Stay Rad

Full disclosure…

Sometimes I have trouble thinking about what I’m gonna write for this blog.

Lucky for me, this is a wine blog.  So when in doubt, I just pop open a bottle and start tasting.

It’s a win-win, if you think about it.

I found this one at Trader Joe’s for $5.99…

Grifone 2008 Chianti Riserva and some flowers.

By law, all Chianti must be made of at least 80% Sangiovese.  True to form, the Grifone 2008 Chianti Riserva is made of 85% Sangiovese, 10% Canaiolo, and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon.  By the way… The fact that this bottle says “Riserva” on the label means absolutely nothing.  A Chianti Classico Riserva, on the other hand, is said to be the good stuff.  If you plan on opening one of those up, please let me know.

Anyways… Let’s get back to the Grifone.

Here’s how it went down…

Color: Dark brick-red.

Nose: Dark cherries, plum, and cellar dust.  Nice!

Taste: Dang!  This wine is ultra-tart.  It’s got lots of dried cherry fruit, but the palate is dominated by a skunky barnyard flavor.  I should have decanted this for a bit before diving in.

Score: Here’s where it gets interesting.  On first taste, I was not a huge fan of this wine… BUT… I respect it.  It does not taste cheap (if that means anything to you).  It is very well made.  This wine has structure and backbone, and I think would go well with big foods.  Steak, pasta, and burgers come to mind.  The problem was that I didn’t have any food with me at the time.  Give this wine and 86, and save it for something meaty.

Now, I just have to figure out what I’m gonna drink when I think about what to drink next…

Stay Rad,

Jeff

Tags: Grifone 2008 Chianti Riserva, Jeff, Stay Rad, Trader Joe's

This entry was posted on October 3, 2011 at 7:29 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.