Canadian Wine Guy

Inky dark in color with a with a mild nose. And the nose is about all that is mild a about this wine. On the mid palate the wine displays some bold black fruits. On the medium length finish the wine displays some firm tannins, firm pepper/spicy notes and some lively acidity. I would give it an 88+. I lovely bigger Chianti Classico!

from the LCBO web site Check stock:
Santa Margherita Chianti Classico 2014 Sangiovese/Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot — VINTAGES#: 91694
STYLE – Medium-bodied & Fruity $22.95
PRODUCT DETAILS
Release Date:March 17, 2018
Alcohol/Vol 13.5% Made in: Tuscany, Italy By:S. Margherita S.P.A.Sugar Content:2 g/L Sweetness Descriptor: XD – Extra Dry Style: Medium-bodied & Fruity Varietal: Sangiovese/Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot
Description: The Santa Margherita name is well-known around these parts, largely because of their super-popular, versatile Pinot Grigio, which is the top-selling white wine in the Vintages Essentials collection. You can expect this Chianti Classico to be crafted in a bright, fruity style with underlying earth and spice tones. Try this with a meaty pasta or roast lamb with rosemary and thyme.

Another one from the Riccardo Ricci Curbastro tasting. This one is 30% Cab Franc, 12% Carménère 20% Cab sauv, 28% Merlot and 10% Barbera. I have to admit I had not heard of Carménère growing in Italy. And I had more widely associated it with Chile. In the Wikipedia article I learned it is a member of the Cabernet family of grapes, and it is considered part of the original six red grapes of Bordeaux, in spite of rarely being found in France today. Huh … who knew. Inky dark in color with a nice dark berry nose along with some oaky notes. On the mid palate the wine matches the nose with nice black berry notes. On the medium length finish the wine has some nice dryness, complexity and tannins. This is a very approachable wine even now. I quite enjoyed it. I would give it an 88 or so. No in the LCBO but available from WineMoves for $26.95 a bottle in cases of 6.

I had the pleasure of listening to Riccardo Ricci Curbastro speak at a recent IEEM event where we got to taste this wine while learning about the Italian wine scene. As you probably know, a sparkling can not be called a champagne unless it comes from the Champagne region of France. The EU has now made this distinction a reality. So sparklings made in the traditional method are often referred to as Bruts. This wine is different than the Proseccos which Italy is well known for. This particular wine is 60% chard, 30% Pinot Blanc and 10% Pinot Pinot Noir (called Pinot Nero in Italy). By contrast a champagne is sometimes made from pinot noir, pinot meunier and chardonnay. As you may have noticed in the name this wine is NV, or non vintage. What this means is that they blend grapes from different years to create a consistent flavor profile year to year. On with this wine. Pale in color with a lovely crisp varietal champagne nose. On the mid palate the wine matches the nose with beautiful crisp flavors with some mild citrus note. On the long finish the wine displays some crisp lively acidity and lovely mouth grip, living on in the mouth. This is a lovely well made brut. I was truly impressed. It does not have the finer bubbles found in a Prosecco. One could easily close there eyes and mistake this for a French champagne. Now I don’t consider myself an afficiando of champagne, but I thought this was impressive. I would give it an 89 or so. Sadly not in the LCBO but available from Wine Moves for $42.95 a bottle in cases of 6.

Slightly garnet in color with a nice mild nose of dried fruits. On the mid palate the wine delivers a lovely fruit forward chianti, showing lovely soft red fruits. On the medium length finish the wine displays some vibrant acidity (but not overwhelming) along with some mild tannins. This is really a pretty good chianti given the price. The finish is a little on the simple side, but this leaves you with a super food friendly wine that would be perfect with things like salmon or red pastas. The LCBO say Medium bodied and fruity, I can go with that. I would give it an 88+. I would consider this more of a drink now than a keeper …

from the LCBO web site:
Grati Chianti 2016 – VINTAGES#: 539866
STYLE – Medium-bodied & Fruity
This is a blend of 90% Sangiovese, 7% Canaiolo and 3% Colorino. It’s generous and intense with excellent cherry and raspberry tones throughout. A juicy, balanced, food-friendly wine that will delight with a variety of meat pastas, chicken dishes and everyday casual fare. (Vintages panel, July 2017) $14.95
PRODUCT DETAILS
Release Date:January 20, 2018
Alcohol/Vol 12.5% Made in: Tuscany, Italy By:F.Lli Grati-Fattorie Galiga Vetrice Sugar Content:3 g/L Sweetness Descriptor: XD – Extra Dry