The 2003 Montepulciano d’Abruzzo is a sweet, jammy red loaded with dark fruit, licorice and earthiness. It offers excellent balance in an up-front, pleasing style. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2009. These new releases from Farnese offer exceptional quality for the money. The wines are clean, correct and delicious, as long as the estate doesn’t stray too far from its core strength of making simple, well-made wines. Farnese offers two ranges in the value category, the first of these is a line of simple, varietal wines, while the Casale Vecchio series consists of special selections. Importer: Empson, USA, Alexandria, VA; tel. (703) 684-0900