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97 WA.
"The 1990 Chianti Classico Riserva Rancia is stunning. Still quite young, the 1990 doesn’t seem to have developed the full range of its tertiary complexity. The tannins are pure silk, the fruit is radiant and everything is in the right place. This isn’t a huge or opulent 1990 as so many wines are in this vintage. Rather is a wine built on the heights of finesse and grace. Today the 1990 is a showstopper. It is easily one of the greatest wines ever made in Tuscany. Readers fortunate enough to own the 1990 can look forward to another decade of hugely pleasing drinking. Giuseppe Mazzocolin describes 1990 as a year that was perfect in all stages maturation. He certainly captured every bit of that potential in the cellar . . . . I will never forget this once in a lifetime tasting of Fèlsina's flagship Chianti Classico Riserva Rancia. What started out as a casual survey of a few older vintages turned into a complete vertical as proprietor Giuseppe Mazzocolin and long-time oenologist Franco Bernabei surprised me with bottle after bottle of fabulous Rancias going back to the inaugural 1983. A few days after this tasting I received a complete lab analysis of all the wines, one of the most valuable pieces of data I have ever seen, and a presentation worthy of serious wine scholarship. The single biggest takeaway from this tasting is the amazing consistency of the wines across all vintages. Considering its modest price, Rancia remains one the most fairly priced, cellar worthy wines in the world . . . . I have to say there is something about the wines of the 1980s and mid-1990s that goes straight to the heart . . . . The wine has been made from the same parcel since the first year. Fèlsina Chianti Classico Riserva Rancia Key Points: 1. 100% Sangiovese aged in French oak barrels; 2. Made from the Rancia vineyard, a high-altitude site in the south of the Chianti Classico appellation; 3. Combines power and elegance . . ." Wine Advocate #201, Jun 2012 |