PIERO’S WAKE (ADDING MILEAGE TO YOUR SAMPLE BOTTLES)

Our resident Queen of the Covington Jungle and SWS/Crane rep, Sheena popped in Wednesday with a couple of wines from Antinori. I hadn’t tried either in a really long time, and despite the fact that Sheena had had these wines opened since the previous Friday (5 days?!?), I was willing to give them a shot:

Antinori Chianti Classico Peppoli DOCG 2008. Grade=Outstanding-. Predominantly Sangiovese with some Merlot and Syrah to give it some New World panache, this medium-bodied red lost a step or two (obviously) but still had a decent presence of dark cherry, plum and slight mineral notes.

Antinori Chianti Classico Riserva Marchese Antinori 2006. Grade=Outstanding-. Sangiovese with Cabernet and some other anonymous varietals, this red is only produced in the best vintages, and this one, despite being slightly tired and worn, was still showing some nice red and purple fruit, kind of like a window into the glory days past. Alas, a fresher revisit is in order.