I was supposed to be saving this Buondonno Chianti Classico 2007 until I met up with a friend who is something of an expert when it comes to Italian wine. But I caved in and shared it with Mrs SamTheWino instead. What are you gonna do?
To be honest, when I read the back of the label I was pleased to see that it’s not made from 100% Sangiovese. Pure Sangiovese is fine when done well, but I often find that unless you pay a lot of money it often seems to lack a certain something. I often find pure Sangioveses smell good and then once you put them in your mouth all flavour seems to disappear. Maybe that’s a bit harsh or I need to try more Sangioveses. If anyone out there wants to send me a cellarful of Sangioveses to try, get in touch. This one benefits from a small amount of Merlot and Canaiolo. Canaiolo was once the dominant grape variety used in Chianti but since the Phylloxera epidemic its use has declined to the point where it is now something of a rarity.
First impressions were… ok. Bit of cherry showing itself, but not too much else going on. However with a bit of time it developed like the proverbial ugly duckling. Although it’s not exactly ugly to start with. Oh, you get the picture. So from cherry it developed some really nice Christmas pudding-esque aromas of dried fruit, clove and marzipan. A sort of salted caramel note appeared for a while too. In the mouth you get this overwhelming sense of utterly ripe fruit. There’s good acidity and fine tannins, without a trace of bitterness.
Very pleasant then. Very pleasant indeed. Yummy even. What’s more the estate has been farmed organically for more than 20 years so you can feel good about what your drinking.
Vino Vero 