With respect to this 1991 Lorenzino Reserve, first, the disclaimer. Bertero Basignani is both a longtime friend and neighbor. He is also a fine winemaker who would have received more praise in these pages if he were not my friend and neighbor. However, I cannot avoid praising this classic wine. It is undoubtedly the most complex red wine ever made in my home state. The Baltimore Sun's talented wine critic, Michael Dresser, justifiably extolled its virtues, claiming it to be a dead-ringer for a northern Medoc. It possesses a dark ruby color, and sweet, rich scents of oak, cassis, and herbs. Very concentrated with ripe tannin, decent acidity, and layers of curranty flavor to its full-bodied personality, it is Maryland's answer to the famed St.-Julien, Chateau Leoville-Las Cases! Approachable, but backward, this wine will evolve over the next 10-15 years. As you might expect from a winemaking neighbor of mine, Basignani bottled the wine without filtration. Only 75 cases are available. For more information, readers can telephone the winery in Sparks, Maryland at (410) 472-4718. This is not the first excellent, possibly outstanding Cabernet Sauvignon-based wine made in Maryland. I recently tasted the 1980 and 1983 Cabernets produced by the Byrd winery in the foothills of western Maryland. Neither wine was fully mature, although both remain inky and monstrous. Montbray's 1982 Cabernet Sauvignon is another winner - a beautiful wine with excellent harmony and rich cassis fruit.
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