A local shop I was browsing in recently acquired a cache of this wine and had one opened to taste. Even had the chunk of Parmigiano Reggiano not been available, I couldn’t resist tasting.
This 17 year old Sangiovese is arguably, along with Fontalloro, Fattoria Felsina’s flagship wine. The shop owner told me the wine had been opened about 2 hours before I tasted it, although it had not been decanted.
The 1995 Felsina Rancia Chianti Classico Riserva is a dark brick red, with orange hues to the rim. There are generous aromas of dried herbs, crushed berries, roasted tobacco and nuts. On the palate, the wine has regal pedigree. It’s like a stately gentlemen. The slowly fading fruit flavors are joined by underbrush, earth, spice, and dried herbs. The wine is well balanced with smooth fading tannins. Overall, very attractive and while I’m certain this would show better paired with a meal, I’m not convinced this has much time left. Drink now if you have them. 91 points. Current retail: $45
I wasn’t able to snap a picture of the glass or bottle, so I grabbed a still image of the label for reference.
 |
| 1995 Felsina Rancia Chianti Classico Riserva |
John, it's wonderful that this wine can keep giving this long!
Yes, 17 years is a fair life span for this wine. As I said, this wasn't my bottle, but I do think I have a pair of these in the cellar, so I'll check on one of them fairly soon.
I recently picked up 6 bottles for $21 per. Loving this wine and while it probably won't get much better I think it will be great for a few more years
I agree and thanks for taking the time to comment. I've long thought that 1995 was the modern version of 1988 and all the wines I've had have held up very well with few exceptions. I've still got 1995 Brunello in the cellar, so I'll be checking in on those soon. Cheers!