The 2001 Valtellina Superiore Sassella Riserva Rocce Rosse opens to an elegant and luminous ruby color. This is a stunning wine with a level of elegance and inner finesse that speaks to the impressive potential of the mountainous Valtellina wine region. The feminine grace of the wine is what stands out most of all. The bouquet is finely laced with dried rose petal, wild berry, licorice, cola and pressed violet. In the mouth, the wine shows some graphite and ash-like flavors with very smooth and silky tannins. This wine is almost 15-years-old, but it tastes so much younger.