On the Road with the Grape Guy is a on-going feature that follows me from event to event ... I post my thoughts, feelings and reviews of what happened and what I tasted ... basically it is here that I review the events I attend and the things that thrilled me.
08
Mar
2016
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Category: On the Road with the Grape Guy
The Wines for Tasting(February 22, 2016) ... This is my second time in Romagna for their Anteprima … The region is known for the Albana grape (white) and Sangiovese (red) - and the first thing you quickly realize is this region has an inferiority complex about Tuscany (their more popular neighbour and brother in Sangiovese). The focus of the tasting was their “Riserva” wines – the one’s aged a minimum 24 months in barrel … these wines are young, raw, aggressive, tannic and acidic - but they are also very ageable.
During our dinner with the producers they showcased wines from 2008 and 2009 that were quite brilliant and paired well with the exceptional cuisine of the area. These wines are meant to be paired with food – not tasted clinically on their own – and need time (lots of time) to balance themselves out … it would behoove the Consorzio to look into tasting the more approachable (and sooner) Superiore (non-Reserve) wines they produce and then also show off some older vintages of Riserva in a showcase (like they did this year with some 2008 wines), but use potentially older wines (10+ years) for us to see how well they can age.
Albana was also on display, a white grape that needs help to be recognized – even if it is the only DOCG of the area … but it deserves the spotlight, even if it’s a little one, as these wines can be quite interesting and approachable.
So, without further preamble … check out the wines and pictures from the dinner and much more - click here
04
Mar
2016
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Category: On the Road with the Grape Guy
(February 15-16, 2016) ... 371 wines … 172+ producers … 7 vintages represented (2006 -2014) … 2 days … 1 enormous room for tasting – This is the Chianti Classico tasting 2016 and this is the pinnacle of the week – yes they start with it, but it’s the biggest tasting, the crown jewel, the reason we all gather.
“The 2016 edition of the Chianti Classico Collection marks the beginning of the 300th anniversary celebrations, commemorating 24th September 1716 when Grand Duke Cosimo III dei Medici issued the ordinance ‘On the Declaration of the boundaries of the four regions of Chianti, Pomino, Carmignano and Valdarno Superiore’ … a DOC appellation ahead of its time.” – Sergio Zingarelli, President Consorzio Vino Chianti Classico
I tasted close to 200 wines to get a sense of the vintage, the ageing potential and my overall satisfaction with the wines that are coming and the wines that have been – I stayed away from barrel samples (mostly) trying finished wines that dated all the way back to 2006.
Click here for the list of the wines that truly represented, to me, the best of the Chianti Classico wines I tasted broken down by classification: Classico, Classico Riserva and Gran Seleczione.
