Blackberry, solvent in nose. Light acidity, red fruit. Very drying tannins on finish. Score 87-88 pts.

I'm not sure if this is a same wine, but mine is Chianti Ruffina Reserva not Classico Reserva.

Dark color for Chianti. Bright cherry, blackberry and smoke. Fresh good body. Wood finish. Very approachable. Not yet my favorite chianti but certainly among the top. 89 points.

DP

I think Nippozanno and Ruffino are 2 different animals. I liked 2000 Nippozanno more than 1999

Nippozano and Ruffino are definately two different wineries. Nippozano is from Frescobaldi, as noted above, but it is from the Rufina (one "f" and an "a") region east of Florence, whereas the Classico region is south of Florence. I find the Rufina wines more full-bodied - usually - than the Classicos.

Also, 2000 was a very hot year, and turned out lots of fruit-bombs; 1999 produced a much more balanced wine.

asv,

Who else make good Chianti Rufina? I only know Frescobaldi and a whole bunch of Chianti Classico.

Thanks,
DP

Dp,
God, hard to find. Most of what I had - I had over there. One crossed my glass not too long ago so I'll do my best to find/remember what it was. Sorry for the lame response; I never paid much attention to detail until I got on this board.

asv,

Me too. I had a bad habit of not remembering Italian or French wine name (especially Piedmont and Rhone wines).

DP