(60% cabernet sauvignon, 30% merlot and10% cabernet franc; 15% alcohol and a very high 40 grams per liter dry extract): Deep ruby. Red cherry, licorice, plum and vanilla on the rich nose. Then creamy-sweet and suave, with ripe red cherry, balsamic vinegar and coffee nuances carrying through to a long, fine-grained finish. This is perhaps the smoothest Giusto di Notri ever: it's almost too easy to drink right now. Owner Stefano Frascolla says it reminds him of the 2004 and 2006, but I find it smoother than the 2004. I find it amazing that a young cabernet/merlot blend could be this seamless. And it's also hard to detect the wine's high alcohol--because of the balance of the wine, not because your senses will have been numbed into oblivion after the first glass or two.

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Dark, concentrated flavors of black cherry and plum are accented by spice and earth in this monolithic red. The dense tannins are firm yet buried as this doles out black fruit and spice notes on the fresh finish. Balanced overall and shows potential.

Professional content appears courtesy of Vinfolio