No formal notes, had with pasta and slightly spicy meatsauce.

A bit more austere than I expected. Shows admirable structure and depth but lacks any "umph". Certainly a good wine, but not up to Piccolomini's standards (Ciacci Piccolomini is just about my favorite Tuscan estate). Maybe I should have decanted? Anyway, compared to the San Giusto Chianti the night before, this simply left me wanting. Somewhat short finish. 89.

C'mon ... it's a Rosso, not a Brunello. I think 89 points for a Rosso is a great score. That said, if the price is $30+, I'd toss in a few bucks more for the Brunello.

Thanks for the comments. I think 2003 is going to be a pretty weird vintage due to the heat, being much more extracted and jammy that usual. That said, I think that good producers will be able to retain freshness and acidity in their wines if they have good vineyard sites and had good canopy management.

I will say, however, that I wish Rosso was 10-12 Euro like it often is in Italy. It would be a daily drinker in my house if it was! Rosso often hits the $30-40CAD mark, IF you can find it here in Ontario. Sad, really.

As for a trip to SF, well, there's many people I should be visiting on the west coast. Hopefully I'll be able to plan a trip out next year. If I do, we'll definitely have to pop the cork on some great wines!

we pay about $18 for ciacci rosso's in new jersey. the 2003 had quite a bit of bottle variation due to the extreme heat. the 2004 has been more consistent. still, for the money, it is a very good rosso. the 2004 siri pacenti for $20 borders on excellent and is a step up from ciacci. it should be sought out.

We've been drinking the 04 Sportoletti Rosso as a daily drinker for about $17 inc. tax. It has just enough acidity to match well with certain foods. I haven't seen the Siro Pacenti locally but will keep Jeff's comment in mind.

I have a bottle of the '03 Pacenti Rosso in queu