Thursday 20 September 2012

Then & Now - Chianti Classico, Terreno



The Terreno estate in Chianti is since 1988 owned by a Swedish family. Who made the 1975 below I don´t know, but the 2009 is of course made by the new regime, that for over 20 years, in their own words "have committed themselves to improving the quality of Terreno’s products" - http://www.terreno.se/wordpress/?lang=en.
Ok then, two vintages, 34 years apart, how do the new and old regime compare?
Both bottles popped and poured.

1975 Chianti Classico, Terreno
The 1975 opens with a soft, mature and sweet nose with notes of dark fudge, cherry jam and candy, resin, milk chocolate, old leather and burning autumn leaves. Interesting enough it puts on structure with air, the sweetness decreases and more earthy, stony notes emerges. Fully mature but not in the least over the hill. Very good.
The taste is mature, rounded and warm with notes of sweet cherry fruit and notes of balsamic vinegar, autumn leaves, white raisins, forest floor and cold coffee. A medium long, fine finish that ends dry. This is in a very good shape. Drinking really well, silky, smooth and yummy
I filled a smaller bottle up to the rim with the remains and drank it the next day, but then it had become more dry and foursquare, both on the nose and on the palate.
86p   (tasted 2012/09)

2009 Chianti Classico, Terreno
34 years younger and it shows. A seedy, tight and closed nose with cool red cherry fruit and some notes of dry licorice, a touch of smoke, rowanberries and balsa wood. But with air it fleshes out with sweeter cherry fruit and that wonderful Tuscan gravel road scent.
The taste is young, tight and a tad compressed but opens up nicely with air with notes of lingonberries, hard cherry candy, warm gravel and new leather. The finish is medium long and a little thin at the end.
I left the remains, about 1/3 of the bottle, in the bottle and just inserted a cork. Day two it has made a kind of metamorphosis - deeper, sweeter and with more structure - I had much more fun with this day two. And then it became a bargain, 10 euro at the state monoploy (I also paid around 10 euro for the 1975...:-)). Just give it plenty of air.
86p   (tasted 2012/09)


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