Made with Riccardo Cotarella's consultation, this 1997 is a blend of roughly equal portions of Merlot 50% and Sangiovese 50%. Picked at high sugars, vinified dry, aged 12 months in new French oak, and bottled with neither fining nor filtration, it is a tour de force in wine-making. Unbelievable concentration combined with uncanny balance and symmetry, as well as a staggering bouquet, flavor depth, and length, make for one of the most extraordinary wine tasting experiences of 1999. The color is a saturated purple. Bursting with black fruits, spice, minerals, and character, this is a prodigious, fabulously intense wine that must be tasted to be believed. "
