Tappo sbriciolato, rimasto attaccato alle pareti impossibile da staccare. Colore granato scurissimo (unghia aranciata), vino velato nonostante la decantazione, al naso inizialmente sentore di sughero marcio poi migliorato, rimasto leggero odore di ossidato, molta arancia sanguinella, ciliegia, balsamico, cacao e caffè, nota amara di liquirizia. In bocca di corpo-, caldo (13.5°), rotondo, fresco-, leggermente sapido, giustamente tannico, poco persistente. Vino che ha già iniziato a decadere, anche l'acidità non è più sostenuta, nessun voto perché vino non al top, saremmo intorno a 85.
Crumbled cork, no possibility to remove it from the bottle neck walls. Very dark garnet colour (orange rim), decanted wine but still shrouded, initially at the nose stink of rotten cork then improved with time, light oxidise note, clear blood orange, cherry, balsamic, cocoa, coffee, bitter note of licorice. In the mouth medium/low body, warm (13.5°), round, medium/low acidity, smooth tannins, short finish. Wine which has already started to deteriorate, acidity is going down, no rate because the wine is not in good healt, it should be around 85.
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Deep Ruby in color. The nose is nice with cherries and sandalwood. A bit of dust. On the palate, there is a nice tart acidity that works well with food. Not so well finishing the last glass after dinner. It has gotten a decent complexity with age, but this seems to be just sliding past peak. A nice showing for sure, but I hoped for a bit better.
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Leather, mocca, red berries and stones on the nose. Peaking right now, great in the mouth, silky with nice tannins and quite good length. Nice Chianti Classico.
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drinking consistently - this is definitely one to keep coming back to - there is plenty of fruit - some cherries and berry flavours and tannins well balanced - should go for anouth 2-3 years hopefully
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Nice nose of cherry, just barely ripe plum, and tobacco. Great acidity, red fruit, and a fairly significant body in a dark ruby color. A little oak on the finish with some fine tannins.
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It's a while since the last bottle and I'm struggling to remember what I thought a year or two ago. Not that it matters. Color still a dark ruby. Nose a deep cherry with an attractive smoked meat quality. Quite substantial in the mouth, really kind of lays down a wall-to-wall carpet of warm red fruits, though still has a sharpish acid-laden finish, along with substantial and lengthy tannins and what like an seems unnecessarily oaky overhang. Something about it screams lamb to me and I can't quite tell why. OMG, I have a left over lamb chop in the refrigerator. Let's see what happens, who cares if it's 11:30? It's all in the name of science.
Well, perhaps my judgment is impaired by the late hour and all the other preceding alcohol, but this is not a great match.Even though the wine is only 13.5%, something about the lamb makes it taste hotter and a little out of balance. Probably should just call it a night. The more I think about it, the more I believe the odd man out here is the oak, at least right now.
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Powerful. Dark. Concentrated. Definitely some Merlot or stuff included. Not really my favourite kind of Chianti. I am more into a classical style. But this one appears to be very well produced. Nothing to complain about. Still very young.
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A bit on the dark side for chianti...maybe some cabernet and/or merlot in the blend? In any case, this has improved greatly in the last 7-8 months and is becoming a very enjoyable wine for around $17. Give it a little air and enjoy it with some pasta w/ sausage or meatballs.
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This was a wine that went from 85 to 90 pts over the course of the evening. Of course a nice decant would have helped but this wine was selected after a 2001 Vino Nobile de Montepulciano was corked. Anywat this was tight and closed on opening but my wife had dinner all ready so we sipped slowly thru the meal. After we relaxed that evening the wine really started to open up revealing nice red fruit and some cedar notes on the nose, with classic sour cherry notes on the palate. As we watched a movie the last glass became really deep and with a long finish. Nice bottle from a good vintage!
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Old fashioned Chianti with leather, tar, and minerals dominating. Nicely balanced with fine tanins and a smooth finish. Should be even better with age as the wine imporved considerably after opening.
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Popped a 375ml bottle at Booze with Ray and Stephen for fun after a long day at work. Oooh... this was really nice - did not know it was awarded Tre Bicchieri by Gambero Rosso when I first got it, but it figures given the quality. Dark purple red Chianti colour. Gorgeous nose straight out from the bottle, with leather, earth and indistinct italian herbs at first, and then olives, fresh thyme and dark cherry with a touch of plum lurking around somewhere by the second glass. There was some amount of oak, but it was integrated rather nicely with the other aromas. Serious and masculine at first, the bouquet picked on more sweetness with time. The palate did not quite live up to the knockout nose unfortunately, but was still praiseworthy. Surprisingly sweet and modern, it showed dark, ripe cherry, with some intensity, black pepper and a toasty, oaky undertone. Very good, if just a bit in-your-face structure, with nice round acidity, bracing but not tart in the least bit, and slightly chalky, mouth-coating tannins. Slight bitter-sweet kick in the finish, which was nice and fresh with a dollop of acid and a burst of thyme. Not short, but not very long either. There was an unpleasant metallic tail at first, but that faded into the background. I was also wondering where the fruit was under all the Chianti-ness, but the wine started putting on layers of ripe cherry, along with lots of weight, sweetness and density with time, getting more and more "modern" by the last glass or so. 2004 Tuscans have knocked my socks off so far - I completely agree with the previous posters comparison with 2005 Burg, everything is in harmony with this vintage.
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I don't quite know what to make of this. I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest that '04 Tuscany has some of the same magic as '05 Burgundy and believe me, I don't make that comparison lightly. As the label informs us, this CC is 90% sangiovese, with the rest malvasia nera, colorino, and merlot. It's got a huge toasty nose of extracted cherry, toast, herbs and anise. Medium to full-bodied, it's much bigger than I would have expected in the mouth with a serious wave of red fruits and nearly searing tannins and a long fruit driven finish. Yet it's only 13,5% alcohol so it's not what I'd call a monster. I bought a case of this for $19.99 a bottle after learning that it earned three glasses in the '08 Gambero Rosso. You don't see many $20 wines that hit that mark. There's a half bottle left over and I'd bet anything it will be that much better tomorrow.
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Black cherry on the nose and certainly quite a bit of char and vanilla. Fairly rich and smooth in the mouth, with similar flavours to the nose, but slightly swamped with the oak flavours. Low-medium tannin and medium-high acidity and a nice "bite" on the medium length finish. My only quibble with this wine is that is seemed very "international" in style with a large oak influence; not what I look for in a Chianti.
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This bottle was my favorite from the 6 we opened on the evening. Great balance, a little touch of oak, but not the "in your face" type of thing. Great acidity and great taste of black fruits such as currants and cherries. A great Chianti Classico that should be better with a couple years of cellar.
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Medium body, bright cherry color. Intense red fruits, smoked oak and tobacco aroma complements by leather and black pepper. Dominant cherry and fresh currants, vanilla and spicy palate, long woody finish. Rich but very fresh and flavorful, silky structure, complex and balanced, gentle tannins and lovely berries acidity. Serve 18º - 22º. Still young but already enjoyable, drink now and next decade.
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Ruby dark very dense. A lot of wood on the nose, but blackberrys, plums, liquorice and violet as well. Meduim full body, concentrated and luscious. Good acidity and silky tannins. Medium finish. A Chianti for hedonists, as always.
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magnificent nose but astryngent on the palate. too young and needs at least 2 years rest; either that or decant it for 4 hours. castello is much better than the basic fonterutolli. this is their table wine (vino di tavola)
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3/4/2017 - WlaFISAR wrote: flawed
Tappo sbriciolato, rimasto attaccato alle pareti impossibile da staccare. Colore granato scurissimo (unghia aranciata), vino velato nonostante la decantazione, al naso inizialmente sentore di sughero marcio poi migliorato, rimasto leggero odore di ossidato, molta arancia sanguinella, ciliegia, balsamico, cacao e caffè, nota amara di liquirizia.
In bocca di corpo-, caldo (13.5°), rotondo, fresco-, leggermente sapido, giustamente tannico, poco persistente.
Vino che ha già iniziato a decadere, anche l'acidità non è più sostenuta, nessun voto perché vino non al top, saremmo intorno a 85.
Crumbled cork, no possibility to remove it from the bottle neck walls. Very dark garnet colour (orange rim), decanted wine but still shrouded, initially at the nose stink of rotten cork then improved with time, light oxidise note, clear blood orange, cherry, balsamic, cocoa, coffee, bitter note of licorice.
In the mouth medium/low body, warm (13.5°), round, medium/low acidity, smooth tannins, short finish. Wine which has already started to deteriorate, acidity is going down, no rate because the wine is not in good healt, it should be around 85.
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1/5/2017 - jasj Likes this wine: 90 Points
Last bottle 2004 and probably the best one. Still full of life.
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12/30/2015 - Loren Sonkin wrote: 88 Points
Deep Ruby in color. The nose is nice with cherries and sandalwood. A bit of dust. On the palate, there is a nice tart acidity that works well with food. Not so well finishing the last glass after dinner. It has gotten a decent complexity with age, but this seems to be just sliding past peak. A nice showing for sure, but I hoped for a bit better.
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8/26/2015 - michelvl wrote: 92 Points
As per my previous note, the wait was worth it. Sadly the final bottle but a great tipple with berries and a bit of mocha coming through.
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10/12/2014 - Glifberg wrote: 92 Points
Fantastisk bärighet med massiva tanniner härlig upplevelse
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9/8/2012 - quickben wrote: 90 Points
Last bottle - sadly - the best of the lot. So fragrant and fruity it is a little bit of Sangiovese heaven
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9/25/2011 - rs wrote: 90 Points
Leather, mocca, red berries and stones on the nose. Peaking right now, great in the mouth, silky with nice tannins and quite good length. Nice Chianti Classico.
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7/14/2011 - quickben wrote: 89 Points
drinking consistently - this is definitely one to keep coming back to - there is plenty of fruit - some cherries and berry flavours and tannins well balanced - should go for anouth 2-3 years hopefully
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6/27/2011 - quickben wrote: 89 Points
very accessible - lots of fruit, some cherries and good acidity to avoid it being flabby
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2/14/2011 - bigjoe wrote: 88 Points
s'assouplit tranquillement, gardez encore 2-3 ans minimum
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2/1/2011 - Xtriguy wrote: 90 Points
Nice nose of cherry, just barely ripe plum, and tobacco. Great acidity, red fruit, and a fairly significant body in a dark ruby color. A little oak on the finish with some fine tannins.
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9/4/2010 - bevetroppo wrote: 89 Points
It's a while since the last bottle and I'm struggling to remember what I thought a year or two ago. Not that it matters. Color still a dark ruby. Nose a deep cherry with an attractive smoked meat quality. Quite substantial in the mouth, really kind of lays down a wall-to-wall carpet of warm red fruits, though still has a sharpish acid-laden finish, along with substantial and lengthy tannins and what like an seems unnecessarily oaky overhang. Something about it screams lamb to me and I can't quite tell why. OMG, I have a left over lamb chop in the refrigerator. Let's see what happens, who cares if it's 11:30? It's all in the name of science.
Well, perhaps my judgment is impaired by the late hour and all the other preceding alcohol, but this is not a great match.Even though the wine is only 13.5%, something about the lamb makes it taste hotter and a little out of balance. Probably should just call it a night. The more I think about it, the more I believe the odd man out here is the oak, at least right now.
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5/15/2010 - kas wrote: 90 Points
still my favorite basic chianti
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4/3/2010 - Oh Dae-su wrote: 88 Points
Powerful. Dark. Concentrated. Definitely some Merlot or stuff included. Not really my favourite kind of Chianti. I am more into a classical style. But this one appears to be very well produced. Nothing to complain about. Still very young.
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3/6/2010 - EMTAME wrote: 89 Points
A bit on the dark side for chianti...maybe some cabernet and/or merlot in the blend? In any case, this has improved greatly in the last 7-8 months and is becoming a very enjoyable wine for around $17. Give it a little air and enjoy it with some pasta w/ sausage or meatballs.
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11/5/2009 - khmark7 wrote: 89 Points
Wonderful nose and good finish.
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10/30/2009 - Arch57 wrote: 90 Points
This was a wine that went from 85 to 90 pts over the course of the evening. Of course a nice decant would have helped but this wine was selected after a 2001 Vino Nobile de Montepulciano was corked. Anywat this was tight and closed on opening but my wife had dinner all ready so we sipped slowly thru the meal. After we relaxed that evening the wine really started to open up revealing nice red fruit and some cedar notes on the nose, with classic sour cherry notes on the palate. As we watched a movie the last glass became really deep and with a long finish. Nice bottle from a good vintage!
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9/13/2009 - PangurBan wrote: 90 Points
Old fashioned Chianti with leather, tar, and minerals dominating. Nicely balanced with fine tanins and a smooth finish. Should be even better with age as the wine imporved considerably after opening.
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8/28/2009 - bigjoe wrote: 84 Points
time to sleep again....finale courte...peut-être dans un stage fermé ????
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7/8/2009 - yowens44 wrote: 92 Points
Great Chianti. Good, lasting bitter red fruit.
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10/22/2008 - fredrkm wrote: 80 Points
Wine was a little rough for a chianti classico - a bit more tanic than I like.
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7/23/2008 - Paul S wrote: 90 Points
Popped a 375ml bottle at Booze with Ray and Stephen for fun after a long day at work. Oooh... this was really nice - did not know it was awarded Tre Bicchieri by Gambero Rosso when I first got it, but it figures given the quality. Dark purple red Chianti colour. Gorgeous nose straight out from the bottle, with leather, earth and indistinct italian herbs at first, and then olives, fresh thyme and dark cherry with a touch of plum lurking around somewhere by the second glass. There was some amount of oak, but it was integrated rather nicely with the other aromas. Serious and masculine at first, the bouquet picked on more sweetness with time. The palate did not quite live up to the knockout nose unfortunately, but was still praiseworthy. Surprisingly sweet and modern, it showed dark, ripe cherry, with some intensity, black pepper and a toasty, oaky undertone. Very good, if just a bit in-your-face structure, with nice round acidity, bracing but not tart in the least bit, and slightly chalky, mouth-coating tannins. Slight bitter-sweet kick in the finish, which was nice and fresh with a dollop of acid and a burst of thyme. Not short, but not very long either. There was an unpleasant metallic tail at first, but that faded into the background. I was also wondering where the fruit was under all the Chianti-ness, but the wine started putting on layers of ripe cherry, along with lots of weight, sweetness and density with time, getting more and more "modern" by the last glass or so. 2004 Tuscans have knocked my socks off so far - I completely agree with the previous posters comparison with 2005 Burg, everything is in harmony with this vintage.
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3/15/2008 - zemsky wrote: 90 Points
Nose: Ripe cheese rind, violets, floral soap, moss, pears an mushrooms.
Palate: Crisp acidity, with a medium to full body of young tannin. Cherries and heat transition into a long hot cedar finish. This will age well.
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2/17/2008 - bevetroppo wrote: 89 Points
I don't quite know what to make of this. I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest that '04 Tuscany has some of the same magic as '05 Burgundy and believe me, I don't make that comparison lightly. As the label informs us, this CC is 90% sangiovese, with the rest malvasia nera, colorino, and merlot. It's got a huge toasty nose of extracted cherry, toast, herbs and anise. Medium to full-bodied, it's much bigger than I would have expected in the mouth with a serious wave of red fruits and nearly searing tannins and a long fruit driven finish. Yet it's only 13,5% alcohol so it's not what I'd call a monster. I bought a case of this for $19.99 a bottle after learning that it earned three glasses in the '08 Gambero Rosso. You don't see many $20 wines that hit that mark. There's a half bottle left over and I'd bet anything it will be that much better tomorrow.
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11/20/2007 - kas wrote: 90 Points
less tannins and more fruit than the 2003. drinking well now but should last for several years.
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6/26/2007 - winemark wrote:
Black cherry on the nose and certainly quite a bit of char and vanilla. Fairly rich and smooth in the mouth, with similar flavours to the nose, but slightly swamped with the oak flavours. Low-medium tannin and medium-high acidity and a nice "bite" on the medium length finish. My only quibble with this wine is that is seemed very "international" in style with a large oak influence; not what I look for in a Chianti.
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4/14/2007 - The_Phoenix wrote: 85 Points
This bottle was my favorite from the 6 we opened on the evening. Great balance, a little touch of oak, but not the "in your face" type of thing. Great acidity and great taste of black fruits such as currants and cherries. A great Chianti Classico that should be better with a couple years of cellar.
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2/3/2007 - vlzat wrote: 91 Points
Medium body, bright cherry color. Intense red fruits, smoked oak and tobacco aroma complements by leather and black pepper. Dominant cherry and fresh currants, vanilla and spicy palate, long woody finish. Rich but very fresh and flavorful, silky structure, complex and balanced, gentle tannins and lovely berries acidity. Serve 18º - 22º. Still young but already enjoyable, drink now and next decade.
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12/8/2006 - BABA wrote: 90 Points
Ruby dark very dense. A lot of wood on the nose, but blackberrys, plums, liquorice and violet as well. Meduim full body, concentrated and luscious. Good acidity and silky tannins. Medium finish. A Chianti for hedonists, as always.
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11/9/2006 - Wrighty wrote: 87 Points
Watson's World Wine Week tasting - 06 (Marriot Hotel, Hong Kong): Stewed strawberries and (soft?) cherries. Softness but balanced
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9/17/2006 - michelvl wrote: 87 Points
magnificent nose but astryngent on the palate. too young and needs at least 2 years rest; either that or decant it for 4 hours. castello is much better than the basic fonterutolli. this is their table wine (vino di tavola)
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