Popped and poured. Deep garnet. Medium to full legs. Nose of almond and strawberry. Well balanced. Medium tannins. Flavors of cherry, raspberries and fig. Medium finish with some tartness. All in all, this wine has aged very well and, despite a drinking window that reportedly closed in 2011, is still drinking well and seems to have more years left in the bottle. Went very well with pasta with a rich tomato sauce.
On the second night, this wine was still drinking very well.
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Despite a C.T. drinking window that expired some time ago, this wine is vibrant, fresh and still showing loads of youthful dark cherry fruit, spicy cedar and a zippy acidity. Really terrific wine and no rush to drink it up...
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Very youthfully dark color, black center to crimson at the edges. Wow, this wine is still youthfully dark and vigorous on the palate. There is a whole lot of fruit here, from Sangio red cherry to much darker fruit tones, but the palate is showing just a touch of wear around the edges, in a very good, pleasing way. At about the two hour mark, this is just pulsing with terrific underlying acidity. This wine seems like it can go another five to ten years without issue. Very enjoyable. Glad I aged these since release. Sunday evening cooking with SJR.
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Looks like it's been almost four years since my last bottle. This is still surprisingly primary, with hearty red and black fruit, the sides are slick, and while the texture has smoothed out, there isn't a whole lot of development. Some leathery Sangio notes. While there is no overt oak or vanilla notes, as I and others have detected in the past, it comes across as a slightly slick wine that may have veered toward the modern side in the past but is now more resolved and balanced, although not really developed in terms of complexities. Still, a pleasing wine, went well with leftovers from Mother Kelly's. No degradation or oxidation overnight. Very dark, still primary.
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This has steadily evolved into an exceptional Chianti Classico Riserva! Over the last 3 years, each bottle has been notably more impressive than the one before. Load of cherry, cedar, spice and fine grained tannins, with a juicy fruit-filled finish. Nice stuff, I wish I had a case to drink now. (While it might age well for a bit longer, I'm not sure why you would want to find out...)
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Deeper, darker color than I remember the last bottle. Nose of vanilla, pine needles, plum and cherry with an unexpected sweetness. Very viscous legs for a Chianti Classico. Rich, somewhat chewy but firm mouthfeel. Flavors of oaky vanilla, cherry and something green and minty along with some astringency. Aftertaste lasts pretty long with that pine note coming through. I think this is best with several hours of breathing. I was very surprised when I had the remainder the next evening and it was still quite good, even a bit richer with a chocolate element that was a great additional element.
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The color is a nice medium garnet with nice clarity and brightness. The nose has a hint of floral and minty notes along with vanilla and cherry. The body Is medium weight with a fairly long aftertaste. I think this has plenty of life left.
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Dark red. A very muted nose but some really niceflavours of cherry, tobacco, cedar and earth. Maybe a little flawed from standing up for at least 6 months or more. Decent tannins and a nice finish.
This wine was bought from our Provincial liquor store, the wines are forced to stand up was more or less completely dried out. Brutal treatment for some unknown reason.
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Medium clear red. Very bright appearance. Lots of cherry and earth but a restrained nose none the less. Excellent berry flavours and tons of acid and tannin. Great with food. A it of oak both on the palate and nose. Very good.
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The nose is ripe with red cherries and musty cardboard (maybe a bit corked?). The taste is a bit tough, but has a lot of bark, graphite, and chewy game. This wine is a little tight and tough right now, but I'm not sure it's going to get much better or softer with time...maybe just more gamy. I'm not going to buy anymore to find out...it's just not worth it.
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Upfront Sangiovese nose with sour red cherries and toast notes that jumps out of the glass. Deep red colour with no diminished rim. Still tannic and bit tough, but already showing good potential and seems to be on the right track. Hold for 2-3+ more years.
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Very similar to the last bottle, 3/09, seems more primary this time, with smooth blue fruit rather than the standard Sangio red, along with a blast of vanilla, full in the mouth, slick but not sloppy. There is a sheen or polish to this wine, yet it's not too far gone to call it spoofolated. Sangiovese night at our place with girls group.
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There's a huge blast of vanilla on the palate amidst the expected Sangio fruit and herbs, rather clean in the initial attack. The vanilla recedes with time. A year of bottle age since last tasting this wine (see TN from 3/08) has resulted in a more resolved palate, but the wine is still quite young. Complexities like new leather and even a bit of pencil lead show some development over the past year. After about four hours of air, the wine is drinking very well, the palate showing a clean delivery, more dark fruit than Sangio red cherry, with good acidity and impressive freshness. It's clean and very fresh, it's round, it's more modern than traditional . . . but it sure tastes good. B+.
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great complement to pizzas made on the grill....needs to open up some as acidity was strong but improved with just 10 minutes in the glass. nice color, fruit and body. very good addition to italian food. will be better with food than drinking alone.
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In South Beach. Shows more oak initially than the first bottle a month or so ago, with plenty of plum fruit. Comes across as sleek and polished. But on the second night, man oh man, did this wine shine. Now the plummy fruit is bright and at the fore, with lots of acidity adding lift and spine. Very direct. Obviously primary now, but I see good things for this wine with some cellar age.
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Brilliant garnet red turning to violet color. Really vibrant. I get sour cherries and balsamic on the nose. Medium bodied. This is a stout chianti, big and powerful. The fruit, oak, tannins and acidity are all there. Still some green notes that suggest an even brighter future.
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Cool blue fruit nose, carries over to the palate, which shows more of a blue/black berry fruit side than red cherry Sangio. Very young and primary, showing just a bit of Sangio new leather. Tannins are plush and well blended amidst the hearty fruit; the acidity makes this perfect for food today (it was perfect with home made chicken cacciatore), but this young primary wine also exhibits good balance and I am happy to have a few of these in the cellar to watch it develop.
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2/24/2015 - 312 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Popped and poured. Deep garnet. Medium to full legs. Nose of almond and strawberry. Well balanced. Medium tannins. Flavors of cherry, raspberries and fig. Medium finish with some tartness. All in all, this wine has aged very well and, despite a drinking window that reportedly closed in 2011, is still drinking well and seems to have more years left in the bottle. Went very well with pasta with a rich tomato sauce.
On the second night, this wine was still drinking very well.
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4/1/2014 - Employee500 wrote: 92 Points
Despite a C.T. drinking window that expired some time ago, this wine is vibrant, fresh and still showing loads of youthful dark cherry fruit, spicy cedar and a zippy acidity. Really terrific wine and no rush to drink it up...
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3/30/2014 - Pknut wrote:
Very youthfully dark color, black center to crimson at the edges. Wow, this wine is still youthfully dark and vigorous on the palate. There is a whole lot of fruit here, from Sangio red cherry to much darker fruit tones, but the palate is showing just a touch of wear around the edges, in a very good, pleasing way. At about the two hour mark, this is just pulsing with terrific underlying acidity. This wine seems like it can go another five to ten years without issue. Very enjoyable. Glad I aged these since release. Sunday evening cooking with SJR.
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9/24/2013 - Pknut wrote:
Looks like it's been almost four years since my last bottle. This is still surprisingly primary, with hearty red and black fruit, the sides are slick, and while the texture has smoothed out, there isn't a whole lot of development. Some leathery Sangio notes. While there is no overt oak or vanilla notes, as I and others have detected in the past, it comes across as a slightly slick wine that may have veered toward the modern side in the past but is now more resolved and balanced, although not really developed in terms of complexities. Still, a pleasing wine, went well with leftovers from Mother Kelly's. No degradation or oxidation overnight. Very dark, still primary.
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1/10/2013 - Employee500 wrote: 93 Points
This has steadily evolved into an exceptional Chianti Classico Riserva! Over the last 3 years, each bottle has been notably more impressive than the one before. Load of cherry, cedar, spice and fine grained tannins, with a juicy fruit-filled finish. Nice stuff, I wish I had a case to drink now. (While it might age well for a bit longer, I'm not sure why you would want to find out...)
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1/5/2013 - oldwines wrote: 90 Points
Deeper, darker color than I remember the last bottle. Nose of vanilla, pine needles, plum and cherry with an unexpected sweetness. Very viscous legs for a Chianti Classico. Rich, somewhat chewy but firm mouthfeel. Flavors of oaky vanilla, cherry and something green and minty along with some astringency. Aftertaste lasts pretty long with that pine note coming through. I think this is best with several hours of breathing. I was very surprised when I had the remainder the next evening and it was still quite good, even a bit richer with a chocolate element that was a great additional element.
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9/6/2012 - Vanilla wrote: 89 Points
A solid 89. Perfect with Pizza.
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12/26/2011 - oldwines wrote: 92 Points
The color is a nice medium garnet with nice clarity and brightness. The nose has a hint of floral and minty notes along with vanilla and cherry. The body Is medium weight with a fairly long aftertaste. I think this has plenty of life left.
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11/6/2010 - David J Cooper wrote:
Dark red. A very muted nose but some really niceflavours of cherry, tobacco, cedar and earth. Maybe a little flawed from standing up for at least 6 months or more. Decent tannins and a nice finish.
This wine was bought from our Provincial liquor store, the wines are forced to stand up was more or less completely dried out. Brutal treatment for some unknown reason.
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7/28/2010 - David J Cooper wrote:
Medium clear red. Very bright appearance. Lots of cherry and earth but a restrained nose none the less. Excellent berry flavours and tons of acid and tannin. Great with food. A it of oak both on the palate and nose. Very good.
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5/27/2010 - jonradus wrote: 80 Points
The nose is ripe with red cherries and musty cardboard (maybe a bit corked?). The taste is a bit tough, but has a lot of bark, graphite, and chewy game. This wine is a little tight and tough right now, but I'm not sure it's going to get much better or softer with time...maybe just more gamy. I'm not going to buy anymore to find out...it's just not worth it.
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4/23/2010 - mattowan wrote: 89 Points
Solid, well structured red-fruit sangio. Very nice pizza wine. Certainly not over-the-top.
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3/29/2010 - Employee500 wrote: 90 Points
Very good chianti.
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1/3/2010 - Marcellus77 wrote: 89 Points
Upfront Sangiovese nose with sour red cherries and toast notes that jumps out of the glass. Deep red colour with no diminished rim. Still tannic and bit tough, but already showing good potential and seems to be on the right track. Hold for 2-3+ more years.
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12/10/2009 - Pknut wrote:
Very similar to the last bottle, 3/09, seems more primary this time, with smooth blue fruit rather than the standard Sangio red, along with a blast of vanilla, full in the mouth, slick but not sloppy. There is a sheen or polish to this wine, yet it's not too far gone to call it spoofolated. Sangiovese night at our place with girls group.
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10/31/2009 - BrianV wrote: 87 Points
Opened up fruity, yet not too harsh. After about 30 minutes, tasted and smelled lots better. Not too bad.
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3/11/2009 - Pknut wrote:
There's a huge blast of vanilla on the palate amidst the expected Sangio fruit and herbs, rather clean in the initial attack. The vanilla recedes with time. A year of bottle age since last tasting this wine (see TN from 3/08) has resulted in a more resolved palate, but the wine is still quite young. Complexities like new leather and even a bit of pencil lead show some development over the past year. After about four hours of air, the wine is drinking very well, the palate showing a clean delivery, more dark fruit than Sangio red cherry, with good acidity and impressive freshness. It's clean and very fresh, it's round, it's more modern than traditional . . . but it sure tastes good. B+.
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6/20/2008 - tewks wrote: 88 Points
great complement to pizzas made on the grill....needs to open up some as acidity was strong but improved with just 10 minutes in the glass. nice color, fruit and body. very good addition to italian food. will be better with food than drinking alone.
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3/28/2008 - Pknut wrote:
In South Beach. Shows more oak initially than the first bottle a month or so ago, with plenty of plum fruit. Comes across as sleek and polished. But on the second night, man oh man, did this wine shine. Now the plummy fruit is bright and at the fore, with lots of acidity adding lift and spine. Very direct. Obviously primary now, but I see good things for this wine with some cellar age.
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3/18/2008 - tuscanbob wrote: 91 Points
Brilliant garnet red turning to violet color. Really vibrant. I get sour cherries and balsamic on the nose. Medium bodied. This is a stout chianti, big and powerful. The fruit, oak, tannins and acidity are all there. Still some green notes that suggest an even brighter future.
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2/17/2008 - Pknut wrote:
Cool blue fruit nose, carries over to the palate, which shows more of a blue/black berry fruit side than red cherry Sangio. Very young and primary, showing just a bit of Sangio new leather. Tannins are plush and well blended amidst the hearty fruit; the acidity makes this perfect for food today (it was perfect with home made chicken cacciatore), but this young primary wine also exhibits good balance and I am happy to have a few of these in the cellar to watch it develop.
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2/1/2007 - socidelvino wrote:
Another wine from the Sasol SDA reception. Needed more time but is still a strong chianti
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