2021 Franchetti Rosso

In 2021, the Franchetti is a gorgeous blending of 70% Petit Verdot and 30% Cesanese d’Affile, opening with a seductive cascade of violets, lavender, sage, chalk dust and sweet smoke. This is elegant and deeply textural, like weighted velvet and creamy in feel, energized by vibrant acidity that creates a sensation of contrasts that must be experienced to be believed. Ripe wild berries, blackberries and licorice envelope the palate. A web of sweet tannins gently settles on the palate as the 2021 leaves a resonance of black tea leaves and spice, tapering off dry and hauntingly dark. This may not have the energy of the 2020, but it impresses with its textural girth and understated power.