1999 Cassafrassi XXI Secolo Rosso di Toscana

($45) Dark garnet. Incredibly complex nose features nutmeg, cinnamon, glove leather and tobacco. Intense, compellingly sweet inner-mouth sensations of ripe plum fruit, bittersweet chocolate and briary berries. A persistent minerality bolsters the wine's grip, and the big tannins are velvety. Spicy oak weaves in and out of the lingering finish. This explosive unfiltered wine from old vines could easily pass for a top-notch Brunello. (North Berkeley Imports, Berkeley, CA).

Author: Edward Beltrami

Issue: January/February 2002