Dark reddish purple
Big bold flavors with a lot of dark fruit.
Very good.
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6/14/2007 - Coupe 60 wrote: 85 Points
popped and poured at my favorite italian restaurant. In addition had very small narrow glasses so wine never really got chance to open up. Paired it with chicken stuffed with procuitto and cheese in a brown mushroom sauce. Dark ruby color, Got an old world restrained sour cherry taste, and some silky tannins. Medium bodied. The finish was one thing that bothered me about this wine and and contained what could be best described as a medicinal aftertaste. As good as the attack was, I couldn't get passed this aftertaste. I will add that I did not remember this aftertaste the last time I had this wine about a year ago.
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5/14/2007 - paulst wrote: 84 Points
Light fruit.
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4/13/2007 - caboychuck wrote: 89 Points
Purple in color with brick rim. Nose: big red fruit, better than previous bottle. Tabacco. Palate: lean, crisp fruit. Still too young.
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3/25/2007 - paulst wrote: 90 Points
Cherry, plem blackberry with licorice.
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3/9/2007 - skm95t wrote: 91 Points
Drank with Mr and Ms Good Old Ludwig Van, opened several hours before serving, but did not decant. Paired well with Greek food consisting of gyro and lamb chops, food friendly wine.
Initial nose out of the bottle was described as "dirty cherry" definitely old world in form and was a nice departure from what I've been drinking lately. The palate was silky and well integrated with a dry finish. Nice QPR for old world drinkers.
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1/28/2007 - gzim wrote: 87 Points
great right out of the gate, big tannin core - a bit dry. I hope I have some of these left 4 years from now, as I think they have the stuffing to be a 90 pointer then.
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1/22/2007 - cigar52 wrote: 86 Points
weak and flavorless... no bad qualities but nothing special... too expensive (13.99) for quality
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1/13/2007 - TonyH wrote:
Decanting- FIrst glass after 10 minutes
Dark red Red fruit aroma with quite a bit of earthiness.
Some fruit flavors but lots of earth and just a pleaseant hint of barnyard in the nose and earthiness on the mid pallet. Long tangy finish
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1/2/2007 - krmcgrath wrote: 88 Points
Had with a nice sicilian style pizza and they complemented each other. Red fruits, noticeable acid. Best with food.
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12/16/2006 - gzim wrote: 88 Points
Drank for 2nd nite of Hanukah. Nce wine for the money, but no wow. Audouzed for 10 hours.
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11/28/2006 - flashvictor wrote: 91 Points
Popped and poured. Medium ruby color leads to an initial nose of 'tuscan funk' that blows off after about ten minutes. At this time, cherries dominate the nose. The body is medium to full bodied with just enough heft for this to taste more like a baby brunello than chianti. The tannins are integrated with no noticiable heat. Much better than the bottle I had 1 month ago. Great QPR at $13.
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9/4/2006 - caboychuck wrote: 89 Points
Ruby to rim. Cherry, red berries, earth on nose. Nice, little light, some vanilla. Dry & young to taste. Red tart berry, acidic nerve, popped & poured. Bet it gets better as it opens.
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9/1/2006 - gzim wrote: 89 Points
Big tannis, lotsa structure. bottle was great 3 days later
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8/27/2006 - TonyH wrote: 89 Points
light reddish purple.
tangy and a bit tart with nice big fruit like tart tart cherries on the plalette.
Tight and young needs some time but it shows good balance
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8/18/2006 - gzim wrote: 88 Points
tannic, but I didnt give it enough time to open. Nice structure, has potential. I will decant the next bottle.
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