Wine Snob: My First Chianti

Another one in my series of "firsts" of various types of wines (see my review of my first Zinfandel). I am trying to expand my palate so that I have a better understanding of wine. Cerinthus and I had our three year anniversary recently so when I went up to see him we had a series of anniversary dinners. One of the nights, Ponticus picked out an Italian Chianti for me. It wa  "Il Tarocco" 2008, a chianti classico from a vineyard a little ways south of Florence in "Greve in Chianti". It was made from 90% Sangiovese grapes and 10% Canaiolo Nero grapes. Ponticus told me that real Italian Chiantis (I am not entirely sure how these differ from "fakes") have a seal around the top that says "Chianti Classico" and a picture of a rooster. I decided to trust his judgment and I was not disappointed. The wine, a fairly cheap vintage, was a dark red with a slight purple tinge and ruby accents in the light. It was just shy of a medium body and filled one's mouth with a pleasing warmth. The warmth was accented with a hint of cloves and nutmeg and had a peppery finish with a slight tannic undertone. The flavor came out more strongly as the wine breathed and seemed to solidify it's flavor after about an hour (I think). Cerinthus remarked that this was a wine he could actually drink rather than just sipping along with food. I also quite enjoyed the wine and would recommend it alongside light Italian food such as a chicken picatta. Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture of the wine.