1991 Chianti Classico

From a forgotten vintage, the 1991 Chianti Classico is quite the surprise. The cool year produced a distinctly wild, gamy Chianti Classico. Even so, the 1991 retains quite a bit of depth and plenty of presence in its dark fruit, spice and licorice flavors, not to mention terrific freshness. I preferred it to the 1990, a wine from the same era, but from a vintage that was among the most highly regarded at the time. "Until harvest, the expectation was of a great year, maybe even better than 1990, but then it rained during harvest."