David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.0

This 14 has a bit of a story. I opened their 2005 last weekend, which was fantastic, I also opened their 2014 as an example w/ a friend to show how important aging is in Italy reds out of Tuscany & Piemonte. Also, how long it takes for the amount of new wood use Italians put to both to soften. The Italians hold them back in bottle sometimes two to three years or longer. The 05 last weekend was a 93-94. This after an hour & half decant, 90-91. In time, add one to two points.

For those who didn’t study their ass off to pass the Court of Master Sommeliers exam, the difference between Chianti & Chianti Classico is, Classico needs to come from a specific region in Chianti and needs to have an additional 10% of Sangiovese over regular Chianti.

2014 a good but not all-star vintage like 2010.

The 2014 still young. Showing dry; blackberries, black raspberries, dark cherries, some black plum, dry cranberries & strawberry hues. Oak barrel shavings, dry; leather, cedar, & dry tobacco, limestone & sandstone power, dry twig, dry river stone, dry top soil, slight candied & withering; red, dark, purple flowers framed in violets, nice acidity and a taut structured & tensioned but balanced, elegantly polished landing on dry earth that lasts nearly 90 seconds.

It is a good pair w/ the lasagna that has a really nice dark seasoning in it. An aged Nebbiolo might have worked better. From, The Adorable French Bakery at the Santa Cruz Farmers Market. No permanent location. — 13 days ago

Koichi Tanaka

9.0

味わい深く、飲みやすく、でも軽すぎない。 — 4 months ago

Jay Kline

9.1

Popped and poured. The 2015 Castell’In Villa CC pours a bright ruby with medium+ viscosity, no staining of the tears and no signs of sediment. On the nose, the wine is developing, with notes of tart cherries, some ripe BO (but I kinda like it?), spiced meat, dried herbs and dusty earth. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long, tart and has some great minerals giving the impression of freshness and, well, elegance. A solid expression of the Castelnuovo Berardenga UGA. Drinking well now but I think that’s more the generosity of the 2015 vintage than maturity. Drink now with some patience and over the next 5-10 years. — 9 months ago

Delectable Wine

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9.0

The 2020 Chianti Classico Riserva Berardo offers up scents of plum, blackberry, dried herbs, leather, cedar, tobacco and licorice. This virile Riserva captures plenty of the earthy, somber power often found in wines from Castelnuovo Berardenga. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, July 2024)
— 15 days ago

Jay Kline

9.2

Poured into a decanter about 90min before service; enjoyed over a several hour period. The 2010 “Poggio delle Rose” pours a deep garnet color with a near opaque core; medium+ viscosity with light staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with notes of Bing cherries compote, red flowers, balsamic, oiled leather. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannins and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. This is a flashier expression of Chianti Classico Riserva by Castell’in Villa, with a modern touch. However, the sense of place is not even a question. This is Castelnuovo Berardenga through and through. Drinking well now with an extended decant and will continue to drink well through 2030, easy. — 3 months ago

Cathy Levy

9.0

Lovely chianti. Drinking well. — 5 months ago

Billy L.

9.4

Felsina 🇮🇹 winery Tasting & Lunch: Desert Wine Vin Santo — 10 months ago

Jeroen Koenen

9.3

Richer style of Chianti Riserva, less acidic.
Underwood, potpourri, dried cherry, hint of prunes and herbs. — 2 months ago

Brent Clayton

9.4

On the early side of peak. Really beautiful bottle, great condition. Skews more towards red fruit but I haven’t had this in a long time and it’s darker than I remember. — 3 months ago

Tom Casagrande

9.0

A Benjamin Button wine. When I opened it last night, it initially was quite disappointing. Old, browning color, nose showing little fruit and mostly dried underbrush. But it began to perk up with an hour or so of air, so I saved the rest for tonight. And it’s pretty nice tonight! Strangely, the color has gotten more youthful looking. The nose shows dark macerated cherry with a significant iron note to the earthiness. A lifted menthol/ camphor thing. In the mouth, it’s got a nice freshness, and hits more like a Chianti Classico Riserva from Castelnuovo Berardenga than a typical Brunello. Dark cherry and lots of savory minerality. A little, nice bitter note in the close. Not super deep or lengthy, but a tasty wine nonetheless. Be sure to decant and give this wine lots of air. — 4 months ago