The estate’s top bottling, the 2004 Bolgheri Superiore Tam, is 65% Cabernet Sauvignon and 35% Cabernet Franc that spent 24 months in French oak. It exhibits a profile of black pepper, earthiness, smoke, wild herbs, mint and minerals. There is a nice up-front intensity here, but the wine’s persistence trails off a bit on the mid-palate. This will be a fascinating wine to follow in subsequent vintages as the vines acquire age. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2014. These are the first wines I have tasted from Batzella, a new property located in Castagneto Carducci, in Maremma. Proprietors Franco Batzella and Khanh Nguyen have enlisted the services of consulting oenologist Attilio Pagli to assist them in producing wines from their seven hectares of vines. Batzella is an up-and-coming estate that readers will want to keep an eye on. Importer: Premium Brands, Forest Hills, NY; tel. (718) 263-4094

This smoky blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc is redolent of berry fruit, forest floor, mature prune and plum but delivers its aromas with measured intensity. Still a bit thorny and raw in the mouth; drink after 2012.——M.L.(4/1/2008)—— 90