1998 Villa Fidelia Rosso

A spectacular new discovery by importer Leonardo Locascio, this 50-acre estate has produced 1,000 cases of a prodigious 70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc blend. Yields were a modest 38 hectoliters per hectare. The wine spent 12 months in French oak casks and was bottled with neither fining nor filtration. Riccardo Cotarella is the consulting oenologist. Located between the towns of Assisi and Perugia, this vineyard has produced an explosively rich, opulently-textured, full-bodied red offering aromas of chocolate, roasted espresso, blackberries, cherries, and currants. A smoky, thick, chewy wine with terrific flavor extraction, great harmony/symmetry, and a multilayered, sumptuous finish, it can be drunk now or cellared for 10-14 years. Wow! A Leonardo Locascio Selection, Winebow, Hohokus, NJ; tel. (201) 445-0620