TN: 2006 Felsina Berardenga Chianti Classico Riserva

[Ramon_NYC]

TN: 2006 Felsina Berardenga Chianti Classico Riserva

I’ve read mostly good notes on this wine and I concur. I had hoped to open my lone bottle with tomato-based pasta with sweet Italian sausages but last-minute laziness took over and we went with strip steak fryers for dinner, instead. The nose on this wine was savory, with some fresh meat and wood. Acidity was prominent and oak appears to be still quite intrusive at certain points. The fruit was evident, but enveloped within the savory components. I’m attaching a link to the TN that I posted on the regular, non-Riserva, version of this wine (plus some excellent insights by the regulars) and although the Riserva was a decent wine, I found the regular bottling to be the better one - perhaps, unfairly so because of the better food-wine match (iirc) with the regular bottling. Nevertheless, the Riserva still went OK wih the steaks. My rating is based on current drinking status, but somehow I think that the Riserva would be the better one after a few more bottle-aging years. One good thing going for the Riserva is its price, available at $21 at local stores here in NY. B+

http://www.bordeauxwineenthusiasts.com/ ... 6395#p6395

[PaulF]

I thought this was a good, rich wine the last time I had it a few months back but I was disappointed by the lack of acidity. Still, a good wine for the money.

[Houndsong]

Is this the same as the Rancia Nic posted on last week?

[Blanquito]

Nope, the Rancia is the single-vineyard riserva, and usually close to double in price... I liked the 2006 basic riserva, but thought it was pretty tight. The 2005 riserva was really rockin', with a killer fruit-acid combo. Great producer, perfectly poised between modern and traditional.

[JimHow]

What was the wine we got at PJs for about $25 a year or two ago, blanquito, was that the 2001 or 2004? I bought about a dozen of them and they are all gone.

[Ramon_NYC]

Fwiw, the NY Times wine critic, Eric Asimov, recently wrote an article about CCRs, citing how recent CCRs are unlike “true” Chiantis by being dark, dense and oaky. Amongst the dark, dense and oaky wines that his panel tasted, they rated the 2006 Felsina CCR as their No. 1. Well, at the very least, I can conclude that they have pretty decent taste.

http://events.nytimes.com/2010/07/21/di ... 1wine.html

[Blanquito]

I think you're referring to the 2001 Rodano Viacosta Riserva that we bought from PJs, Jim. I have a few bottles left, and they're still going strong.

[rjsussex]

I know what Asimov means about modern Chianti Riservas - sorry to quote myself but for my money the £18 2006 Rosso di Montalcino from Pertimali (Livio Sassetti) is a wonderfully pure 100% Sangiovese, un-forced, Chambolle-like beauty, for those put off by new-wave dark monsters.

Richard

[JimHow]

Ah yes the Rodano Viacosta, that was a nice recommendation, I drank all of mine.
I did buy some bottles of this Felsina Berandega upon Ramon's recommendation, I believe, I liked that wine too from the 2004 vintage.