2004 Fattoria di Fèlsina Berardenga Chianti Classico Riserva Rancia- Italy, Tuscany, Chianti, Chianti Classico DOCG (10/11/2019)
The second of two bottles that I purchased from two different sources on release. The prior bottle was shot, clearly a victim of heat damage. This one was heavenly. Red fruit core was still dominant, but it was supplemented by leathery, herbal tones and a finishing anise note that increased complexity. Served over the course of two hours, the wine didn’t move a whole heck of a lot, mostly accentuating the tertiary elements over time. The fruit/tannin balance was excellent, so properly stored bottles have plenty of time.
I committed infanticide on a 6 pack of these, probably finishing them off by 2010. There was a thread a couple of months ago about the 04 Rancia and no consensus as to “did this go through a dumb phase or nah”. Clearly I thought not. Such a great wine - wish I had held on to a few bottles for the longer term.
My only experience with this wine aged is with a 97, which was coarsely tannic still a couple of years ago. Glad to hear that they aren’t all like that.
And so happy that you used “tertiary” rather than “secondary.”
I’ve become a big fan of this wine over the last few years but have only had one older one. Had the '95 on a restaurant list earlier this year and it was good but not great. It seemed tired. This thread makes me wonder if it wasn’t stored properly.
I bought 12 after release. Had a bottle yesterday. Stored in an active cellar since. It is no longer the tannic monster it was for a long time after an overwhelming fruit phase. The color is still very deep with only a small rim. In the nose it is all dark fruits with a floral aspect. At the palate I thought the wine is surprisingly soft, somewhat monolithic and the finish is ok but not long. Maybe the wine will benefit from more time in the cellar but I would be surprised if this will ever be better than the 91/92 points it is today. Honestly I expected a bit more. Especially more complexity and length. The wine is good. No more – no less.
I have quite a bit of the '06. Drank a bottle in '14 that I loved but two bottles drank in thew last year have been disappointing. Hoping it is a dumb phase.
2004 Fattoria di Fèlsina Berardenga Chianti Classico Riserva Rancia- Italy, Tuscany, Chianti, Chianti Classico DOCG (11/16/2020)
PnP. Immediately decanted for sediment (modest, mostly fine), and returned to bottle after 45 minutes of air; a few tasting sips along the way. I had half the bottle (served at 64F) for lunch, and the other half, served at the same temperature, some seven hours later with dinner.
this is a classic wine, with a medium/medium+ body, it’s red-fruited, with good complexity now, and the potential to develop even more in the coming years. It’s still showing plenty of juicy red fruit at its core, and shows enough of it to continue to age without fear of drying out any time soon. The alcohol is 13,5%, and the overall structure is in balance, and clearly offers good reserve for the coming decade, plus. This was a highly recommended wine when I first tasted it in 2008, and it remains so today.
A datum: I usually prefer Monsanto’s Il Poggio to the Rancia, at least up through the 2006 vintage (not tried more recent vintages from either). Not a slight against the Rancia really, more of a nod towards Monsanto.
That said, I might also put the chianti from San Giusto a Rentennano, Castello di Fonterutoli and Fontodi ahead of Felsina.
