Back Label Decrypted of two Chiantis

Isabelle Lesschaeve Author

We review the sensory experiences when tasting two Chianti wines and contrast our tasting notes with the existing experts' reviews.

Chianti Wine Duel - Did we agree with the wine experts’ reviews?

My first memories of eating at a pizzeria when I was younger are associated not only with the huge and flavorful pizzas but also with the spicy olive oil and a weirdly round bottle of wine covered in a straw-like basket.

That’s how I discovered Chianti Classico before reaching the legal drinking age.

You rarely see these bottles nowadays. And that’s not the outfit of the two wines I selected for the last edition of the “Back Label Decrypted” tasting.

Back Labels—Decrypted is a free monthly online wine-tasting event led by wine-tasting coach Dr. Isabelle Lesschaeve.

Here's a summary of the participant's experience at the latest session.

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Contrasting the flavor nuances of two Chianti styles

I was really excited about the tasting theme: Chianti Celebration.

Chianti is a renowned Italian red wine from the Tuscany region, primarily made from Sangiovese grapes.

It’s usually associated with a medium body, high acidity, and flavors of red fruits, herbs, and earthy notes.

Of course, Chianti wines can vary in style, and I have chosen these two wines to challenge our palates and be more descriptive than these generic flavor categories.

In this session, we compared:

• Antinori Villa Toscana 2021 - $19.99

• Frescobaldi Nipozzano Chianti Rufina Riserva 2021 - $25.00

The sensory tasting method

Tasting wine in a comparative tasting set-up is quite effective. It helps the tasters identify more nuances differentiating two wine styles.

In a comparative wine tasting, we assess the two wines side-by-side to detect subtle nuances:

• We focus on the aromas, all the perceptions perceived by smelling the wine, and
• Then, we focus our attention on the perceptions while sipping or swallowing the wines.
  

<< Check a behind the scene video >>

This well-established sensory approach helps sharpen participants’ senses and improve their ability to identify and describe wine aromas and flavors.

We use the Wine Aroma Wheel to categorize the aromatics into generic families (fruity, woody) and then try to become more specific, guided by the suggested subcategories on the wheel.

Therefore, a comparative tasting is not so much about the wines and their stories (of course, that’s part of it).

Participants are the heroes of this session.

As a sensory scientist and tasting coach, I’m leading this tasting approach, which allows participants to experience the wine flavors through their senses and their interpretation of them.

I focus on helping them become more discerning tasters for their pleasure or career.

Let’s discover the participants' tasting notes and how they align or diverge from the reviews and back labels describing these same wines.

Wine Tasting Notes for Villa Antinori

The label and review descriptions: What we expected to taste

Participant's tasting notes

We agreed on some fruity characters but were surprised by the high sourness and astringency. In our experience, the tannins were not velvety at all.

Aromas:

• Coffee, liquor
• Citrus Zest
• Blackberry,
• Oregano
• Prune
• Walnut
• Slight aniseed

Taste, Mouthfeel, Flavors

• Very sour and very astringent
• Cherry, Berry, Coffee, Prune, and Walnut perceptions (retronasal)

Wine Tasting Notes for Frescobaldi Nipozzano Chianti Ruffina

The label and review descriptions: What we expected to taste

Aromas

• Dark berries
• Raspberry
• Cherry
• Floral
• Cotton candy
• Almond
• Baking spices

Taste/Mouthfeel

• Lighter in body
• Less sour, smoother

Retronasal

• Berries
• Cheery
• Licorice
• Rosemary
• Violet

In summary

The expert reviews offered more flavor descriptors than we were able to detect. However, our perceptions were within the suggested aroma categories.

Villa Antinori was perceived fruity, nutty, herbaceous, and yet with quite a sour profile and astringent.

The Nippozzano Chianti offered a more complex aromatic profile with a smoother mouthfeel, layers of fruity nuances, floral and spicy notes.

I must say all the participants enjoyed this wine.

Ready to refine your wine-tasting skills further?

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Bonus video

Explore Chianti's complex and intriguing aromas. Learn about their qualities and origins and get some tips for practicing their identification in wine.

Published September 30, 2024.

Categories: : wine aroma

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