Cercatoja

On the nose, a slightly rubbery earthiness mingles with tart fruit aromas of hibiscus, cranberry, cherry and orange peel. The palate features rounder, richer fruit notes that are bolstered by undercurrents of chocolate and vanilla, before a warm, peppery finish with polished but powerful tannins.

This is an interestingly distinctive and appealing wine from Montecarlo, in the province of Lucca, that shows a faint but yet evident streak of red fruit to show alongside the predominantly dark fruit notes. It remains quite sternly tannic at this stage, yet enough sweetness of fruit remains to provide confidence that this will yet come into beautiful balance. Disadvantaged by being shown in the absence of buffering food, it nevertheless displays quite appealing aromas with faint floral tones, ripe fruit notes, and a whiff of nascent leather, followed by tightly focused black berry notes that prove quite pleasant before the wine’s structural elements shut down the flow of flavors. Built for the long term, and built very well. 93 Michael Franz