Modern on the nose, with oak and ripe fruit. What came next is a surprise, violets and tar. This wine is just hitting it's stride, and it is unfortunate that so many bottles have been squandered far too early. I can't call this a great wine, but at $15!, amazing! Just the right acidity to match food, subdued fruit showing a bit at a time. Don't expect Chianti, just let it be what it is. Sausage was a good match.
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We loved these bottles. It is/was a perfect pizza Sangiovese. I will be sad when the last of my case of 2005 is gone. Note to self -- pick up another case of a more recent vintage. This aged wonderfully and the last few bottles that we drank (in late 2010, early 2011) were great. Red fruit and a nice hearty tannic, wood, earthy, acidic structure for standing up to cheese, grease, sausage and red sauce. I can't say enough about the enjoyment and value that this case has provided for the great price point.
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Similar notes as below opened bottle for about 1 hour versus decanting this time, but the wine is a great pairing to meat lasagna. I think its youth has blown off and its maturing nicely, but I wouldn't wait too long as I fell it may be at its best now. Last bottle, but may look for more.
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Drank with pizza. This was a really good wine at the price pt. Bot a case wish I had more. Easy to go down to the cellar and just grab because you're eating Italiian.
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Wood with sangiovese notes on the nose. Actually better than I am suggesting it is. Nice acids. Much more clean than what it has been in the past -- which was an oak monster to my palate. Coming into line and just about ready to give it a go. Good expression of sangiovese. Frankly, the more I drink of it the better I think it is. Very structured but with great sangiovese fruit expression. Well done.
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La Spinetta tasting (Bacchus, Waterboathouse): We started the tasting with two mediocre whites, and ended with two mediocre reds. This was the first of them. Flacid and absolutely characterless - not undrinkable, but you would have to pay me to drink this again. Still alright on the nose - some typical Sangio funk and savoury earth tones. Palate was not that pleasant though - sweet and flat, with slightly candied cherries, iodine and flatly metallic notes moving into the finish. Might be better paired with food, but I seriously doubt that there is that much room for improvement.
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La Spinetta Tasting (Bacchus Boarthouse): Black gunpowder smoke, cat's pee and a smelly rusty dusty cupboard. Quite ripe and sweet with modern extract. Almost like cooked black fruits.
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Nice - very similar to a good quality Chianti. Decanted for 1 hour prior to consuming and put reamining 1/3 back in bottle for next night. Didn't change much overnight, but some of the finer details came out such as nice fruit balance and violet flavor on the finish. Has with my wife's excellent sauce and meatballs - great companion.
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Good QPR. My favorite chianti of late. I often find acidity overbalanced against the fruit in Chianti, but very balanced in this rendition which is smooth and fruity, a "Bordeaux" style sangiovese?
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Another outstanding effort from Rivetti for the price. A dark, condensed and fruity sangiovese, but very tasty and easy to drink. Perfect wine to have around for pizza nights.
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Tasted at a Wine Warehouse Friday night tasting. The bottle was recently opened and was tasted twice over 45 minutes. It had a very closed nose at first but opened nicely later. This is a very dark heavy bodied wine with a black fruit profile. Although not particularly complex in structure it's very pleasant and has a nice long finish. I find this wine very atypical of sangiovese. I don't see this wine as a long term ager- it will get flabby with time. It's a good value and a nice wine to drink over the next few years.
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Decanted 30 minutes. Typical sangio/cherry nose. Medium bodied with balanced acid and tannins. Cherry fruit flavor up front with notes of vanilla. 3 days later picked up other, more complex flavors of earth and tobacco to complement darker black cherry.
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Not really liking this one, and Tuscany is probably my favorite region. After reading the mixed reviews, I figured I'd go on the higher end, but not so. Popped and drank between 1 and 6 hours open. Definitely very tight on the nose, and I'm sure it will open up a bit with a few more years, but I'm not sure what it will reveal will be worth the wait. Nose is a bit awkward with just a hint of dark fruit. Full mouth feel, but has virtually no distinguishing characteristics... just tannins. Never really enjoyed this wine throughout the bottle... kept hoping it'd get better, but never did. Saved one glass for the next day, and it was definitely worse. Major thumbs down for the price.
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2nd bottle with consistant notes. Good deep color, very restainted nose with a hint of dark fruits. Palate is devoid of fruit, all acid and tannin. Clipped finish, thankfully. Have 2 blts. left and not optmistic about their future.
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Medium purple and slightly heavy on the palate. Smooth, ripe, plum/dark berry fruit and a bit too much oak (and oak-induced flavor) at the moment. Time may help. Well made in a completely international style. Pleasant enough and fairly priced, but really quite anonymous and generic. (I like La Spinetta's Piedmont wines quite a bit more within the modernist frame.)
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While my scoring does not take into consideration price, I do make it a point to highlight the QPR of wines like this. The purity of this young sangiovese is striking, with sweet delicate fruit wafting up from the bottle before the cork hits the table.
I have to disagree a little that this wine is young and requires time. I took my first taste within 5 minutes and found it fully open and enjoyable. I think this wine was made to drink young, and while I don't disagree that it might get better in a couple of years, I think this is drinking very nicely now. Beautiful dark purple, rich and so soft on the finish, this $18 bottle third edition is a steal.
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Color: Ruby Nose: Open. Red fruit. Cherry. Touch of leather Taste: Cherry. Concentration. Young. Needs a while to open up (decant). Very pleasant wine.
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Tasted at a retail tasting. Rich nose of black fruits and cured meats. This is a dark and brooding wine, with dark cherry, cassis, and minerals on the palate. Best after a couple years in the bottle. 89+ points.
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Deep dark and rich. The dusty sandel pallett fades after breathng for at LEAST 2 hours and provides a nice subtle backdrop to the fruit. I agree decanting for at least 6-7 hours would be better.It is a bit young but wait 5 years or so and it will make you proud. Same winery of the #1 wine of the year Brunello di Montalcino Tenuta Nuova 2001
Tasting Note This family-run winery is one of the best examples of the recent winemaking renaissance in Tuscany. Casanova di Neri has excelled with Brunello di Montalcino, the region's famous Sangiovese-based red, since its debut vintage in 1993.
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A young, young wine - decanting is a necessity with this one (5-6 hours minimum). Once this opens up it brings a nose full powered with coffee bean, vanilla, oak, and plum. A big wine with plenty of tannins, it needs to settly down. 100% sangiovese, this a rustic, yet enjoyable experience. Inky purple coloration.
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Spinetta tasting (Wine Connection): Abbreviated notes from a tasting at Wine Connection. This was nice, but nothing to write home about. Certainly a very drinkable tuscan, but nothing I'd be searching for.
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4/6/2012 - pape du neuf wrote: 90 Points
Modern on the nose, with oak and ripe fruit. What came next is a surprise, violets and tar.
This wine is just hitting it's stride, and it is unfortunate that so many bottles have been squandered far too early.
I can't call this a great wine, but at $15!, amazing! Just the right acidity to match food, subdued fruit showing a bit at a time.
Don't expect Chianti, just let it be what it is. Sausage was a good match.
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4/17/2011 - Ellenkf Likes this wine:
really good; full bodied, bone dry finish, rich front palate with tangy mid , great eating wine, esp with steak
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1/8/2011 - kfr01 wrote:
We loved these bottles. It is/was a perfect pizza Sangiovese. I will be sad when the last of my case of 2005 is gone. Note to self -- pick up another case of a more recent vintage. This aged wonderfully and the last few bottles that we drank (in late 2010, early 2011) were great. Red fruit and a nice hearty tannic, wood, earthy, acidic structure for standing up to cheese, grease, sausage and red sauce. I can't say enough about the enjoyment and value that this case has provided for the great price point.
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3/10/2010 - winejnky wrote: 86 Points
Fading a bit. Still tart cherry up front, but thinner now on the midpalate with a short finish and more alcohol than fruit overall. Drink up.
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2/28/2010 - Battleship wrote: 89 Points
Similar notes as below opened bottle for about 1 hour versus decanting this time, but the wine is a great pairing to meat lasagna. I think its youth has blown off and its maturing nicely, but I wouldn't wait too long as I fell it may be at its best now. Last bottle, but may look for more.
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1/14/2010 - Badgerwino wrote:
Drank with pizza. This was a really good wine at the price pt. Bot a case wish I had more. Easy to go down to the cellar and just grab because you're eating Italiian.
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7/16/2009 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Wood with sangiovese notes on the nose. Actually better than I am suggesting it is. Nice acids. Much more clean than what it has been in the past -- which was an oak monster to my palate. Coming into line and just about ready to give it a go. Good expression of sangiovese. Frankly, the more I drink of it the better I think it is. Very structured but with great sangiovese fruit expression. Well done.
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4/29/2009 - Paul S wrote: 86 Points
La Spinetta tasting (Bacchus, Waterboathouse): We started the tasting with two mediocre whites, and ended with two mediocre reds. This was the first of them. Flacid and absolutely characterless - not undrinkable, but you would have to pay me to drink this again. Still alright on the nose - some typical Sangio funk and savoury earth tones. Palate was not that pleasant though - sweet and flat, with slightly candied cherries, iodine and flatly metallic notes moving into the finish. Might be better paired with food, but I seriously doubt that there is that much room for improvement.
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4/29/2009 - Alex H wrote: 75 Points
La Spinetta Tasting (Bacchus Boarthouse): Black gunpowder smoke, cat's pee and a smelly rusty dusty cupboard. Quite ripe and sweet with modern extract. Almost like cooked black fruits.
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1/28/2009 - Battleship wrote: 89 Points
Nice - very similar to a good quality Chianti. Decanted for 1 hour prior to consuming and put reamining 1/3 back in bottle for next night. Didn't change much overnight, but some of the finer details came out such as nice fruit balance and violet flavor on the finish. Has with my wife's excellent sauce and meatballs - great companion.
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12/16/2008 - winejnky wrote: 88 Points
Good QPR. My favorite chianti of late. I often find acidity overbalanced against the fruit in Chianti, but very balanced in this rendition which is smooth and fruity, a "Bordeaux" style sangiovese?
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12/11/2008 - paulst wrote: 85 Points
Ligh & flabby.
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10/21/2008 - winejnky wrote: 88 Points
Good pizza/pasta wine. Some acidity as it should, with nice fruit and easy to drink.
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10/11/2008 - kfr01 wrote: 90 Points
Another outstanding effort from Rivetti for the price. A dark, condensed and fruity sangiovese, but very tasty and easy to drink. Perfect wine to have around for pizza nights.
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9/20/2008 - PSirah Tampa wrote: 90 Points
Tasted at a Wine Warehouse Friday night tasting. The bottle was recently opened and was tasted twice over 45 minutes. It had a very closed nose at first but opened nicely later. This is a very dark heavy bodied wine with a black fruit profile. Although not particularly complex in structure it's very pleasant and has a nice long finish. I find this wine very atypical of sangiovese. I don't see this wine as a long term ager- it will get flabby with time. It's a good value and a nice wine to drink over the next few years.
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7/19/2008 - kfr01 wrote: 87 Points
Fruity - a bit simple, but a very drinkable wine.
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7/17/2008 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Dark fruited with alot of structure behind it. Just opened at 1.
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3/8/2008 - KeithAkers wrote: 89 Points
nose: nice soft nose of cherry, raspberry, cedar, and floral notes
taste: lush feel of cherry, floral notes, cedar, and some earth tones
overall: very nice and supple on the palate with a very pleasant finish
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1/4/2008 - paulst wrote: 88 Points
Rather unprouonced but with some legth in the back with blackberry.
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1/2/2008 - tuscanbob wrote: 89 Points
Decanted 30 minutes. Typical sangio/cherry nose. Medium bodied with balanced acid and tannins. Cherry fruit flavor up front with notes of vanilla. 3 days later picked up other, more complex flavors of earth and tobacco to complement darker black cherry.
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12/10/2007 - ksmith wrote: 84 Points
Dark purple, reticent nose. Decent with lasagna, but overall impression was mostly acid followed by drying tannins. Not a lot of fruit.
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11/11/2007 - shaferguy91 wrote: 89 Points
Not decanted.
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10/1/2007 - NickP wrote: 88 Points
NOSE: Medium intenisty, youthful, coffee, vanilla, red fruits; MOUTH: Medium-full body, dry, meduim-high acidity, average tannin, moderate-high intensity, cherry, oak, strawberry, medium-long finish. Enjoyed it.
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9/14/2007 - David Paris (dbp) wrote: 81 Points
Not really liking this one, and Tuscany is probably my favorite region. After reading the mixed reviews, I figured I'd go on the higher end, but not so. Popped and drank between 1 and 6 hours open. Definitely very tight on the nose, and I'm sure it will open up a bit with a few more years, but I'm not sure what it will reveal will be worth the wait. Nose is a bit awkward with just a hint of dark fruit. Full mouth feel, but has virtually no distinguishing characteristics... just tannins. Never really enjoyed this wine throughout the bottle... kept hoping it'd get better, but never did. Saved one glass for the next day, and it was definitely worse. Major thumbs down for the price.
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8/25/2007 - djs wrote: 83 Points
2nd bottle with consistant notes. Good deep color, very restainted nose with a hint of dark fruits. Palate is devoid of fruit, all acid and tannin. Clipped finish, thankfully. Have 2 blts. left and not optmistic about their future.
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8/21/2007 - boreddoughboy wrote: 84 Points
Lots of up frnt fruit and dark cherries. Not much depth. Definately the Red Headed Stepchild of La Spinetta. Guess you get what you pay for.
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8/20/2007 - deephouse wrote: 92 Points
Very impressed for the price. Ripe, fruit-forward, with decent finish. Did not decant.
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8/18/2007 - peternelson wrote: 88 Points
Rosso: Really dark coffee grounds, earth, leather & smoke; a bit rustic, thick t’s. Interesting, character, blk frt.
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7/23/2007 - mkrueger wrote: 88 Points
Great value from a great winemaker.
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6/11/2007 - djb wrote: 87 Points
Medium purple and slightly heavy on the palate. Smooth, ripe, plum/dark berry fruit and a bit too much oak (and oak-induced flavor) at the moment. Time may help. Well made in a completely international style. Pleasant enough and fairly priced, but really quite anonymous and generic. (I like La Spinetta's Piedmont wines quite a bit more within the modernist frame.)
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5/15/2007 - N2Vin wrote: 91 Points
Just an excellent value. It's can be enjoyed now IMHO. Great purity of fruit, this is a wine that should be widely enjoyed with friends and food.
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4/14/2007 - N2Vin wrote: 91 Points
While my scoring does not take into consideration price, I do make it a point to highlight the QPR of wines like this. The purity of this young sangiovese is striking, with sweet delicate fruit wafting up from the bottle before the cork hits the table.
I have to disagree a little that this wine is young and requires time. I took my first taste within 5 minutes and found it fully open and enjoyable. I think this wine was made to drink young, and while I don't disagree that it might get better in a couple of years, I think this is drinking very nicely now. Beautiful dark purple, rich and so soft on the finish, this $18 bottle third edition is a steal.
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4/13/2007 - 100pp wrote: 88 Points
Color: Ruby
Nose: Open. Red fruit. Cherry. Touch of leather
Taste: Cherry. Concentration. Young.
Needs a while to open up (decant). Very pleasant wine.
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4/5/2007 - Paul Lin wrote: 89 Points
Tasted at a retail tasting. Rich nose of black fruits and cured meats. This is a dark and brooding wine, with dark cherry, cassis, and minerals on the palate. Best after a couple years in the bottle. 89+ points.
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3/31/2007 - DNABog wrote: 92 Points
Deep dark and rich. The dusty sandel pallett fades after breathng for at LEAST 2 hours and provides a nice subtle backdrop to the fruit. I agree decanting for at least 6-7 hours would be better.It is a bit young but wait 5 years or so and it will make you proud. Same winery of the #1 wine of the year Brunello di Montalcino Tenuta Nuova 2001
Tasting Note
This family-run winery is one of the best examples of the recent winemaking renaissance in Tuscany. Casanova di Neri has excelled with Brunello di Montalcino, the region's famous Sangiovese-based red, since its debut vintage in 1993.
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3/4/2007 - Gary wrote: 89 Points
dark, concentrated, very young, but delightful
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2/20/2007 - paulst wrote: 87 Points
Nice fruit needs time great potential.
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2/15/2007 - SpinettaBoy wrote: 90 Points
A young, young wine - decanting is a necessity with this one (5-6 hours minimum). Once this opens up it brings a nose full powered with coffee bean, vanilla, oak, and plum. A big wine with plenty of tannins, it needs to settly down. 100% sangiovese, this a rustic, yet enjoyable experience. Inky purple coloration.
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12/1/2006 - trankin wrote:
Spinetta tasting (Wine Connection): Abbreviated notes from a tasting at Wine Connection. This was nice, but nothing to write home about. Certainly a very drinkable tuscan, but nothing I'd be searching for.
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