It is a layered, full-bodied wine with attractive notes of tobacco, sweet red cherries, wild herbs, and toasted oak. The wine's density, persistence and complexity make it one of the better versions in recent memory...
Back in the fall I sent out a report on the fabulous Ruffino wines from Italy. The following paragraph is an excerpt from that article.
In 2007 Ruffino celebrated its 130th anniversary of making wine in Tuscany, Italy, after their founding by Ilario Ruffino in 1877. Seventy years later in 1947 the winery produced their first Riserva Ducale Oro, which happened to coincide with the birth of Norman B. Bentley, in the budding wine town of Napa, California. Only a few years later, little Norman was taken to the family's favorite Napa Italian Restaurant, which happened to be called Ruffino's, where he first sampled Marinara Sauce.
In 1957, young Norman sampled his first taste of Ruffino Chianti at the once famous Spano's Italian Restaurant in Columbus, Georgia at the ripe old age of ten! Already a lover of Marinara Sauce, he now became a disciple of Ruffino Chianti. And so the story goes.
Available now in the Atlanta Market is the 2004 Riserva Ducale Oro, which is one of the better vintages of the last decade. Robert Parker's Wine Advocate scored this one a 91, with the following quote: "The 2004 Chianti Classico Riserva Ducale Oro remains the bellwether wine from this historic property. It is a layered, full-bodied wine with attractive notes of tobacco, sweet red cherries, wild herbs, and toasted oak. The wine's density, persistence and complexity make it one of the better versions in recent memory."
Also available is the 2006 Ruffino Aziano Chianti Classico, which is my favorite when I cannot afford the higher priced Riserva Ducale Oro at some of my favorite Italian restaurants in the metro area. The Aziano is a great bottle of Chianti at less than half the price of the Reserva Ducale Oro. It is almost always my choice when I get the huge serving of Lasagna at Maggiano's Little Italy. It is not quite as good as the Ruffino Gold Label, so it may depend on the occasion, as to which one you should choose.
If you want a fantastic dinner, pair either one with Veal Marsala, a side of Spaghetti Marinara, and a salad of artichoke hearts and Roma tomatoes in Vinigarette, with warm Italian bread. Mama Mia! Of course you can get two bottles of the Aziano for the price of one bottle of the Ruffino Gold Label.
Norm Bentley
Wine Adviser
North Georgia