Piccini (Italy) Selezione Oro Chianti 2004
This wine features in Tesco’s Autumn Wine Festival (12th September – 9th October 2007) where it is reduced from 7.99 to 4.99. At 7.99 this wouldn’t get my vote as Wine of the Week, but at the offer price it has much more appeal. It also comes in very posh packaging that would impress unwary dinner guests into thinking you had really splashed out. A blend of 90% Sangiovese with 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, it is aged for nine months in oak. It has a fairly dark, crimson colour and the nose offers modest red fruits, with cherry and lighter, raspberry notes, and a background of creamy, slightly gamy nuances. On the palate it is fresh and light-bodied, with a slightly harsh character on the mid-palate, where the modest fruit is rather dominated by some rustic tannins and acidity. There is fruit there, and spice and some toasty oak notes do bolster the finish, which is moderately long ending in pepper and spice. I tasted this alongside the far superior Chianti Classico from Rocca di Montegrossi, but then again Montegrossi’s version is 12.95. 4.99, Tesco, on offer September 12th – October 9th 2007.
