2002 benuara, Sicily, Italy

Roasted, smoky nose, overripe cherries and cherry preserves, red and black berries as well as some black pepper. Juicy, slightly jammy fruit, quite prominent roasted notes, lots of oak on the palate, ripe, fine tannins, hardly astringent, powerful, rounded body, persistent, oak dominates on the finish. Has concentration and depth, but the oak remains too aggressive, even after many hours of aeration.

Best to drink: Bis 2008. What our ratings mean