Thank God that Chianti no longer conjures up visions of straw-wrapped bottles and cheap Italian food. The region has undergone something of a renaissance over the past 15 years or so. I predict that within a few years, wines from the Chianti DOCG will become even more popular, especially amongst wine hipsters. All it takes is one or two clever advertising and marketing campaigns! All cynicism aside, it's great to see such an historic wine region gaining in popularity. Click here for a good explanation of Chianti and it's sub-regions.
I was sent this bottle of 2007 Donna Laura Bramosia as a sample, from http://www.winechateau.com. I browsed their site for a few minutes and urge you to do so as well, there are some excellent deals if you take the time to look around.
Now, the wine! Great red brick color in the glass, I could see right through it. Definitely a welcome change from some of the darker reds I've been tasting lately. The Bramosia's nose was overflowing with earth, herbs and cocoa powder. A twinge of green, vegetal character showed up briefly, so did ripe but sour cherries. I think the term "rustic" is an apt descriptor, and I like what's going on so far.
After an hour of open time, I thought the flavors were very nicely integrated. Those sour cherries came out in force, great acidity, dusty earth and some soft, round tannins. Donna Laura's wine finished with a spicy taper, most agreeable. I think this is a superb wine to pair with pizza (as I dial up Leucadia Pizza for delivery) but also with most any hearty Italian fare. I'd be interested to pair some other dishes with this too, perhaps even something like cedar-plank salmon.
I haven't reviewed many Italian wines of late, hopefully that's going to change though. The 2007 Donna Laura Bramosia was wonderfully balanced and is a reminder that the Italians have been making wine for a long time and are very good at it. I found this Chianti Classico online for about $15, winechateau.com had it for $13.97, discounted from $29.99. At about $14, it's a great deal and one I'd be more than happy to purchase. Solid B and a BUY recommendation. You can buy this wine directly from WineChateau.com by clicking here. That link takes you directly to their site where you can even get free shipping!
This wine was received as a sample from http://www.winechateau.com for review purposes.
Beau Carufel
Yeah, I'm still iffy about Chiantis. They remind me too much of (shudder) Olive Garden. I'd have to try it for myself before I changed my opinion!
ReplyDeleteYour experiences are a great example of the failure of Chianti to shed it's image of cheap, simple red wines. While there might not be any technical flaws present in a cheap Chianti, the drinking experience often turns people off or contributes to the perception of low quality. This one was pretty tasty as evidenced by the score, I'll try to find another good bottle sometime and we'll taste it and hopefully help change your perceptions a bit :-)
ReplyDelete