Castello di Monsanto Chianti Classico

Last bottle of this vintage. Cork in decent condition and top shoulder fill. Drinking so well with plenty of fruit to go along with the mushroom, spicy and earthy components. Texture still nice while showing early signs of fruit drying up. Time to finish. Ranks as my top Chianti producer with this early vineyard designated wine.

Still drinking extremely well but approaching the end of its "window" It has all of the aromas and textural components that I would expect from an exemplary Chianti Classico with added length and complexity. It clearly deserves its spot at the pinnacle.

Top shoulder fill, cork in decent condition. Decanted just prior to dinner. Sufficient tannin to hold everything together. Beautiful tertiary aromas with remnants of fruit. Great texture, balance and finish. Should only be decanted for sediment.

Attacco ferroso, quasi arrugginito. Frutto caldo, candito, sotto spirito, molto raffinato. Ricorda la seta. In bocca grande sapidità amara, salamoia e granelli di sale. Medio corpo, scorre facile e sottile, ma ricco di gusto e in grande souplesse. Enorme qualità del tannino che riempie il palato di legno di cedro candito, molto masticabile. Davvero buono e vivo

Dinner at l'Artusi 7/29/2013 (l'Artusi, NYC) : (Very sedimenty pour) opaque, but still obviously very bricked. Classic old sour cherry Sangiovese nose; leather and a little orange peel. The palate is sweet, round, rich; lots of leather. Pleasing and round, but there is little if any real fruit left. Good length, but drink up! (The first of an interesting trio of this wine, the '72 il Poggio single-vineyard bottling, and the '74 CC Riserva. The '70 was my #2 of …

Burnt rubber, ass, violets, leather and smoke, Orange peel and spice. This is moving well into tertiary aromas. Acidic and tart on the palate, with burnt aspects, but good. Nose - 4.5/6, Palate - 4/6, Finish - 4/6, Je Ne Sais Quoi - 1/2 = 13.5/20.