Wines with brunch today, retasted just now with dinner. The first two were bottles I opened for our neighbour Stefan, as he was born that year.
Badia a Coltibuono Chianti Classico 1961
Slightly murky orange-red colour, looks a bit rosé-like. A whiff of Sherry to the white truffle and mild citrus rind “fruit” at first, but the Sherry blew off after a few minutes (only to return several hours later). Faint nuts and tapenade. A suggestion of dried rose-hip tea to the finely grained, quite nice tannin. Medium-minus length. Fractionally more finesseful than Melini’s Stravecchio. Did not hold up with airing too well, though, developing a (admittedly faint) cold ashtray like tobacco top note. Over the hill. Rating: 81-
Melini Chianti Classico Stravecchio 1961
Needed decanting as it contained at least as much sediment, if not more than the Badia a Coltibuono. Deeper if still light, a bit less but still slightly murky garnet-orange colour with an amber hue. Nuttier, cherry wood tinged, slightly denser but also worn-out black cherry and dried orange fruit, a little tar, some dried (or candied but no longer sweet) lemon, truffley dried porcini. The more oak-induced tannin here made me wonder if this was kept in foudre for a number of years before bottling. Medium-short on the finish. Again, that suggestion of soapy Malaga on the nose was virtually absent on the palate. Held up better with airing in the decanter than the Badia a Coltibuono. Drink up! Rating: 82-
Fattoria di Fèlsina Chianti Classico Berardenga 2006
Deep red-ruby-black, almost opaque, ruby-red at the rim. Comes across as possibly even modern-styled than the 2004, to the utter disappointment of my mother, who is no longer a buyer (“If this is what they think their generic Berardenga has got to be like, we will buy a handful bottles of the Rancia and leave it at that”). Spicy new oak to lightly chewing gum and marzipan like black cherry and thick Cabernet-like blackcurrant, nicely dense and rather sweet. Lightly oily-viscous and very smooth. Relatively oaky, a bit marzipan-tinged, sweet no-grain tannin. Incredibly polished for Fèlsina, even more so than the 2004. Nice meatiness with airing. Medium-plus length. Rating: 88+/89?
Greetings from Switzerland, David.
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„J'ai gâché vingt ans de mes plus belles années au billard. Si c'était à refaire, je recommencerais.“ – Roger Conti