2007 Querciabella Chianti Classico- Italy, Tuscany, Chianti, Chianti Classico (5/1/2010)
95% Sangiovese and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. Bucolic notes of charcuterie, black cherries, currants, and loose jasmine tea. Light-bodied and balanced on the midpalate with a woodsy finish. Enjoyable with dinner and relatively innocuous as a Chianti, but it didn’t really change much or provide any new insights as the evening wore on. Probably better by the glass than the bottle. (87 pts.)
Have not had the '07 yet, but we generally enjoy this producer’s CC. I have had good experience with them after a handful of years of slumber. Doesn’t sound like you feel age will help this one, however.
Hard to say at this point. I was initially attracted to this producer because of their biodynamic farming practices and use of ambient yeasts, but the wine did not seem to reflect that. Maybe I need to try one with more age on it. In any case, I do feel this is a very good wine – in the low B+ range – and I hope my note reflected that sentiment.
Maybe it’s unfair to expect much more from a “regular” (i.e. non-Riserva, non-cru-designated) Chianti. With the rare exception (maybe Fontodi or Felsina in a great year), I rarely find one that’s much more than an innocuously enjoyable food-friendly slurper…
It’s when you get into the Riservas that you start to find the difference between the great, the good and “the not”.
If I am drinking a Chianti Rufina or Colli Senesi, then I usually don’t expect much. But if I’m spending $25-30 on a Chianti Classico, then I do expect a little more.
The Querciabella generally is one of the most modern, extracted and sweat CC’s on the market. For my taste there are far more better / mory typical CC’s available on the market for less money. From 2007 I would like to recommend the CC’s from Rampolla, “Argenina” from Palazzino and Poggio al Sole.