After six plus years this wine still carries a huge whack of oak, so much so that the nose exudes menthol, cedar and fir bark along with black cherry. Quite fresh and vertical on the palate, with clean cherry and vanilla flavors. Tannic for sure, but with enough cushion to handle it.——W.E.(4/1/2005)—— 89

Opaque and ultra toasty, this very international-style Chianti has “black” aromas and flavors, nice texture and a long espresso-and-dark-chocolate finish. It’s solid, but really reads deep only in one dimension—the heavy oak regime. Pleasurable, but one has to wonder if the fruit will ever really shine through the woody veil.——W.E.(4/1/2001)—— 87