Thursday, August 18, 2005

Vignamaggio Chianti Classico 2000 (NW)

In reviewing my wine jounal entries over the past few months, it's interesting to see wine selections that my wife and I made during our transition from Florida to Massachusetts. We had a lot of important events to celebrate and a lot of interesting experiences along the way.

Vignamaggio Chianti Classico is a special wine for us. It takes us back to our first experience in Italy, when we fell in love with all things Italian. I can taste Tuscany in this wine!

I selected this wine to celebrate. I had just received my job offer in Massachusetts, something we had been looking forward to. When the phone call came in, my wife was chopping up the ingredients for a homemade pizza. After I shared the good news, I ran off to the other room to investigate the contents of the wine racks. I had a number of good bottles fit for a celebration, from First-Growth Bordeaux to Napa Cabs to South America's finest. But I paused in front of a $23 Chianti from Vignamaggio. Sometimes a special label or a wine that evokes a special feeling is better than a big name bottle that the critics tell us we should celebrate with. Of course, I was also reminded that this was homemade pizza night. Pizza that is somewhere between Roman style and New York style with fresh ingredients in interesting combinations. The Vignamaggio was it! We would celebrate life and our new chapter with a wine we've loved for years. It was the right choice!

Vignamaggio Chianti Classico, regardless of the vintage, let's you know your drinking from the earth. This 2000 vintage, in particular, is very earthy with a layers of dark fruit, olives, and leather. It also has the tangy reminder that you've got a glass of Sangiovese in front of you. It is the full expression of the Chianti region. Right in my tasting notes, I had written "awesome compliment to our homemade pizza."

Our meal was just right and a familiar, trustworthy wine made it complete. It was a celebration, for sure, and we talked late into the evening about where we had come from and where we were going. Wine is a celebration of life and it connects us with so many things. Raise a glass! (NW)

1 comment:

  1. Anonymous8:40 AM

    Are you saying this wine tasted like, like, "DIRT?"

    ReplyDelete