RJ Spagnols Celler Craft with grape pack VS Crushendo

[rshosted]

Ok all, they've all been out a long time. I've done the Crushendo and been very happy with it. Has anyone done both and if so, how do they compare?

Thanks,
Ryan

 

[Dean]

I've done both, but not in the same style, so I don't think a comparison is accurate. However, I will say this: On a price per "performance" basis, I think that cellar craft wins hands down.

What we really need someone to do (and I might), is take 1 year, and make all 3 supertuscan products. Cellar Craft Rosso Fortissimo, RJS Cellar Classic Winery Supertuscan, and the W/E SuperTuscan Crushendo. Then you will have 3 examples of the same style. Wait 1 year after fermentation, and do a blind taste test.

 

[RJMehr]

"What we really need someone to do (and I might), is take 1 year, and
make all 3 supertuscan products. Cellar Craft Rosso Fortissimo, RJS
Cellar Classic Winery Supertuscan, and the W/E SuperTuscan Crushendo.
Then you will have 3 examples of the same style. Wait 1 year after
fermentation, and do a blind taste test."

Dean posted this on September 21, 2006. Did anyone ever compare all three SuperTuscan kits. I am getting ready to make the Cellar Craft Rosso Fortissimo kit in the next few weeks and curious how it compares to the competition.

Robert

 

[Dean]

I did do it. Matter of fact, I just filtered and bottled the RJS Supertuscan this weekend. In order of taste, and of course this is to my palate only, it goes like this:

Overall taste:
1.) CC Rosso Fortissimo (by a VERY slight margin)
2.) RJS Supertuscan
3.) Crushendo Castellina SuperTuscan di Siena

Price to taste:
1.) RJS Supertuscan by a longshot!
2.) Cellar Craft Rosso Fortissimo
3.) Crushendo Castellina SuperTuscan di Siena

The W/E one was by far the most expensive wine kit I've ever ordered. Close to $175 Canadian, and they *make* these things less than 10kms from my house! The CC was $125 and the RJS was under $100 for me. All of them are over 2 years old now and quite good.

The CC has a better mouthfeel so that's why I scored it slightly higher than the RJS. The RJS has a nicer oakiness to it though, and both are tannic enough to give a slight bite. The W/E one I feel is slightly unbalanced with just a touch of sourness that takes away from the richness of the wine.

You can't go wrong with either the CC or the RJS product.

edit: Taste comparisons were done before filtering the RJS product so as not to taste a shocked wine, and the other 2 were filtered and bottled in early January, so had gotten over bottle shock.

 

[RJMehr]

Dean,

Very interesting results, now I am want to start my CC Rosso Fortissimo as soon as possible.

Robert

 

[JimCook]

Dean,


If you're that close to the plant, maybe you can get a cardboard sign and write "Ninjas stole my house - need wine kits to live" on it and camp outside of the plant. Maybe WE will hand some of the ends of the line of production for the day.

Please let us know how these wines compare against each other in another six months or so - I'd like to see if any particular one is a sleeper.


- Jim

 

[smurfe]

I will just add the the Cellar Craft Rosso Fortissimo and the Amarone have been the best two wines I have ever made and I made the older style kits before they improved them to what they are now. Both of these kits sat in 90 degree plus heat for a couple weeks when we had no electricity from Hurricane Katrina. The Rosso was in primary at the time and actually fermented to dry and sat for a week in the primary after. I was pretty lucky it turned out good. Does goto show really how hard it is to screw up a kit wine.The WE Super Tuscan was very good as well but the CC Rosso was much more authentic to my palette. I have never made a RJS kit so I can''t comment on that one.

 

[Frank&Rita]

The Lovely Rita thinks the Spagnols Super Tuscan is the best wine she has ever had, I have made 4 of them so far I think.....they don't get to age much though...

 

[Wade E]

I hear that, I will have to make another batch this year as i only have 6 left!