Brett happens

In Italian, grigio means grey or, of a person, grizzled. Figuratively, it also means dull, drab, dreary.

Chianti Classico Riserva 2008, Il Grigio, San Felice ($26.35, 00703363)
Also available in half bottles ($14.80,  00702100). 100% Sangiovese from various estate-owned vineyards. Fermented on the skins at 28-30ºC for close to three weeks followed by malolactic fermentation, all in stainless steel tanks. Transferred to a mix of Slavonian oak botti and fewer French oak barriques for 24 months’ maturation. 13% ABV per SAQ.com for the 750 ml bottle; 13.5% ABV per the label; 14% ABV per SAQ.com for the 375 ml bottle.
Dark nose: black cherry, plum, slate, terracotta, a whiff of fresh cut hay and overtones of cedar and kirsch. Medium-bodied. The lean fruit nearly gets lost among the other flavours, especially the tobacco, wood (as distinct from oak) and spice. The acidity is piquant, the fine tannins unresolved enough to leave a mouth-coating astringency. Chocolate, dried blood and nutmeg mingle on the drying finish. Decent enough but also earthbound, lacking dazzle, excitement. (Buy again? Meh.)