Bottom of the Bottle:
I will say this many times: I would not hesitate to enjoy this with ANY tomato based cuisine! Beauty in a bottle. It has the most delightfully delicate aromas and flavours and I cannot get over the fantastic after-taste which gives off this spicy yet refreshingly cool sensation that lingers for the long run. It MUST be enjoyed with the right cuisine to reach its full potential though. on its own the tannins can come across a bit harsh and overbearing. Also do not make the mistake of drinking this next to an equally bitter piece of chocolate. It doesn't fare well. Look to your Italian based cuisine to match this Italian based wine. Tomato sauce is an essential alongside this bottle. Get the dish right and this wine has immense potential.
I will say this many times: I would not hesitate to enjoy this with ANY tomato based cuisine! Beauty in a bottle. It has the most delightfully delicate aromas and flavours and I cannot get over the fantastic after-taste which gives off this spicy yet refreshingly cool sensation that lingers for the long run. It MUST be enjoyed with the right cuisine to reach its full potential though. on its own the tannins can come across a bit harsh and overbearing. Also do not make the mistake of drinking this next to an equally bitter piece of chocolate. It doesn't fare well. Look to your Italian based cuisine to match this Italian based wine. Tomato sauce is an essential alongside this bottle. Get the dish right and this wine has immense potential.
Background:
I was visiting my sister weeks ago and picked this bottle up on sale. I have been wanting to try a Chianti, particularly with an Italian based tomato sauce dish. It sat in my basement for weeks biding its time for the ideal dinner. It finally happened. I actually got around to procuring such a dish this week during the wet, cold rainy spell we have been having. No finer way to celebrate the ushering in of the fall than with a bottle of Chianti and nice hearty spaghetti sauce.
The Basics:
A 2011 Chianti produced by Ruffino, out of Toscana Pontassieve Italy. Boasting 13% alcohol by volume, this Chianti contains a minimum of 70% Sangiovese plus other varieties admitted by code production, such as Canaiolo and Colorino. It can be obtained from the local BCL for 14.99
From the Back of the Bottle:
declared to have "ruby red colour, a fresh fruity bouquet, and a velvety long-lingering taste." The back of the bottle calls itself "Fragrant and Inviting."
The Reviewer's Remarks:
From over at We Speak Wine, "Appearance [is] ruby red...At the nose Chianti Ruffino features an impact of delicate yet steady floreal notes of violet as it is typical of the Sangiovese wines...offers elegant and deep fruity hints of plums which lead towards a lightly spicy finish. In tasting...[it] is characterized by a marvelous freshness that makes Chianti Ruffino a very pleasant and easy to drink wine. Persistent fruity sensations feature a long aftertaste."
The Amateur's Ambitiously Amiable Adventure:
Appearance:
The colour is definitely brighter, clearer garnet touching on ruby. Its legs are quick to return to the body of the wine having me assume a lighter body.
Nose:
The aromas are quite delicate and take time to sift through. Berry wise, i am reminded of bright cherry and perhaps a small influence of ripe sweet blackberry. You can definitely smell the contents of earth and oak. Its chalky and astringing, even to the nose. There is something floral about this wine. They say Chianti should have the aroma of violets. I have no recollection of what violets smell like so I cannot confirm that the floral nature of this wine is of violet character, but its floral. There is also a spice to the nose which leaves me quite satisfied.
Palate:
In the mouth it does come across as light in body. In taste, the flavour is not overbearingly fruity but you taste the distinct flavours of cherry and plum. The cherry and plum flavour isn't fresh and ripe, it gives instead the fine portrayal of baked goodness. The floral end really comes through on the taste. You can also really pick out the oakiness and the touch of a very bitter, unsweetned dark chocolate. But only a touch. The chocolate is overrun by the oak woodiness of this wine. There is some mouthwatering acidity but more tannins giving off a stronger dry after-feel, leaving your tongue dry and course reminscent of the texture of a cat's tongue. Reviewer's aren't wrong in highlighting the aftertaste. The after-taste is where the quality of this wine really shines. It gives the linger of a bitter unsweetened oaky chocolate with the fruity appeal. But the real pizzaz lies in the after taste's spicy yet cool and refreshing sensation, an ode to mint's cooling ability, that occurs when you breath in on the after taste. Two words: pure brilliance.
Wine-Food Pairing:
There is one word for the pairing of this Chianti with a meaty spaghetti sauce over spaghetti noodles, Harmonious. The high tannins are mellowed out by the meal yet the flavours strike through. In fact, pairing it with a tomato sauce based dish is a must. On its own the tannins present a little too potent for enjoyment of any large proportion. I tried this with bitter dark chocolate thinking it might pair well. It didn't. The dryness of the tannins were only accentuated. By no means does that mean this is a bad wine. This was a fantastic wine when paired with the right meal and even on its own a half glass was a great sipper, but it had to be sipped.
We Speak Wine tells us this bottle is "A young yet historical wine, which can be perfectly matched with a wide variety of traditional Tuscan and Italian dishes." The back of the bottle itself says to enjoy this wine with "roasts, hearty dishes, cheese and all Italian food."
I would not hesitate to enjoy this bottle with any, and i mean ANY, tomato based cuisine. It would pair up nice to a juicy steak, meatballs, and burgers, medium-hard cheese and even the right cream based sauce.
Bottom of the Bottle:
Again i say, i would not hesitate to enjoy this with ANY tomato based cuisine! Beauty in a bottle. It has the most delightfully delicate aromas and flavours and I cannot get over the fantastic after-taste which gives off this spicy yet refreshingly cool sensation. It MUST be enjoyed with the right cuisine to reach its full potential though. on its own the tannins can come across a bit harsh and overbearing. Also do not make the mistake of drinking this next to an equally bitter piece of chocolate. It doesn't fare well. But with a tomato based sauce....Get the dish right, this wine has immense potential
I was visiting my sister weeks ago and picked this bottle up on sale. I have been wanting to try a Chianti, particularly with an Italian based tomato sauce dish. It sat in my basement for weeks biding its time for the ideal dinner. It finally happened. I actually got around to procuring such a dish this week during the wet, cold rainy spell we have been having. No finer way to celebrate the ushering in of the fall than with a bottle of Chianti and nice hearty spaghetti sauce.
The Basics:
A 2011 Chianti produced by Ruffino, out of Toscana Pontassieve Italy. Boasting 13% alcohol by volume, this Chianti contains a minimum of 70% Sangiovese plus other varieties admitted by code production, such as Canaiolo and Colorino. It can be obtained from the local BCL for 14.99
From the Back of the Bottle:
declared to have "ruby red colour, a fresh fruity bouquet, and a velvety long-lingering taste." The back of the bottle calls itself "Fragrant and Inviting."
The Reviewer's Remarks:
From over at We Speak Wine, "Appearance [is] ruby red...At the nose Chianti Ruffino features an impact of delicate yet steady floreal notes of violet as it is typical of the Sangiovese wines...offers elegant and deep fruity hints of plums which lead towards a lightly spicy finish. In tasting...[it] is characterized by a marvelous freshness that makes Chianti Ruffino a very pleasant and easy to drink wine. Persistent fruity sensations feature a long aftertaste."
The Amateur's Ambitiously Amiable Adventure:
Appearance:
The colour is definitely brighter, clearer garnet touching on ruby. Its legs are quick to return to the body of the wine having me assume a lighter body.
Nose:
The aromas are quite delicate and take time to sift through. Berry wise, i am reminded of bright cherry and perhaps a small influence of ripe sweet blackberry. You can definitely smell the contents of earth and oak. Its chalky and astringing, even to the nose. There is something floral about this wine. They say Chianti should have the aroma of violets. I have no recollection of what violets smell like so I cannot confirm that the floral nature of this wine is of violet character, but its floral. There is also a spice to the nose which leaves me quite satisfied.
Palate:
In the mouth it does come across as light in body. In taste, the flavour is not overbearingly fruity but you taste the distinct flavours of cherry and plum. The cherry and plum flavour isn't fresh and ripe, it gives instead the fine portrayal of baked goodness. The floral end really comes through on the taste. You can also really pick out the oakiness and the touch of a very bitter, unsweetned dark chocolate. But only a touch. The chocolate is overrun by the oak woodiness of this wine. There is some mouthwatering acidity but more tannins giving off a stronger dry after-feel, leaving your tongue dry and course reminscent of the texture of a cat's tongue. Reviewer's aren't wrong in highlighting the aftertaste. The after-taste is where the quality of this wine really shines. It gives the linger of a bitter unsweetened oaky chocolate with the fruity appeal. But the real pizzaz lies in the after taste's spicy yet cool and refreshing sensation, an ode to mint's cooling ability, that occurs when you breath in on the after taste. Two words: pure brilliance.
Wine-Food Pairing:
There is one word for the pairing of this Chianti with a meaty spaghetti sauce over spaghetti noodles, Harmonious. The high tannins are mellowed out by the meal yet the flavours strike through. In fact, pairing it with a tomato sauce based dish is a must. On its own the tannins present a little too potent for enjoyment of any large proportion. I tried this with bitter dark chocolate thinking it might pair well. It didn't. The dryness of the tannins were only accentuated. By no means does that mean this is a bad wine. This was a fantastic wine when paired with the right meal and even on its own a half glass was a great sipper, but it had to be sipped.
We Speak Wine tells us this bottle is "A young yet historical wine, which can be perfectly matched with a wide variety of traditional Tuscan and Italian dishes." The back of the bottle itself says to enjoy this wine with "roasts, hearty dishes, cheese and all Italian food."
I would not hesitate to enjoy this bottle with any, and i mean ANY, tomato based cuisine. It would pair up nice to a juicy steak, meatballs, and burgers, medium-hard cheese and even the right cream based sauce.
Bottom of the Bottle:
Again i say, i would not hesitate to enjoy this with ANY tomato based cuisine! Beauty in a bottle. It has the most delightfully delicate aromas and flavours and I cannot get over the fantastic after-taste which gives off this spicy yet refreshingly cool sensation. It MUST be enjoyed with the right cuisine to reach its full potential though. on its own the tannins can come across a bit harsh and overbearing. Also do not make the mistake of drinking this next to an equally bitter piece of chocolate. It doesn't fare well. But with a tomato based sauce....Get the dish right, this wine has immense potential
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