1978 Castello di Monsanto Chianti Classico Riserva Il Poggio

Community Tasting Notes (7) Avg Score: 92.7 points

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  9/29/2023 - vagrantone wrote: 92 Points

  Another truly beautiful bottle from Chianti from this leading estate.
  Top neck fill. Cork in fairly good condition.
  The hue was really nice given the age of the wine.
  Great aromatics on the overripe evolved plum side with earthy, tobacco and spicy finish.
  Great texture with some tannin still remaining from this great vintage.
  Given the relatively short finish, I would sau it's time to drink this.

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  9/23/2022 - StefanAkiko Likes this wine: 97 Points

  The 1978 Monsanto Chianti Classico Riserva is crazily amazing and clocks in at 97p
  
  The sommelier blind-tasted this and recently had the opportunity to enjoy a 1983 Château Cheval Blanc. He thought this was it. Says a lot about the quality level here 💥
  
  Cork turned into dust and had bled through.
  Left it in the decanter for 5 hours.
  Light red with slight browning.
  There are no cherries or other typical Sangiovese markers in this wine. Absolutely pristine aromas and taste, no signs of oxidation.
  It has a beautiful loamy minerality and is definitely towards a classic, elegant Bdx with its purity of fruit, cedar wood, coffee notes ☕ and crazy intensity. Everything is in place and balanced. Acidity level is high and married all dishes - except catfish liver.
  
  A little longer finish and this would be 💯 points.
  
  For you lucky bastids out there with bottles in your cellar: there's absolutely no hurry to enjoy this fabulous wine.

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  2/21/2022 - StefanAkiko wrote: flawed

  Upon plop:
  A little thin, hich acidity, geriatric without oxidization.
  
  After two hours of decanting:
  Fantastic wine! Architechtually perfect, with the perfect acids, fruit, cherries, tannic stricture, intensity and length. Absolutely stunning. Easily the most amazing Chianti I ever had the pleasure of enjoying. I'm starting to think about minimum 97 points.
  
  At the restaurant:
  Corked.
  F**k!

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  9/19/2021 - vagrantone Likes this wine: 92 Points

  This wine, not surprisingly, is still drinking very well.
  It has the typical nose of very ripe fruit of bing cherry and plums, tobacco, baking spices as well as earthy and leathery elements. The complete package from a nicely aged Chianti from a top notch producer.
  The fill level was high shoulder and the cork was in decent condition. Not decanted.
  This wine actually improved overnight suggesting that it still has years of life left in it. Nice mouthfill with considerable structure even if the tannins have mellowed by now.
  Long finish on iron, leathery notes. Exactly what I expected from this producer.

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  9/9/2012 - TannicBeast wrote: 88 Points

  Surprisingly alive and pleasant, despite the cork that disintegrated while opening. The color is tawny, medium plus in intensity. The nose is mostly cigar box. The palate is showing some fruit and spice. The acidity and tannins are medium plus, as is the flavor intensity. Remarkeable for an almost 35-year-old wine, this Chianti is serious stuff. It shows great depth, and a beautifully smooth texture. The rating is relatively low at this stage, but I am guessing that it would have rated a 93 in its prime.

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