2011 Ruffino Riserva Ducale Chianti Classico Riserva

This was the third wine in the recent Snooth.com virtual tasting, the 2011 Ruffino Riserva Ducale Chianti Classico Riserva, a wine that's been produced by Ruffino since 1927.  This particular wine is a blend of Sangiovese (80%) with the balance Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, aged for 24 months before bottling and then aged a further 3 months before release.  This is also the only Chianti that has "Riserva" in it's name, hence the riserva riserva connotation!

The wine itself is a lovely garnet color in the glass with great clarity and a bit heavier appearance than the two previous wines we tasted.  The nose has a definite fruity characteristic that borders on "jammy" with aromas of ripe berries and cherry compote along with some rustic earthy notes of oak and peat.  The taste is very fruit forward, but not nearly as jammy as the nose would suggest, instead it's laden with tart cherry and red currant that transitions nicely to some mineral notes midpalate.  The tannins are nicely structured and balanced perfectly against the bright acidity to make for a long, smooth dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, as it's a beautiful example of a riserva Chianti at a stellar price of about $20.  This wine would be great with a classic Tuscan ragu, or almost any hearty Italian pasta dish.  Tonight I am enjoying this one with some linguine and hot Italian sausage with onions and peppers, what better way to enjoy a hearty Saturday night?  Cin Cin!

2011 Macchia "Amorous" Lodi Sangiovese

So tonight I am enjoying two lovely wines from Lodi, California for the Snooth.com Lodi virtual tasting (you can check it out here: http://www.snooth.com/virtual-tasting/video/lodi-virtual-tasting-room/) and the first one I am tasting tonight is the 2011 Macchia "Amorous" Sangiovese.  This will be interesting, since I very partial to Lodi Zinfandels, but I don't think I've tasted any other varietals from Lodi!  Here goes nothing!

The color of this wine is a lighter garnet all around, very similar to many Sangiovese from Italy.  The nose is very interesting, with some tobacco, lovely dry spice notes, black pepper and a hint of fresh mint and lots and lots of oak.  The taste has a wonderful floral quality up front, which eases into some lighter fruit notes and fresh herbs midpalate.  The finish is very smooth, with lovely notes of gravel and mint that is quite dry.  This wine strikes me as a very food friendly wine, as the more subtle flavor profile would tend to compliment a wide variety of dishes, from rich pastas, to grilled salmon to pizza on a Friday night!

Overall, I would rate this one a solid 8, as I think it's a very nice example of a classic Sangiovese that would be great with food, or just sipping on the patio on a summer afternoon. It's also a decent value at about $22, an added plus.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine and it's companion with spicy noodles from a local Thai restaurant, I love Thai food and this wine really holds up nicely to the spice! This would also be great with a lot of pasta dishes, and especially braciole, so long since I've had good braciole!