| Chianti - Sangiovese Tasting Report |
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To taste our Chianti wines from Italy we submersed ourselves completely
in the experience by holding this meeting and tasting at Covino’s family
Italian Restaurant in Plano. We experienced the aromas and tastes of
Tuscany itself. Rosemary laced bread, fried calamari and cheese with a
meaty marinara sauce, flank steak and pasta were just a few of the items
we took in while enjoying our wine tasting. What we learned as a result
was that when it comes to Italian Cuisine, Chianti is the wine of choice.
Unfortunately, our Chianti tasting was not without a little controversy.
For starters, we tasted five wines and at the time, we did not realize that
wine number one and wine number two were actually the same wine and
vintage. (We taste our wines blind so that we do not know the identity of
the wine until after the tasting is complete.) This is not the first time that
this has happened, however, what was strange about the incident was that
we scored number one the highest overall and number two the lowest. I
will attest that they quite literally tasted completely different and I am
still stumped as to how this could have happened.
The last Chianti of the evening was well on it’s way to being the star of
the show and receiving the only “A” score among all the wines when one
judge decided that the tannins were too much for them and gave it a “C”
score, which caused it to come in second overall by less than half a point.
You can take my word for it though; the Castello Banfi Chianti Classico
Reserva 2000 is a wonderful wine.
The last surprise of the evening was the fourth wine we tasted. It was
actually made by the same winery as the first two and cost twice as much.
However, as a whole, I think we preferred the cheaper version over the
more expensive one. That just goes to show you, you can't go by price
alone when shopping for a great wine.
Overall, I think anyone would be happy with any of these wines, so click
on the picture and take a quick Taste Drive:
in the experience by holding this meeting and tasting at Covino’s family
Italian Restaurant in Plano. We experienced the aromas and tastes of
Tuscany itself. Rosemary laced bread, fried calamari and cheese with a
meaty marinara sauce, flank steak and pasta were just a few of the items
we took in while enjoying our wine tasting. What we learned as a result
was that when it comes to Italian Cuisine, Chianti is the wine of choice.
Unfortunately, our Chianti tasting was not without a little controversy.
For starters, we tasted five wines and at the time, we did not realize that
wine number one and wine number two were actually the same wine and
vintage. (We taste our wines blind so that we do not know the identity of
the wine until after the tasting is complete.) This is not the first time that
this has happened, however, what was strange about the incident was that
we scored number one the highest overall and number two the lowest. I
will attest that they quite literally tasted completely different and I am
still stumped as to how this could have happened.
The last Chianti of the evening was well on it’s way to being the star of
the show and receiving the only “A” score among all the wines when one
judge decided that the tannins were too much for them and gave it a “C”
score, which caused it to come in second overall by less than half a point.
You can take my word for it though; the Castello Banfi Chianti Classico
Reserva 2000 is a wonderful wine.
The last surprise of the evening was the fourth wine we tasted. It was
actually made by the same winery as the first two and cost twice as much.
However, as a whole, I think we preferred the cheaper version over the
more expensive one. That just goes to show you, you can't go by price
alone when shopping for a great wine.
Overall, I think anyone would be happy with any of these wines, so click
on the picture and take a quick Taste Drive:
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| Ruffino Chianti Classico Riserva Ducale 1999 - D.O.C.G. Italy |
Nose: Wonderfully laced with plums,
cherry, tobacco, tar and a little oak
shadings.
Taste: Quite fruity and tart with bright
acidity on a medium built frame. It has
a luscious mouthfeel and very nice
finish with strawberry accents.
Break out the pasta and marinara, its
time to eat and drink. This wine is
very fruity and would complement any
tomato-based sauce with almost any
type of dish. Very enjoyable!
cherry, tobacco, tar and a little oak
shadings.
Taste: Quite fruity and tart with bright
acidity on a medium built frame. It has
a luscious mouthfeel and very nice
finish with strawberry accents.
Break out the pasta and marinara, its
time to eat and drink. This wine is
very fruity and would complement any
tomato-based sauce with almost any
type of dish. Very enjoyable!
| Around $20.00 |
| Score B+ |
| Castello Banfi Chianti Classico Riserva 2000 - D.O.C.G. Italy |
Nose: Brilliantly charming with rich
aromas of raspberries, cherries, plum
and vanilla.
Taste: No doubt about it, this Chianti
has great structure and was the most
complex of our tasting. Plenty of rich
cherry and black cherry flavors to go
around that integrate nicely with an oak
frame and bold tannins giving this wine
a long life and finish.
I could certainly drink this wine on it’s
own without food, but it would boldly
stand up to the desires of any steak
whether it was prepared in a red-wine
sauce or not. Grilled or roasted
chicken, or any game bird for that
matter, would be a suitable partner for
this Chianti as well. Pizza is a must, but
maybe you should start your evening
off with this wine and some hard and
savory cheeses.
aromas of raspberries, cherries, plum
and vanilla.
Taste: No doubt about it, this Chianti
has great structure and was the most
complex of our tasting. Plenty of rich
cherry and black cherry flavors to go
around that integrate nicely with an oak
frame and bold tannins giving this wine
a long life and finish.
I could certainly drink this wine on it’s
own without food, but it would boldly
stand up to the desires of any steak
whether it was prepared in a red-wine
sauce or not. Grilled or roasted
chicken, or any game bird for that
matter, would be a suitable partner for
this Chianti as well. Pizza is a must, but
maybe you should start your evening
off with this wine and some hard and
savory cheeses.
| From $18.00 to $20.00 |
| Score B+ |
| Fattoria di Felsina Chianti Classico Berardenga Riserva 2000 - D.O.C.G. -Italy |
Nose: Enchanting cherries framed with
a nostalgic oak base.
Taste: This wine is smooth and well
rounded with a nice full body with layers
of rich cherry and raspberry flavors.
Simple in structure, but elegantly so!
This Chianti has nice fruity frame to
complement a variety of Italian dishes.
Pasta with ragus or Bolognese sauce
would be ideal as well as roast beef or
chicken and short ribs.
a nostalgic oak base.
Taste: This wine is smooth and well
rounded with a nice full body with layers
of rich cherry and raspberry flavors.
Simple in structure, but elegantly so!
This Chianti has nice fruity frame to
complement a variety of Italian dishes.
Pasta with ragus or Bolognese sauce
would be ideal as well as roast beef or
chicken and short ribs.
| Around $25.00 |
| Score B |
| Ruffino Chianti Classico Riserva Ducale Gold Label 1999 - D.O.C.G. Italy |
Nose: Somewhat closed with traces of
red fruits.
Taste: This wine brings out impressions
of stewed plums and vibrant cherries,
but is otherwise one-dimensional in its
flavor profile.
It came as a surprise to us all that this
was the more expensive bottle of wine
from Ruffino. It did not have the
personality of the $20.00 tan label.
Never the less it would do any Italian
Cuisine proud for this wine to be served
along side with.
red fruits.
Taste: This wine brings out impressions
of stewed plums and vibrant cherries,
but is otherwise one-dimensional in its
flavor profile.
It came as a surprise to us all that this
was the more expensive bottle of wine
from Ruffino. It did not have the
personality of the $20.00 tan label.
Never the less it would do any Italian
Cuisine proud for this wine to be served
along side with.
| From $40.00 to $46.00 |
| Score B |
