2002 Nozzole Chianti Classico Riserva - $25.00

May 26, 2006

Background: Chianti Classico wines come from the heartland of the Chianti region in west-central Italy and are primarily made from Sangiovese grapes. The "riserva" identification denotes that the wine has been aged in barrel or bottle for at least three years. Chianti is a simple wine that is typically light bodied with flavors of sour cherry, raspberry, and plums.  

My Tasting Notes: I wasn't very impressed with this wine. I found it to be watery with little to no flavor. The medium tannins provide some structure, but without any flavor, they only serve to accentuate the alcohol. The nose was very soft, again indicating the lack of flavor. For the price, this wine was a poor buy on my part. I tried it at the wine shop before buying it, and I thought it was better, but I had also tried several wines before it. Just goes to show that you can't taste more than a few wines at a time. Or, maybe this wine needed some decanting for the flavor to show through. Anyway, I don't plan to buy this wine again.

The Meal: I had this wine with spaghetti and a thick sausage, mushroom tomato sauce. The wine was completely lost in this dish and did little besides cut through the acidity of the tomato sauce.

My Score: 76

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