Nozzole Chianti Classico Riserva 2005

Wine: Nozzole Chianti Classico Riserva 2005
Country-Region: Italy-Tuscany
Grape Varietal: 91% Sangiovese, 7% Canaiolo & Colorino and 2% Trebbiano Toscano & Malvasia del Chianti
Price: $23.99

It was a Saturday afternoon and my older daughter was hosting a birthday party. With that many girls running amok at my home (story of my life) I decided it was a good time to have a glass! I opened up a Shiraz and although it was a rich and fruit forward wine, I wasn’t crazy for it. Don’t get me wrong, it had all the qualities I like in a wine but it wasn’t as satisfying as I had hoped it would be.

Soon after I realized that right now I am in a phase where I enjoy tasting the process of winemaking. Recently, I hosted a Pinot Noir tasting and I had a bottle from France which was my favorite of all. I had always been a die-hard fan of Oregon Pinot Noir, but this French one threw me for a loop. In the French Pinot I could taste the old world process from the start of the grape all the way to the bottle versus the expected fruitiness of the U.S. processing.

My guest and I opened up a bottle of “Nozzole Chianti Classico Riserva 2005” while having a lunch together. Speaking of the process…this had aromas of red berry and cherry fruit flavors partnered with notes of oak, mushrooms, and earth - very tasty! This wine was velvety on the tongue with a very smooth finish; stored in Slavonian oak vats which came through in the flavor. This is an excellent buy and a good introduction to the process!

Sláinte!
TCW