Nicolas Belfrage: Color very deep, almost opaque. Oak dominates nose. Soft juicy fruit on palate with lowish acidity and ripe tannins, very modern style in some ways resembling a modernist Bordeaux. Would please Americans. 12

Roy Richards Sultry black fruit, dark robe. Very youthful. The difficulty with these backward and often extracted wines is to know where they are going in the future. The tight kernel of black fruit would seem to promise well. 16

Franco Ziliani: Dark, intense inky color, giving the impression of a modern-style Parkerised wine. The nose is very ripe and sweet with great richness of fruit but with some interesting nuances that recall rhubarb, aromatic herbs, black pepper and Syrah more than Sangiovese... The palate is round, calculated, and appealing, but has only one dimension, no energy, low acidity and a sweet and slightly boring finish. Well made, ok, but is not my kind of wine. 14.5