Tua Rita’s 2003 Redigaffi, 100% Merlot, opens with notes of over-ripeness on the nose. An initial suggestion of reduction blows of with air. It presents plenty of fruit, chocolate and toasted oak along with a richly concentrated, opulent personality, yet a note of gaminess and hard, unripe tannins ultimately convey the impression of a less polished version of this wine than is normally the case. My preference is to drink Redigaffi on the young side. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2013. Importer: Winebow, Montvale, NJ; tel. (201) 445-0620; fax (201) 445-9868

Stefano Frascolla remembers having to pull his workers off the beach because harvest came so early at the end of this scorching hot summer. The Tua Rita 2003 Redigaffi is richly concentrated and syrupy with a softly velvet finish. The bouquet offers mature cherry and blackberry preserves, but fortunately, there are hardly any baked or overtly oxidized tones. The tertiary notes appear as black licorice and smoke instead. It does, however, feel a bit thick or heavy on the mid-palate.