Quintarelli Alzero 2009

Sour cherry, licorice, fresh mint and mocha up front, shading into tobacco and dark chocolate. The appassimento process lends a gorgeous inner sweetness, ripe plum, violet, a thread of lavender, yet the wine never feels heavy; residual acids and mineral salts keep everything alive and pushing through a long, citrus-edged finish. Velvety in texture but with genuine drive underneath, this Cabernet blend (40% Sauvignon, 40% Franc, 20% Merlot, all dried before fermentation) wears its richness lightly. Dangerously easy to drink now, but there is more to unravel with time. Patience will be rewarded.