2003 Chariot Sangiovese

This is one of our favorites. A nice, light, easy going red wine that is perfect with anytime of Italian food you can think of....we're drinking it with pizza.

Sangiovese is the grape varietal you find in Chiantis, so this, of course, is very similar to a Chianti. There's a lot of bad Chianti out there unfortunately, and at this price point, you're better off buying this than most Italian imports...in fact, at this price point, you're better off buying this than most other wines period.

At $12 a bottle, this is a groin grabbingly good deal...that's right, it's that good. I've had $25 bottles not come anywhere near this. Maroon in color, it's a relatively light red. Taste and nose on this one definitely strike you with cherries. We also smell a bit of cola, and mix that with the cherries--you got it, Cherry Coke. The tannin give it a nice backbone so you know you're drinking a red, but they're extremely smooth. It's light enough that you can drink it with almost anything, but it's got enough going on that I can't think of much food that this wouldn't pair well with.

This wine defines well balanced...not sweet, not dry, not too acidic, but acidic enough to make your mouth water, not too tannic, but tannic enough to give it a bite. Isn't that the sign of a great wine?

In fact, as I drink my current glass, I can't help but wonder why I only have one bottle on the old wine rack. When you consider most places give a discount when you buy by the case, I foresee picking up a case of this sooner rather than later.