Tomorrow night we may be popping Champagne corks or drowning ourselves in Tequila, depending on the success of the Biden/Harris ticket. But last night, it was Chianti all around, paired with Rao pasta and Gary’s homemade Bolognese sauce. He’s been tinkering with this classic meat sauce ever since we returned from Puglia, where a Tuna Bolognese remains in our memories 2 years later. Last night the combination was ground lamb, beef, and bison studded with carrots, peas, and Italian cherry tomatoes. Amazing. To wash it down, we enjoyed Castello Di Volpaia’s 2015 Chianti Classico Riserva ($40)which ranked #3 in the Wine Spectator’s Top 100 of 2018. We purchased a case of this in 2018 and are down to our last two bottles (sad).
Volpaia is a tiny 12th century village located in the heart of the Chianti Classico region. Now in its 4th generation of family owners, Castello Volpaia consistently produces high quality wines from their estate vineyards. We often quarrel with Wine Spectator‘s rankings but we are on the same page with the 2015 Chianti Riserva.
The 2015 has aged well. The wine is still well structured with thickly layered tannins, light acidity, giving way to silky black cherry & red plum notes on the palate and sage/thyme scents on the nose. There’s almost no oak to speak of despite the wine’s extended stay on French & Slovenian oak for 24 months. The wine has sufficient smoothness and structure and is drinking nicely now but could cellar another 5 years without any issues.
VinoDuo 