Fattoria Valtellina (Giorgio Regni) Chianti Classico 2001
One of our favourite Chianti producers is going out of business! Apparently Andreas Stössel quit as the winemaker there, and Christoph Schneider was not too happy with his successor, plus the wines, always in need of bottle age, not modern enough to be understood by the average Chianti clientele, did not sell. What a pity! I especially used to like their Il Duca di Montechioccioli Merlot bottling.
Thanks to my parents. A nicely firm wine, retaining a fresh colour and tannin quality, quite mouth-cleansing, not metallic at all, with a character and depth that is sometimes more reminiscent of Brunello than Chianti. The earlier minor greenishness is all gone, not a wine of extraordinary ripeness, more classic in the European sense of the word. Perhaps medium complexity, medium-plus length. One of the Swiss importer’s favourite vintages ever, I do not believe the 2001 is on the same level as the 1997 (nor as thick and dried-fruity as the 1995), but it is definitely inching closer to the 1999, just as he predicted. Drink or hold. Rating: 88+?
Greetings from Switzerland, David.