A closer look at the wines from Saturday’s Italian lunch.
Not all wines are made for aging. You often hear the comment that only 10% of wines are created to age. I am not sure about this figure, but in the context of 90% of the wine being produced is rather inexpensive, generic wines that have no real reflection of time or place, it makes sense. I have nothing against this wine, I have mentioned before, company and friendship can make any wine an enjoyable experience.
From a variety perspective, it is fair to say that some wines do age, and others do not. Bordeaux and Burgundy, Barolo and Brunello, all age well. Australian Shiraz and Cabernet can age. Riesling and Semillon, and of course Chenin Blanc. All these wines reward those with patience.
Then there is Chianti.
You don’t often get an opportunity to try aged Chianti. While the Brunello di Montalcino’s seem to have the capacity to age, the Chianti expression of Sangiovese is usually consumed within a few years from release. It has all the traits of an age-worthy wine, acid structure, well-formed tannins, you have to wonder why more aged examples are just not seen. Perhaps because it is so approachable young? After all, aging wine is meant to result in evolution into a superior product.
I question that last statement, aged wine is not necessarily better, it is simply different. Fascinating and amazing, but not necessarily better.
If an aged Chianti was going to be well represented, this wine was ticking the boxes. The 1999 vintage was excellent in Chinati and the fruit for this wine comes exclusively from the Tignanello vineyard, which historically produces some of Chianti’s great wines.
Twenty years is a long time for any wine, but this Chianti presented remarkably well.
The cork crumbled on removal, the wine was decanted for cork and sediment.
90% Sangiovese
10% Cabernet Sauvignon
I was under the impression this was 100% Sangiovese, but the wine datasheet says otherwise.
You don’t often get an opportunity to try aged Chianti Classico, not a wine style that is typically cellared. Deep garnet. The primary fruit was hard to detect, replaced by black tea, tobacco leaf and black olives. Of all the wines, this is the nose I kept returning to. Toward the end of the day, some malt extract came though. On the palate, the acid was entirely integrated, as were the tannins. It was a little tired but still presents well. More of those black tea, black olive flavours. A very interesting wine, especially within the framework of a twenty-year-old Chianti.
