Tasting 1975 Chianti

A couple of days ago it was my turn to host a tasting in our Senza Nome tasting group. I tried to confuse them with a lineup of mature Chianti´s, but most of the guesses leaned towards Italy and Tuscany - great job!
All bottles popped and poured.

1975 Chianti Classico, Castello di Meleto
This one has a deep, dark, fine nose with notes of old leather, ripe red cherries, balsamic vinegar, autumn leaves and stables at a distance. Mature and intereresting on the nose.
The taste is cool, mature and a touch liniar with notes of dried fruits, dry tobacco, moist earth and some balsamic notes. Nice but that liniar feeling goes all through the taste.
84p   (tasted 2012/05)

1975 Chianti Classico, Villa Calcinaia
The nose is rather muted at first but with air it opens up with notes of sweet lingonberries, cold cofee, dried strawberries and forest floor. Very nice.
The taste is tight, focused and mature with a fresh acidity and notes of lingonberries, rowanberries, dry chocolate and earth. A medium long finish with a nice dry twist.
86p   (tasted 2012/05)

1975 Vino Chianti, Fattoria di Piazzano
This gorgeously mature Chianti won the flight. Aromas of lingonberries, rasberries, dried orange peel, sugared coffe and christmas spicies oozes up from the glass. Very, very good.
The taste is mature, rounded and fresh with notes of strawberries marinated in balsamic vinegar, dry chocolate, old leather and orange peels. A nice taste of burning autumn leaves. Long and fine. Very fresh for its age.
90p   (tasted 2012/05)

1975 Chianti Classico Riserva, Castello di Uzzano
A fine, cool, laid back nose with notes of lingonberries, autumn leaves, dry tobacco, rosehips and dried flowers. An elegant nose. This has depth. Very, very good.
The taste is big, mature and dry with lots of dried fruits, licorice, old leather and dried mushrooms. Still got plenty of life. A long finish. A bit of a brute, the glass before was more coherent, but a really good drink none the less.
89p   (tasted 2012/05)

1975 Chianti Classico Riserva, Giulio Straccali
A big, warm, mature nose with notes of sweet red cherries, dry licorice, a dried out vanilla pod and sweet coffe notes. So long everythings fine. But then a note of band aid appears, and that note keeps intefering with all the good stuff. And it doesn´t air off. Too bad.
The taste is big, tight and almost fiery with notes of cherries in brandy, dark chocolate, leather and moist earth. A very long, warm finish that turns very dry in the end. Somewhat unbalanced. And that band aid note doesn´t help.
74p   (tasted 2012/05)

1975 Chianti Dei Colli Fiorentini Riserva, Castello di Poppiano
A bit murky at start and we were hoping it would blow away, but soon the ugly cork monster raised its head ¤%#"&%=¤#!!

All in all a great showing for wines that I guess were intended to be drunk within a couple of years - not to be consumed with pleasure in Stockholm 37 years later...:-)

We finished the evening off with some assorted chocolate and a bottle of
1975 Red Muscadel, KWV
To keep up with the vintage theme, I opened this sweetie. The nose is big, deep and sweet with notes of white raisins, milk chocolate, pine resin, nuts and muscovado sugar. Very yummy but not that complex.
The taste is bigger than the nose and very sweet with notes of sugar fried nuts, chocolate mousee, raisins and figs. Long and powerful, but it is too low in the acidity compartment to be really fine. But again, very yummy!
85p   (tasted 2012/05)