Querciabella!

Late last winter I bought a mixed case of 2006 Chianti Classicos. They were squirreled away for the summer and mostly forgotten save for an extra bottle of Fattoria di Felsina that I found mismarked at a wine shop. That wine was very good.

Last night I opted to try the 2006 Querciabella. There was some veal scallopini and pasta, a salad and some crusty bread for picking up the sauce. The sauce on the veal was full flavored and tart, thanks to some lemon juice and zest added at the end of cooking.

The minute this wine hit the glass my nose told me it was a winner. It gushed of sweet, medium dark cherries, a little spice, some wonderful clean earth and a wee bit of smoke. Every one of those flavors was there in the taste, and there was nothing shy about the depth of those flavors. The fruit was exceptional. The wine had that wonderful, sharp Chianti acid and enough tannin to refresh the mouth between sips.

It married with the veal like they had known each other for years. The wine picked up the veal, and the veal did a lot to bring out the fruit in the wine. It's not possible to ask for much more from a Chianti Classico, other than to ask for another bottle. This is the standard to which the other 2006 Chiantis must measure up. Just an excellent wine.