I just purchased a bottle of Ruffino,Riserva ducale
97 Chianti Classico. For how many years should I cellar this wine ?
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As your name is 'senior', how long do you have to live?
![[Wink]](wink.gif)
Only kidding. The '97 Ducale Gold is drinking very nice now and will continue to do so for 4-5 years, IMHO. You may see a little improvement after 1-2. I have drunk a lot of this wine and is one of the best vintages ever for the gold label. Be careful with other vintages as Ruffino can be spotty.
Ciao
[ 09-14-2002, 06:17 PM: Message edited by: Enoselsa ]
Only kidding. The '97 Ducale Gold is drinking very nice now and will continue to do so for 4-5 years, IMHO. You may see a little improvement after 1-2. I have drunk a lot of this wine and is one of the best vintages ever for the gold label. Be careful with other vintages as Ruffino can be spotty.
Ciao
[ 09-14-2002, 06:17 PM: Message edited by: Enoselsa ]
Enoselsa.....a co-worker is trying to sell a case of 1990 Ruffino Ducale Gold for $275....how is that vintage for Ruffino drinking?....should I buy or pass?....thanks.
olateone....never early.
olateone....never early.
Olateone,
I've just tried the 1990 Riserva Ducale Oro last december. 1990 is the best vintage for this label at least up to 1985, that I didn't drink, so I can't tell you about it.
The 1990 showed wonderfully clean and still lively coloured in the glass, with just little hints of dark orange peel reflex on the borders.
It's a quite different wine from the last releases, like 1997: much less concentrated, the wine makers had with evidence given space to elegance and stylistical coherence when they took the releavant decisions about this wine. Much more alike a light Burgundy, with precise and distinct flavors, than like a present time modern SuperTuscan. You can drink more and more glasses of it, without getting your senses overwhelmed by any of its components. The more you drink it, the better you can appreciate its finesse, and it's not just the alcohol entering in your veins.
In my evaluatiom, a 88-90 wine. Maybe one point more.
I bought it at 20 Euros from a friend, but a wineshop sells it at 95 Euros. The last release, '97, is at about 25-30 Euros. I think that the price you mention is extremely correct.
I've just tried the 1990 Riserva Ducale Oro last december. 1990 is the best vintage for this label at least up to 1985, that I didn't drink, so I can't tell you about it.
The 1990 showed wonderfully clean and still lively coloured in the glass, with just little hints of dark orange peel reflex on the borders.
It's a quite different wine from the last releases, like 1997: much less concentrated, the wine makers had with evidence given space to elegance and stylistical coherence when they took the releavant decisions about this wine. Much more alike a light Burgundy, with precise and distinct flavors, than like a present time modern SuperTuscan. You can drink more and more glasses of it, without getting your senses overwhelmed by any of its components. The more you drink it, the better you can appreciate its finesse, and it's not just the alcohol entering in your veins.
In my evaluatiom, a 88-90 wine. Maybe one point more.
I bought it at 20 Euros from a friend, but a wineshop sells it at 95 Euros. The last release, '97, is at about 25-30 Euros. I think that the price you mention is extremely correct.
Keep in mind that the Riserva Ducale is a different bottle than the Riserva Ducale Oro. Feel free to check out this webpage for the differences:
http://www.ruffino.com/chianti.htm
I've still got a bottle of the '97 Riserva Ducale left, and I'll probably wait another year to open it. I've had the '98 as well, and it's not as good as the '97.
http://www.ruffino.com/chianti.htm
I've still got a bottle of the '97 Riserva Ducale left, and I'll probably wait another year to open it. I've had the '98 as well, and it's not as good as the '97.