The 2002 Chianti Classico was inserted into this vertical at the last minute. It turned out to be one of the most memorable wines of the afternoon. In 2002, Felsina did not make any of their top selections; instead the best of the fruit that is typically used for Rancia, Fontalloro and the Riserva went into the straight Chianti. Overall, the vintage was cold, wet and generally thought to be very poor. The market wanted nothing to do with the 2002. The little wine that was made was deeply discounted. Fast forward to today. Felsina’s 2002 Chianti Classico emerges from the glass with sweet red cherries, flowers, licorice and tobacco. There are no green notes or angular contours - far from it. The 2002 impresses for its silky fruit, phenomenal length and exceptional balance. This delicate, refined Chianti is stunning, and appears to still have plenty of life ahead. If served blind, I am not sure I would have picked it out from the rest of the wines in this lineup. Readers who bought the 2002 did very, very well. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2020. I will never forget this once in a lifetime tasting of Felsina’s flagship Chianti Classico Riserva Rancia. What started out as a casual survey of a few older vintages turned into a complete vertical as proprietor Giuseppe Mazzocolin and long-time oenologist Franco Bernabei surprised me with bottle after bottle of fabulous Rancias going back to the inaugural 1983. A few days after this tasting I received a complete lab analysis of all the wines, one of the most valuable pieces of data I have ever seen, and a presentation worthy of serious wine scholarship. The single biggest takeaway from this tasting is the amazing consistency of the wines across all vintages. Considering its modest price, Rancia remains one the most fairly priced, cellar worthy wines in the world. As great as Rancia can be, the straight Riserva makes a fine substitute at about half the price. I learned that lesson again recently at Maialino in New York City, where Wine Director Liz Nicholson served me a fabulous bottle of the 1995.I have to say there is something about the wines of the 1980s and mid-1990s that goes straight to the heart. Giuseppe Mazzocolin describes his early wines from the 1980s as huge challenges to make because he constantly had to convince his vineyard workers to drop fruit, something that was a culture shock and that seemed like an enormous waste of money given the mindset of the time. If present-day vintages develop only half as well readers will be in for a treat as those wines mature. Readers will notice that the early wines from the 1980s were called Vigneto Rancia, rather than simply Rancia, which became the norm beginning in 1990. The wine has been made from the same parcel since the first year. Felsina Chianti Classico Riserva Rancia Key Points: 1. 100% Sangiovese aged in French oak barrels 2. Made from the Rancia vineyard, a high-altitude site in the south of the Chianti Classico appellation 3. Combines power and elegance 4. Aging potential: 20-30 years

Even the rain-soaked 2002 vintage gave a highly representative wine, and the 2002 Chianti Classico is surely one of the finest of the zone, surprisingly full and powerful even if the ripeness and sweetness of a warmer year are obviously not to be felt. This is one 2002 which could wait a year or two before being drunk. Importer: Domaine Select, New York, NY; tel. (212) 279-0799

One of Chianti’s stalwarts lacks depth and intensity in this troubled vintage, yet what’s here satisfies. The nose offers fresh cherry and wintergreen, while the racy palate flows with red plum, raspberry and chocolate. High-toned and linear; not rich and deep as is customary.——W.E.(4/1/2005)—— 87