Geografico, Chianti Classico, Contessa di Radda Riserva

Easy drinking. Good table wine for pizza pasta night

Muted nose. Red fruits, vanilla. Medium body. Balanced with integrated tannins. Medium length finish. Above average Chianti for its $14 Costco price point. Paired well with Italian sausage ravioli.

Paired this with a homemade lasagna. This was a cooperative started in 1961 until it was purchased by the Piccini group in 2019. A blend of 90% Sangiovese, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Colorino. Didn't know what to expect from this wine since it was a $14 Costco purchase but thought I would give it a try based on the strength of the 2016 vintage and Sucklings 93 point score. Pleasantly surprised. This was a very good chianti. Some vanilla …

This caught my attention since it was from the stellar 2016 vintage & produced near Radda where my beloved Montevertine hails. Gave this a 2hr+ slow ox on nite 1. Suave, balanced & tasty but a bit oak masked. On night 2 the oak fell in the shadows and the fruit purity of 2016 really glowed. Night 2 showed much more definition & lift. Neither night showed any of Chianti's sometime off-putting bitter edge. Don't know that I'll grab another …

Notes of leather and blueberry, with a bit of spice. Rather muted, with tannins that are a bit tight. Decent weeknight pasta dinner wine, but nothing special. Wouldn’t buy again.

Tasting on the second day. Opening up into a more perfumed nose. However, it is still extremely muted. Smells of artificial blueberry candy. Maybe some raspberry as well. A distinct integration of smoke, cream, leather, and wood. I am missing out on the classic chianti nose. Yet, the sandy tannins are in the classic distribution. Med+ acid, med tannin. Probably wouldn't buy it again but it isn't the worst QPR at $13. Would be serviceable to a large group. 82.

Nice color showing good extraction. Acidity dominates the profile, backed up by generous red fruit. It does not overpower the food but provide good sweet and savory note to accompany it. With its ample acidity, this should age well. I’ll give it another 3-4 years before trying it again. 89 points. June 2021

Chianti Classico Collection (Ritz-Carlton Chicago) : Walk around tasting, brief note. Nicely spice with red and black cherry, good enough weight and fun now.

Chianti Classico Collection (Ritz-Carlton Chicago) : Walk around tasting, brief note. On the thin side for the vintage, ok overall.