1 | Wine | Chianti, 86 or higher, 2007

"The 2007 Chianti Classico Riserva Marchese Antinori is a fleshy, radiant wine graced with expressive dark red fruit. This is a fairly plush style for this bottling, no doubt owing to the personality of the vintage...Tobacco, sweet herbs, licorice and dark red cherries leave a very positive, lasting impression."

"The 2007 Chianti Classico Riserva Vigna del Sorbo is a wine that expresses a contemporary vision of what Chianti Classico can be but without ever fully abandoning its roots. The single-vineyard Vigna del Sorbo adds 10% Cabernet Sauvignon (planted on Sangiovese rootstocks) to the Sangiovese. Texturally it is classic Sangiovese with the fine, sweet tannins that are the hallmark of the vintage, while the Cabernet adds a sepia-hued dimension to the fruit and an element of greater richness in the body, but without dominating the aromatic or flavor profile. The radiant warmth of Panzano doesn’t hurt either, as the fruit is gloriously ripe and soft in this vintage. Everything is beautifully in balance, including the oak, which is barely perceptible."

"Subtle currant, cedar and floral aromas. ...follow through to a dense, full-bodied palate of ripe fruits and silky tannins, with a long finish. A little age will soften this just slightly. Really serious. Best after 2010."

"Subtle currant, cedar and floral aromas follow through to a dense, full-bodied palate of ripe fruits and silky tannins, with a long finish. A little age will soften this just slightly. Really serious."

"The 2007 Chianti Classico Riserva Rancia is another dazzling wine. This is a vintage of overt, sumptuous fruit and pure sexiness. Despite its richness, the 2007 never loses its sense of structure, but in this vintage the tannins are nearly buried by the huge fruit. Today the 2007 comes across as a hypothetical blend of the 2004 and 2006, with the finesse of the former and the size of the latter. Not a bad combination, to put it mildly. In the glass the wine is alive, vibrant and totally captivating."