Medium garnet colored, this 6 year old Sangiovese is showing a bit of age already.  The nose has aromas of warm cherry, leather, rose, cinnamon, pomegranate, cranberry and fresh cut pine.  The palate is dry with high acidity and mouth coating tannins.  It is a young wine in texture, but the fruit is already mingling with tertiary flavors.  Red fruit (tart) with leather, rose, cigar box and that fresh wood note.  The acidity and tannins are very powerful and opposing in this medium (+) bodied wine.  The finish is a short, sour affair with the tannins really coating my gums.  I like this rather youthful wine and think it will develop and soften with time.  If you want something zippy for a pasta dinner or grilled steaks, this is open for business.  Drink till 2030.   92 points for this $25 wine makes it a solid 5 star effort.  Salut….

Medium ruby colored this Sangiovese has pretty thick legs running down the glass that would concur with the 14% ABV.  The nose gives me coconut, red cherry, rose, cedar and coffee.  The palate is a dry and tart affair with fine grained tannins that are medium intensity and well integrated.  The high acidity really takes center stage on the initial attack.  Flavors of red cherry, coconut, rose, rhubarb and cranberry fill my mouth with a red fruit cocktail laced with tart, almost underripe cherry at the core.  It’s an interesting wine that feels a bit out of balance yet I keep wanting to take another sip.  The finish is medium length and really jaw watering.  The tannins are fighting the acidity.  This wine will pair beautifully with a pasta of sautéed veggies and olives in thin spaghetti.  I would even put it up against Osso Bucco or Veal parmigiana.  I’m going 91 points, slightly lower than the pros but at $28 it is a respectable 4 star wine to drink till 2030.  Salut….

For thew 4th Virtual Tasting event I wanted a Sangiovese to go alongside the Pinot Noir I was planning to showcase.  I find the two varietals very similar in many traits, so the the challenge was to find a decent, ready to drink Chianti that hopefully would show off the core characteristics of the grape.  This one turned out to be too young, subdued and not very forthcoming with fruit albeit with strong structure.  It scored well with the pros but came in a very disappointing last place overall amongst our group.  The wine showed well in the glass, more opaque than I had expected but the nose was very hard to coax any cherry flavors out of.  Moxie noted salt on her initial sniff.  It did not open up much on the palate but did have a tannic backbone masking the fruit.  Acidity was medium but not overpowering.  I remember thinking this wine had a good dose of oak, charcoal and tobacco.  I did not write up any further notes but remember  the finish was not very satisfying or long.  It’s a shame as the big boys averaged 92 points.  I feel it might need a re-tasting in the future once it has mellowed out.  I will reserve judgement for now.  I paid $23 which would have technically made it a 5 star wine.  Salut….

Quite dark and opaque for a Sangiovese.  On the nose it’s quite purply ( is that even a word?). Plum pie, black currants and a dose of chocolate cake.  On the palate it is quite fresh, young in presence and fruit forward.  Cherry essence is the first on a list of palate notes- rhubarb comes in second.  There are some strawberry hints as well as kirsch- but no dark fruits.  Very strange, I was expecting more black notes and ended up with red.  The mid palate has some heat and the comings of some young tannins.  The dryness hits the base of my teeth.  Nice.  On the back end it’s all red fruits and some acidic charm to counter the tannic pinch.  Overall a decent wine that will drink nicely to 2024.  90 points and 3 stars for this $40 wine.  Salut….

After a cork failure, I had to sift through the debris to find a light purple wine that is nearly see-through. The nose has pencil lead, plums, sour cherries.  The palate is somewhat lighter than I imagined, cherry being the prime player here.  There is a certain amount of garigue I sense in addition to mushroom and leather.  The acidity is slightly overpowering the mild tannins, but I don’t mind.  It has a nice cut to it.  The astringency hits on the finish, where the tannic dryness grips the gums.  I would say the fruit has really taken a back seat here.  Drink till 2021 with pasta, pizza or charcuterie.  88 points and 3 stars from me for this $15 wine.  Salut….

The last of my Kirkland test wines….  Cherry nose with some fresh cut pine thrown in.  The palate continues the light cherry profile but adds mushroom and a crushed violet note.  Rose water comes to mind as we transition to the finish.  Overall, this is not a great wine point wise.  It lacks depth, the flavors are somewhat out there and the extraction is pretty thin.  I’m not sure I would buy again.  85 points and 2 stars for this $9 offering.  Salut….

Very see-through purple, almost Pinot like.  Nose of cherries Jubilee with licorice and mocha.  On the palate I get a really nice, smooth intro to some cherry kirsch, a strawberry note and some more exotic spices.  The acidity is on pointe here, creating just the right amount of tartness yet leaving room for the lithe tannins to make an appearance.  On the mid palate I get more of the same, but with the addition of some mushrooms and a bit of gaminess.  It is bizarre.  The finish wraps up with the tannins taking control and leaving the mouth pleasantly dry, to the gums.  I am really enjoying this rather light, refreshing wine that has some serious complexity.  I must go with 90 points and recommend it for a nice summer evening with charcuterie, perhaps some olive tapenade on crusty baguette.  For $14 you can’t go wrong.  5 stars and drink till 2024.  Salut….