My first note for this wine despite having had over a case of this over the last three years. Good typcidity, getting dark fruit, tobacco, wet forest floor and subtle oak on the nose. More dark fruit, sweet cherry, chalk, leather on the palate. Soft tannins, medium acidity, very well balanced. Good with and without food. Drinking really well now, but should continue to be just fine for a few more years. 91-92
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I kant believe that I had lost track of these and certainly delighted to reconnect with these lads. I like drinking Chianti when I am cooking. Its easy, its versatile, old world and fruity, giving it the perfect mediumness (just invented the word). But....i took a nap, woke up, had some pumpkin pie, cracked some pistachios, and poured the last glass after 4 hours and I, was in Bordeaux? It was a thrilling surprise and I couldn't stop sniffing the glass as it was throwing unmistakable tobacco and brewed coffee, and hints of tartaric acid that I associate with these Italian table wines. Really just a lovely wine that deserves a 3 hour or longer decant or should be sipped alongside 2 or more modest wines, going back and forth, over a long period of daytime drinking! Drink with Decant
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(San Felice Chianti Classico Riserva Il Grigio) Hello friends. We’re back today with a wine that we’ve come to love year in and year out—but perhaps never as much as the 2015 vintage: [Note: see the bottom of the offer for two bonus wines: one a fresh white, the other a well-priced sticky.] Wine Advocate: Copyrighted material withheld. James Suckling: Copyrighted material withheld. The way our list members have embraced Chianti over the past few years is thrilling. Chianti is a terrific value-hunter’s category, but it requires legwork, a lot of frog-kissing to find the princes. And that’s the Full Pull model: we kiss the frogs so you don’t have to. Chianti’s fortunes are improving in the US market, but it’s still walking the line between fashionable and unfashionable, still burdened by the days of swill-in-straw-baskets. But no matter. We know better. Fashion or no, we know that Chianti remains one of the world’s beating hearts of Sangiovese, and that the good bottles are really, really good. As our list members have discovered over the past few years, San Felice is really, really good. The winery sits in the commune of Castelnuovo Berardenga, at an altitude of about 1300ft. Their grounds encompass 650 hectares of grapes, 17,000 olive trees, and an agritourismo. (Full Pull Chianti tour, anyone?) Il Grigio is a selection of 100% Sangiovese from San Felice’s oldest/best vineyard sites. It gets 24 months in the traditional Slavonian botti (and a small portion goes into smaller barrel). These are the key differences between San Felice’s Il Grigio Riserva and their Classico; Classico is usually nervy and elegant, Grigio is usually rich and generous. This is especially true in 2015—one of the warmest vintages in recent years and generous with both quality and quantity. It clocks in at 13.5% and pours a deep ruby red. The nose is layered with black cherry, blackberries, raspberries dried herbs, flower petals, leather, and earth. The palate has a purity of fruit that’s out of this world, balanced expertly with thoughtful, attractive structure. Picture a venn diagram of acidity, tannin, and fruit; Il Grigio lives in the intersection. Now, our bonus wines:
NOTE: Some content is property of WineAlign and Vinous and Decanter and JamesSuckling.com and JancisRobinson.com and Full Pull.
10/14/2023 - df1962 wrote: 91 Points
PnD let air for 1hr.
Consumed over two night.
Consistent with previous notes. But this bottle was showing some age. Don’t wait drink up.
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8/18/2023 - JoeMe Likes this wine: 91 Points
My first note for this wine despite having had over a case of this over the last three years. Good typcidity, getting dark fruit, tobacco, wet forest floor and subtle oak on the nose. More dark fruit, sweet cherry, chalk, leather on the palate. Soft tannins, medium acidity, very well balanced. Good with and without food. Drinking really well now, but should continue to be just fine for a few more years. 91-92
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4/22/2023 - df1962 wrote: 91 Points
PnD let air for 1hr.
Consistent with previous note. Depth with freshness.
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3/23/2023 - Laz4wine Likes this wine: 91 Points
Concur with @Purpletooth
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12/5/2022 - Purple Tooth wrote: 92 Points
I kant believe that I had lost track of these and certainly delighted to reconnect with these lads.
I like drinking Chianti when I am cooking. Its easy, its versatile, old world and fruity, giving it the perfect mediumness (just invented the word). But....i took a nap, woke up, had some pumpkin pie, cracked some pistachios, and poured the last glass after 4 hours and I, was in Bordeaux? It was a thrilling surprise and I couldn't stop sniffing the glass as it was throwing unmistakable tobacco and brewed coffee, and hints of tartaric acid that I associate with these Italian table wines. Really just a lovely wine that deserves a 3 hour or longer decant or should be sipped alongside 2 or more modest wines, going back and forth, over a long period of daytime drinking! Drink with Decant
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment