2003 Villa Cafaggio

CDN$24. Not decanted, paired with chicken cacciatore. Dark ruby red colour and a floral nose. A ripe style, silky mouthfeel with cherry and plum flavours on a medium finish. A medium-full bodied wine, which went very well with the food. 89 points.

This is one of my perennial favourite CC's and it didn't disappoint. This one and the Felsina are the only two 03's I've tried so far and they're both very good wines. I'll being picking up some more for those pasta dinners.

2003 Banfi Chianti Classico ($14.99)...I'm so proud of myself as I finished an entire half of a bottle tonight...Dark ruby/crimson in collor...this does not remind me of a chianti whatsoever, couldn't pull anything from the nose, not much secondary characteristics on the palate, not much complexity but very easy to drink...first night: BD88

Day 2
Showed slightly more fruit tonight than last night, picked up some heat...still very drinkable...I keep my score at BD88

2003 Banfi Chianti Classico (WIML87,NOWA,NOWS)

Tasted October 23, 2005 at home with a lunch of homemade Spaghetti sauce with meatballs. Garnet color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Fairly closed nose that eventually gave up some crushed red cherries, not much more. Flavors were fairly singular red cherries with a dash of mineral or perhaps metal on the finish. After a little time in the glass picked up some red currant notes. Moderate tanninis and acidity, decent enough with food but doesn’t show that well all on its’ own in my opinion. Drink over the short term. Pass is my recommendation. Give the peer group a shot first.

2003 Castelnuovo Berardenga Chianti Classico Valiano

Dark for a Chianti Classico, perhaps medium ruby? Bright nose of cherry with a whiff of vanilla and just a little touch of wood. Fairly concentrated cherry fruit with moderate acidity and soft tannins. Rich for a CC. Nice bottle, however. Drink now. 88 points.

Served with simple sauce of crushed tomatoes, garlic and basil with pasta. I thought perhaps something with a sun-dried tomato component might have been a little better match to pair up with the atypical richness of this wine.

PH

2003 Viticcio Chianti Classico

Tasted Friday night, October 21 with a plain calzone (just ricotta and mozzerella) from our favorite pizza place. Not decanted. Clear ruby in color with some very light purple on the rim. Initial nose of black cherry, but developed with some air to show notes of mineral, earth and flowers. Medium body, and nice tannins. Short finish, drink now. 86-88 points.

If the finish were longer, I'd rate this a point, or so, higher. I paid $16 for it, but I've seen it as low as $12 on Wine Searcher. At the low price it's a "buy". I'd pass at the higher price.

DaVinci Chianti Classico 2003
Paid $13.99 on sale($2 off)

Tasted straight from bottle without food.
Garnet red color.
Bright cherry nose, with a whiff of flowers.
Bright and firm cherry and strawberry flavors on the palate.
Pretty textbook stuff, but lacked depth and complexity. 88 points.

Tasted Feb 21, 2005:

2003 Da Vinci Chianti with spaghetti

The spaghetti was mediocre, but for $8.99, this Chianti rocks! It is more fruitful and less of that dry Chianti style.

2003 Banfi Chianti Classico:

Decanted for 45 minutes. Dark garnet w/rose-colored meniscus. No legs to speak of. Pleasantly astringent nose of raspberries, tart red cherries, and violets. Balanced wine with a nice, silky mouth feel. Immediate taste of tart cherries, bacon, light oak, followed by delicately chalky tannins, plums, and light acid. Medium-bodied wine with a short finish. Would happily drink this with grilled meats, but would be particularly likely to pair it with a pasta complemented by a rich sauce of tomatoes, spicy sausages, red pepper flakes, bit of rosemary, and (of course) a hint of garlic. ☺ 87 pts. $12.99.

P.S. Seemed to hit peak at about 1¼ hours. Didn’t detect any radically different flavors at that point, but the fruit (plums) had filled out, and the light acidity had mellowed further giving me the impression of an even better overall balance than before – it was then playing in to my relatively inexperienced, new world palate.

Cheers!

2003 Viticcio Chianti Classico

Purchased for $13. Not decanted. Drank with chicken parm. It was OK. Nothing bad about it, just a simple red. Agree with mwagner that it had a strong initial fruit aroma. My wife and I drank more than we normally do - but not because it was so good. More because it wasn't complex enough to really enjoy in smaller sips - so we ended up taking larger sips.

I'd pass as I've had more impressive wines for less than $13.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: B Squad,

In previous vintages, the DaVinci regular Chianti has actually been better than the Classico, though I've heard the Reserva is beter yet.

quote:

Originally posted by Rex66:
DaVinci Chianti Classico 2003
Paid $13.99 on sale($2 off)

Tasted straight from bottle without food.
Garnet red color.
Bright cherry nose, with a whiff of flowers.
Bright and firm cherry and strawberry flavors on the palate.
Pretty textbook stuff, but lacked depth and complexity. 88 points.

quote:

Originally posted by Spenser:
In previous vintages, the DaVinci regular Chianti has actually been better than the Classico, though I've heard the Reserva is beter yet.

quote:

Originally posted by Rex66:
DaVinci Chianti Classico 2003
Paid $13.99 on sale($2 off)

Tasted straight from bottle without food.
Garnet red color.
Bright cherry nose, with a whiff of flowers.
Bright and firm cherry and strawberry flavors on the palate.
Pretty textbook stuff, but lacked depth and complexity. 88 points.

The guy at the wine shop told me that the regular Chianti was a better QPR (on sale @ $7.99). But since this was a classico TAA, I had to go for it.

2003 BANFI CHIANTI CLASSICO
$15.49 at Central Market
Dark Opaque Crimson color
On the nose, I got cassis, kirsch liqueur, a little bit dusty and fennel. I enjoyed the nose more than the palate.
On the palate- it was a little acidic, tart cherries and plums, a smooth but very short finish.
I had it with meatballs with Italian gravy and it really cut through the grease and accentuated the plum notes.
I felt the alcohol was a little out of balance.
Overall, I felt the wine was an enjoyable drink, even sans food. The wine was probably opened 30 min to 1 hour before I got home and
showed improvement at least 30 minutes after poured into my glass. But at 4 hours, it was declining.
Revisited the next night, I found the nose pleasant, but the palate was devoid of fruit so I have to mark down for that.
87 points

Yikes, what's with all the Banfi Chiantis? Did you guys all shop together in Texas?

I would have saved you the trouble. Very average stuff.

Actually, most stores don't carry a big selection of quality Chiantis. I order most of mine through a few merchants and special outlets.

Wanted to add I was "Under the weather" here, so I couldn't join you in this.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Hunter,

Cecchi Chianti Classico 2003

Well, what did I expect? Cecchi is a hit-or-miss producer, but capable of producing some nice value wines.

I had to stop at the store for bread and milk, so I passed by the wine aisle and found this for $11 + change.

Rather dark for a Chianti, this was rather tight at first. After an hour it opened up a bit, showing some nice plums and black cherries. Just as it seemed ready to emerge, however, it flattened out. This will benefit from a year in the cellar, but it'll never be a blockbuster.

I think this will pan out to be a "B" wine in a year or so. Eh.

I'll try to find a better Chianti Classico before the week is done.

quote:

Yikes, what's with all the Banfi Chiantis? Did you guys all shop together in Texas? I would have saved you the trouble. Very average stuff....

What hubris! Well, actually, what I meant to say is I hope you're feeling better than you were.

<bump> Is that everyone? I thought there were supposed to be a few other participants. W+A? Vinaigre? James? Schoolmarm? To put a few on the spot.

And James, are you interested in being the host for the November TAA? Let me know.

I attempt the tasty of our famous Chianti drink, but not suitable choicement came on my road.

Well, I haven't given up on this, but I'm having trouble finding a 2003 Classico that isn't Cecchi or Banfi. But I'll try to find one more by the weekend.

quote:

Originally posted by Wine Kamikaze:
I attempt the tasty of our famous Chianti drink, but not suitable choicement came on my road.

I hate to admit it, Grunhauser, but I've always thought WK was a riot. Sort of an Asian Yoda.

quote:

I hate to admit it, Grunhauser, but I've always thought WK was a riot.

I'm a huge Wine Kami fan!

quote:

Sort of an Asian Yoda.

Lol

Coltibuono Chianti Classico 2003

This is a crisp and classic Chianti, with a light body and a clean cherry palate accented by oak. A bit tight and tannic, food didn't bring this wine out of its shell. The concentration was a bit lacking for a $18 wine. I liked this wine, but can't justify the price. This wine earns a B, which doesn't add up up a good QPR.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Spenser,

Well, it doesn't appear that JS wants to play, so I'll start thinking of another victim.

quote:

Originally posted by steve8:
Well, it doesn't appear that JS wants to play, so I'll start thinking of another victim.

Page him first. He might be waiting for a cue.

It would be spectacular to have JS lead off this month's TAA/TATW. Give him a shout with some emphasis, and he'll probably rise to the occasion!! C'mon JS!!!

PH