Castello di Spaltenna Chianti Classico Riserva

Night 1: Elegant, medium bodied, with just enough fruit and a touch of acid (but not sour) on the finish. A textbook Chianti - a nicely balanced food wine that was the perfect pairing for pasta with lamb ragu. Night 2: Fruitier (ripe strawberry) and more mouth-filling. Very easy to like on its own. I would have been hard-pressed to identify this as Chianti if I wasn't staring at the label, but it was so nice, I didn't care. A …

Not up to Querceto CCR standards. Lacks the normal intensity and balance usually found by this vintner. They were not able to execute the beautiful tannic structure usually found with this wine. Still one of my favorites but better vintages are out there.