Just finishing up din-din - both wines popped & poured.
The 2003 Felsina CCR Rancia is a dark translucent ruby in the glass, with menthol, red & blue fruits and some spicy accents on the nose.
Roasted red fruits on the palate, with a snappy finish. I intentionally avoided this vintage in Italy because of the heat, but this is not bad at all, if atypically big and somewhat forward (a fact that may also be due to the format, a 375).
The 2004 Rancia is darker in the glass, not quite opaque, but clearly more so than the '03. Not surprisingly, the nose is more reticent and primary at this point, primarly hinting at red fruits, menthol and sotto bosco.
Quite tannic on the palate, with acidity bracketing the red fruits. This was better with the pasta & red sauce; by itself, it reminds you that this is a wine with much development still ahead of it - if you have any, continue to hold.
Bob,
I cracked a 1997 “Sodole” from Gucciardini Strozzi tonight, and it made me think. “You know, other than the odd Brunello, there isn’t much attention given to Tuscan reds on Berzerkers, especially Chianti, except for Bob Hughes, that dude is alright in my book”. Thanks for your attention to one of my favorite wines. I guess I am guilty of my own charges as I haven’t had many Tuscans recently to post on. The “Sodole” was awesome, however, TN to come. dc.
I post on them reasonably often (it’s my favorite region) and tend to prefer Chiantis and 100% Sangiovese IGT’s to Brunellos. But I don’t post every TN I write to Berserkers–only if I think a wine was notably good/bad/surprising/interesting.
Thanks for the (timely) post. I’m reading it while sitting in my recliner with a glass of the '06 Rancia from a 375. Still tight, tannic, and acidic, but showing great structure and promise. Some tarry red berries struggling to be identified. Enjoyable, but far too young and a waste to open at this point. I wrongly assumed this would be more developed at 5 years from a half bottle.
Bob,
Thanks for posting this. Except for a bottle on release, not touching my Rancias until their 12th birthday is one of the few hard rules I adhere to. That 2004 however, was extremely structured when young, so 2020 seems more likely at this point.
Rancia is my favorite Felsina bottling. I tried the 04 and 06 a few times each on release- both terrific and needing serious cellar time, but the 04 showed much harder and closed than the 06.