87 1997 Felsina Chianti Classico Riserva 12/31/05 ($30)
Color: Deep garnet with only slight clearing. (3.0) Bouquet: Maraschino cherry and cigarbox with nuttiness. (3.0) Body: Solid middleweight with nice acidity and just enough fruit. It could use more fruit and structure, but has aged well to this point. (3.0) Flavor: Tasty with nice acidity and cigarbox framed cherry fruit, but a little dry oak. (2.5) Finish: Parallels flavor, but shows more bitterness and a slight taste of rot. Still has length and some interesting nuances. (2.0)
Overall: A very high quality CC Riserva that has held together well, but was more appealing as a young wine. It could still age into something more interesting, but I don’t think it has enough fruit to improve. Very solid, just not impressive, but enjoyable. (13.5)