The 2002 Tocai, lightly tropical in its fruit and with notes of almonds and minerals, is a wine of much character and balance. Mario Schiopetto is no longer with us, but the problems of health which plagued his last years had the effect of bringing his children into an active role in the firm at a young age. The wines, in any case, had already begun to change – Schiopetto was the man who brought cold fermentation techniques to Italy, and the wines he made had a purity of varietal expressiveness that greatly influenced his peers. But the wines now are given a notably longer contact with their lees, and the use of oak – casks, not barrels, just as in Alsace – is now standard cellar practice as well. Importer: Winebow, Hohokus, NJ; tel. (201) 445-0620