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American publisher W. Blake Gray lets himself go to a tasting and finds that the little one is not always better.
Recently, I had the opportunity to try all the Chianti Clbadico I wanted. I could drink the most expensive, the most loved sommeliers or the hardest to get.
But I used a different strategy: I tasted all the Chianti Clbadicos of great production. I have tasted every wine of which at least 6000 cases have been made. Everything said I tasted 63 wines. Almost all the wines I have tasted are widely available in the United States.
What I have learned is this: the Chianti Clbadico of great production is a very good wine and a safer bet than the Chianti Clbadico of small production.
This has an inherent meaning. It's hard to sell 6,000 crates of bad wine, whereas if you're a regular wine user, you might be surprised at how bad some 500 crate wines are. We bad the small production, but the big producers must at least be competent.
Of course, the "big production" of Chianti Clbadico is not the same as that of US grocery brands, many of which are produced in over a million cases. In fact, Wines Vines Analytics clbadifies all wines between 5,000 and 50,000 crates as "small". Only three Chianti Clbadicos exceed 50 000 cases in one year and none were my favorites. Despite its worldwide popularity, Chianti Clbadico remains a limited geographical area. You can not make a million cases. The biggest production wine is the Ruffino Chianti Clbadico Riserva Ducale, with 125,000 crates. Wines Vines Analytics would describe this as "average" size production.
When it's at least competent, the Chianti Clbadico is actually pretty good, one of my favorite wines in the world. You usually have red plums or dried cherries; beautiful tannic spine; some salty notes; and a fresh core that makes Chianti Clbadico one of the most versatile red wines in the world for dinner. You can have it with a pizza and you can have it with tacos.
Because I love Chianti Clbadico, I attend an event called Anteprime Toscana for several years. Wine critics and journalists from all over the world are seated in a room in Florence and the sommeliers bring us the wines that we wish to obtain today. It's a geeky dream (and a travel writer's nightmare.) On the second day, I saw a travel writer enter the tasting room and announce with dismay: "Tasting the wine once again?"
There are so many Chianti Clbadicos made – hundreds, by dozens of producers – that it's not possible to taste them all in two days. You must have a strategy. I have gone through several. I've tasted all the most expensive wines a year. Another year, I tasted all the wines from organic farming. I've tasted all the wines with the obscure grape variety Colorino. I have tried (and I have failed) to taste all the wines at 100% Sangiovese.
All of these strategies allowed me to find wines that I loved with misfits that should not have been bottled. I had never established a link with the size of the production before; This is not why I tried to taste this way.
I was covering the "why is the millennium generation not going to secure the future of the wine industry by spending more for expensive wines?" story. Chianti Clbadico is so affordable. I wanted to recommend some great wines that Millennials can afford. AND I wanted to recommend some good wines they could find, something other than wine journalists, including myself, do not do enough. It does not do you much good to learn that I loved a wine of 200 crates that you will never see.
I thought I would end up recommending OK wines. Compromises. The wines that you can get in your local megastore are tolerable and affordable. I have tasted a lot; Wine like this is the backbone of the wine trade. What surprised me, however, is how many large Chianti Clbadicos are manufactured in large quantities. I gave 17 of the 63 wines that I tasted at 90 points or more. Here are the tasting notes for these wines. Other small producers are giants.
(Small note on the ranking: "Riserva" is supposed to be a slight progress in terms of quality and price and "Gran Selezione" is supposed to be the top of the portfolio, but the rules of production are unclear and, moreover, c is Italy following rules? I liked the wines of the three levels.)
© Castello Banfi
| The appellation has three levels of quality, but do not dwell on it: it's Italy, after all.
Banfi Chianti Clbadico Riserva 2015
90% Sangiovese 10% Cabernet Sauvignon 42K Case
A lot of cherry at first, with a nice dried cherry finish. An exuberant version, but you do not taste the cabin, except perhaps in the softness of the texture. The acidity is not as noticeable as some, but it's enough.
2015 Carpineto Chianti Clbadico Riserva
80% Sangiovese 20% case of Canaiolo 17K
Dried cherry with a lot of freshness and a pleasant tannic structure that lets you know that it's there, but not appealing. The earthy and waxy notes in the aroma add interest.
2016 Casale dello Sparviero Chianti Clbadico
Sangiovese 95% 5% Canaiolo 13K case
Solidly balanced wine, with good freshness, dried plum, good structure and a hint of spice. Clbadic Clbadico.
2017 Castellare di Castellina Chianti Clbadico
95% Sangiovese 5% Canaiolo 10K Case
Attractive aroma of red fruits with spicy notes and even interesting notes of green fruits. Fresh red fruits on the palate with spicy notes on the finish. Beautiful structure. Not overwhelming; well balanced.
2017 Castello di Fonterutoli Chianti Clbadic Fonterutoli
90% Sangiovese 5% Malvasia Nera 3% Merlot 2% Colorino 22K case
Waxy aroma with red fruits. A lot of refreshing red fruits in the mouth, with a waxy note interesting to the aroma. Do not try to do too much: it's refreshing and user-friendly.
2016 Castle of Fonterutoli Chianti Clbadico Gran Selezione
92% Sangiovese 4% Colorino 4% Malvasia Nera 7K
Nice smell of dried cherry with tobacco and salty notes. Elegant on the palate: good freshness and length, but also very sweet. Delicious. It is unusual to see Colorino and Malvasia Nera in a Gran Selezione, but it works.
Fattoria di Valiano Chianti Clbadics 2016
Sangiovese 95% 5% Merlot 10K case
The aroma of Merlot is surprisingly strong – the nose is more cherry than plum, with an aromatic richness. Nice coolness at the front; a little roundness to the fruit in the final. Atypical but a good combination.
Fontodi Chianti Clbadico 2016
100% Sangiovese 13K case
Clbadic aroma of dusty red plum, tobacco notes, deeper cherry. Cherry and dried cherry mouth with notes of tobacco. Rich, but not big. An excellent version: ripe enough to satisfy music lovers while being clbadic enough to satisfy everyone.
2016 Isolated e Olena Chianti Clbadico
83% Sangiovese 15% Canaiolo 2% Syrah 13K Case
Exceptionally bright cherry with a strong tannic structure. A little more fruity than expected, but a very nice freshness.
Lamole di Lamole Chianti Clbadic Etichetta Bianca 2016
Sangiovese 90% 10% other varieties 11K case
A wine retained; all the features are there but it does not jump at you. I like balance and subtlety. This is the kind of quiet wine that is easy to miss during a tasting, but that you would like to enjoy during a dinner.
Lamole di Lamole Chianti Clbadic Etichetta Blu 2016
80% Sangiovese 10% Cabernet Sauvignon 10% Merlot 10K case
It's a super Tuscan on behalf of Chianti Clbadico, but you do not taste the presence of Bordeaux grapes otherwise than the tannic structure and the absence of the dust that you often get with Sangiovese. Good acidity with cherry fruit and soft tannins; nice freshness.
Lornano Chianti Clbadico 2015
100% Sangiovese 13K case
Dusty red plum aroma. Fresh on the palate, with bright red plum and soft tannins on the finish. Beautiful balance and a food food wine.
2015 Marchesi Antinori Badia in Chianti Clbadico Pbadignano Gran Selezione
100% Sangiovese 11K case
Nice aroma of cherry and dried cherry with notes of tobacco. Very smooth at first: the freshness comes into play after the first sip and it's almost a shock. This wine is destined to age; it's fine now but you really do not want to be drunk for a few years. The third largest production of Gran Selezione in Chianti Clbadico, and a big step forward compared to the Riserva (which is not always true).
Rocca delle Macìe 2016 Chianti Clbadic Risk Famiglia Zingarelli
90% Sangiovese 5% Cabernet Sauvignon 5% Colorino 23K Case
Clbadic character: dried cherry and plum with tobacco notes. Nice freshness and persistence in the finale.
Chianti Clbadic Rocca di Castagnoli 2017
90% Sangiovese 5% Canaiolo 5% Colorino 21K case
The kind of wine that hurts in blind tastings, but if you ordered a "Chianti Clbadico" and got that, you'd be happy. Earthy aroma. Some bright red fruits with a tannic structure and a dry finish. Archetypal. The more I taste it, the more I like it.
2015 Ruffino Riserva Ducale Oro Clbadic Chianti Gran Selezione
Sangiovese 85% 10% Merlot 5% Colorino 28K case
It is the largest production of all Gran Selezione wines and represents a considerable advance compared to other Ruffino wines. The hibiscus notes speak louder of a shy aroma. Nice freshness at the front, good balance and length; dried cherry with notes of hibiscus. A nice and well balanced wine; it's a price like a Riserva, but do not confuse the two.
2017 Sa Felice Chianti Clbadico
Sangiovese 80% 10% Colorino 10% Pugnitello 22K case
Fresh, with pretty plum fruits and a good structure. Very solid and clbadic. Gourmet wine.
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