Presented double blind at Tasting Group. The wine pours a garnet color with a transparent core; medium+ viscosity with no staining of the tears and no signs of sediment. On the nose, the wine is developing with notes of Bing cherry, red flowers, black tea and dried herbs. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes form the nose. The finish is medium+ and sanguine. I suspect this has seen a lot of neutral oak.
Initial conclusions: this could be Nebbiolo or Sangiovese or Grenache from Italy or France but this has a humility about it that takes me to Italy and it doesn’t have quite the structure of Nebbiolo from the Langhe or Sangiovese from Montalcino. Yet, it does have sanguine character about it. So I’m taking this to Tuscany. Final conclusion: this is Sangiovese (or blend) from Italy, Toscano, Chianti Classico, 2020. I should have probably done better to dial in the amount of oak, especially with the earlier suspicions. Solid stuff. Drink now through 2039.
@Delectable this is the “Le Balze di Montefioralle”
Presented double blind at Tasting Group. The wine pours a garnet color with a transparent core; medium+ viscosity with no staining of the tears and no signs of sediment. On the nose, the wine is developing with notes of Bing cherry, red flowers, black tea and dried herbs. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes form the nose. The finish is medium+ and sanguine. I suspect this has seen a lot of neutral oak.
Initial conclusions: this could be Nebbiolo or Sangiovese or Grenache from Italy or France but this has a humility about it that takes me to Italy and it doesn’t have quite the structure of Nebbiolo from the Langhe or Sangiovese from Montalcino. Yet, it does have sanguine character about it. So I’m taking this to Tuscany. Final conclusion: this is Sangiovese (or blend) from Italy, Toscano, Chianti Classico, 2020. I should have probably done better to dial in the amount of oak, especially with the earlier suspicions. Solid stuff. Drink now through 2039.
@Delectable this is the “Le Balze di Montefioralle”
Feb 12th, 2026
Delicious. Cherries, hints of peppermint. Mineral. Bit gassy, nice Brett. Classic tart/bitter balance.
Delicious. Cherries, hints of peppermint. Mineral. Bit gassy, nice Brett. Classic tart/bitter balance.
3 people found it helpfulDec 11th, 2015
Very good, but I think this will be excellent after a 3+ year nap, after giving the tannins more time to integrate and soften. Meanwhile, the nose has black cherry, mint, and cedar aromas, and the palate has more black cherry and coffee, with a lithe, minerally character and good length.
Very good, but I think this will be excellent after a 3+ year nap, after giving the tannins more time to integrate and soften. Meanwhile, the nose has black cherry, mint, and cedar aromas, and the palate has more black cherry and coffee, with a lithe, minerally character and good length.
1 person found it helpfulJan 17th, 2016
Chianti Classico, Chianti, Tuscany, Italy
