Tag: Chianti Classico
Fattoria di Felsina Chianti Classico 2006
Over the past year or so I’ve been slowly reading my way through Vino Italiano: The Regional Wines Of Italy, going chapter by chapter and often trying to sample a few of the wines that are mentioned in each chapter. The book is well-written and does a good job of articulating what is especially good or unique about each of Italy’s many wine regions. And so it is normal for me to get fairly excited about the wines of region X when I read the given chapter.
Before reading the chapter on Tuscany I knew next-to-nothing about this region, little more than the notion of what a Super Tuscan was (and even that was hazy and ill-informed). As a result this turned into a chapter that I enjoyed a great deal. I learned the very basic fact that both Chianti (Classico) and Brunello di Montalcino are from Tuscany, two DOCGs that I was happy to have more than hearsay to put to the names. The chapter did a great job of laying out info about nearly all of Tuscany’s 40 DOC zones, including some solid info about Vin Santo.
Initially it was Vin Santo that really captured my attention most regarding the wines of Tuscany. But it was the information about Chianti that I found to be particularly intriguing. This was largely due in part to my experience in often enjoying Chiantis as solid go-to wines in unknown restaurants, and the distinct impression lent by the book that a number of seriously good Chianti producers had come on the scene in the last decade or two. Brunello di Montalcino didn’t appeal to me initially on account of it coming across as an overly hyped wine scene (in much the same way that I find little of intellectual interest in Bordeaux – great wines I’m sure, but I don’t seem to get very interested in learning more about them), but Chianti somehow nestled its way into my imagination.
But until last night I hadn’t gotten around to trying any Chianti Classicos. Fortunately, the first bottle we opened was from the Fattoria de Felsina. Both Vino Italianio and Italian Wines 2008 (Gambero Rosso) have very positive things to say about this winery. They are regular winners of the three glass award from Gambero Rosso, and are praised in both books for the refinement, balance, and elegance of their wines along with the high quality throughout their entire range. Felsina produces a small range of wines that most notably includes 3 Chianto Classicos (Chianti Classico, Chianti Classico Riserva, and Chianti Classico Rancia Riserva) along with a super Tuscan named Fontalloro, and a Vin Santo del Chianti Classico. It is the Chianti Classico Rancia Riserva and Fontalloro that have earned Felsina the most honors, yet the authors of Vino Italiano write that “elegant and aromatic Chianti Classico is the specialty of this famed estate.”
The estate owns 62 hectares of vines in the Chianti Classico zone and produces about 400,000 bottles of wine each year. Their Chiantis and the Fontalloro are all made up of 100% Sangiovese. The grapes for this Chianti Classico were grown at an altitude of 350m to 420m and harvested during the first three weeks of October 2005. After fermentation the wine was transferred to small and medium sized oak casks for 12 months of aging, followed by 3 months of bottle aging before release.
The wine pours a velvety cherry red-black color. The nose has smoke, deep notes of black cherries, and an intriguing trace of honey. The palate tastes of plums, black cherries, and a hint of earthiness, along with some spiciness and menthol. The tannins are noticeable, but are sweet and not overpowering. The somewhat short finish has a core of freshly acidic red fruit.
On the whole I thought this was great, easy-drinking red wine, one that while not being overly complex or challenging, nonetheless brought a great mix of flavors to the glass. Based on this wine, I would love to try either the Riserva or the Rancia Riserva, both of which are a step above the straight Chianti Classico in terms of both the selected grapes and the aging the wine gets before release. And it goes nearly without saying that the Vin Santo is on my list of wines to one day have a chance to try.
This was a great wine to use as a stepping stone in getting to know the wines of Chianti Classico. Felsina is clearly a well-reputed producer, and their Chianti Classico turned out to be a good introduction to both Chianti Classico, Tuscany, and the Sangiovese grape.
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Castello della Paneretta Vin Santo del Chianti Classico 2001
I was immediately hooked when I read this description of Vin Santo in Vino Italiano:
“Vin Santo is a unique experience, almost like a cross between a wine and a whiskey…the fermentation literally takes years, and no new wine is added during the fermentation and maturation, meaning that over the course of the three-plus years a Vin Santo is required to age, there is some evaporation. The resultant wines are usually a burnished amber.”
While dessert wines generally hold only a small interest to me, after having tried the Vin de Paille from Domaine de Montbourgeau I am fascinated by the concept of dessert wines that are aged for several years and allowed to oxidize to some degree. The incredible wide range of flavors that I experienced in that Vin de Paille has stuck in my mind and left a palpable excitement at the idea of being able to find something similar to that once again.
Most incredibly, the experience of drinking a Vin Santo was actually better than I was prepared for. While out at dinner recently the restaurant offered a selection of dessert wines, including Vin Santo. I couldn’t resist, and was definitely rewarded. The wine was a amberish-gold, the nose spoke of candied fruits and nuts, the palate was filled with flavors. Very exciting indeed. The bottle that I was tasting was from Badia a Coltibuono, and so I began to keep my eyes open for that or other Vin Santos that I might run across.
Shortly thereafter I found one at an interesting little wine shop in the North End named The Wine Bottega. It struck me as one of those shops where they don’t offer a huge selection, but what they do offer is going to be top-notch. So I snatched up a bottle of the one Vin Santo that they had, this Castello della Paneretta Vin Santo del Chianti Classico 2001.
Castello della Paneretta is a small to medium-sized winery in the Chianti Classico zone in Tuscany. They produce about 100,000 bottles annually from the 16 hectares of vineyards that they own. Their portfolio includes seven wines, all of which are reds aside from the Vin Santo. I don’t know how their wines in general, or this Vin Santo in particular, stack up against the spectrum of wines from Tuscany. Unfortunately they were not included in Italian Wines 2008, which perhaps is indicative, I’m not sure. But I’m comfortable giving them the benefit of the doubt, in large part due to the shop I got the bottle from.
The Vin Santo consists of 70% trebbiano and 30% malvasia. The grapes are harvested in September and left to dry on straw mats until January. During those four months the grapes gradually dry out, concentrating their sugars. After pressing the wine, now measuring 16%, is put into small oak casks and left to age for anywhere from three years on up. I’ve seen one Vin Santo in shops that has been aged for 16 years! In the case of Castello della Paneretta the Vin Santo is aged for 5 years before bottling. Notably, the Vin de Paille from Domaine de Montbourgeau that was so good was also a 2001…
The resultant wine is really quite remarkable. The color is amber with rich gold accents. The wine is clearly very viscous as it leaves distinct tears on the side of the glass. The nose is dominated by the scent of walnuts, golden raisins, candied cherries, and a hint of sweet acidity. The wine is thick on the palate, coating your mouth completely, and is much brighter than those would indicate. There is sufficient acidity to brighten the flavors, providing an excellent backdrop for the flavors of raisins, apples, walnuts, and candied pears. The finish starts with a hint of fresh strawberries and raspberries that slowly gives way to a prolonged taste of walnuts. The finish is quite long.
My memories of the Vin de Paille are too long ago to fairly compare this Vin Santo to it. Off the cuff I’m leaning towards saying that the Vin de Paille left me a shade more excited, but that may have less to do with its flavors than with its backstory (I still have a very soft spot in my heart for wines of the Jura). This Vin Santo is very, very good and I feel very lucky to have taken a chance on this bottle. I am especially pleased to know that while I may long to once again have a bottle of Vin de Paille on hand, Vin Santos are much, much easier to find, and at a much better price as well.
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