2010 Ruffino Riserva Ducale Oro Chianti Classico Gran Selezione

Happy Friday before Pi-Day!  Tonight I am enjoying the last of the four wines we tried on our Snooth.com virtual tasting with Ruffino Wines, though this is my third review - man I really messed up the order on these!  At any rate, tonight it's the top of the heap, the 2010 Ruffino Riserva Ducale Oro Chianti Classico Gran Selezione, a blend of Sangiovese (80%) with the remainder composed of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Colorino.  The wine was aged in large oak casks for about a year, then transferred to barriques for another 12 months, followed by an additional four months in the bottle.  Now let's taste the result!

The wine is a lovely garnet hue in the glass with ruby along the edges, and great clarity.  The nose is classic Chianti, with lovely aromas of blackberry, cherry and some floral aromas of violet and a hint of spice.  The taste is quite nice, fruit forward with lots of cherry, plum and a bit of spice, maybe a bit of cumin.  The flavors easily transition to some lovely dark chocolate and mocha notes midpalate.  The tannins are nicely integrated, lending support for a long, smooth dry finish that lingers as if to tempt you into another sip.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, it's exactly what a great Chianti should be, though it's still a bit young - I really wonder how this will develop over the coming decade.  At about $40 retail, this is certainly worth putting up a few bottles in the cellar.  Tonight I am pairing it with a classic American version of bisteca Fiorentina, a rare grilled porterhouse with a baked potato and some steamed asparagus (for once I can enjoy the wine relaxing by the grill since it's above freezing!).  The wine is ideal for big steaks of just about any hearty Italian dish (think meaty lasagna, eggplant parm or mussels fra diavalo with linguine!).  Cin Cin!