Community Tasting Note

forceberry wrote:

Tuesday, April 25, 2023 - The fruit is sourced from the Montestefano vineyard. Released only after a minimum of four years of aging. Bottle #8,492 of total 21,565 bottles. Lot number L4.175. 14% alcohol.

Moderately deep, somewhat translucent and still relatively youthful garnet color with a slightly evolved pomegranate hue. The nose feels somewhat dry and slightly evolved but at the same time wonderfully fragrant with attractive aromas of brambly black raspberries, some wizened dark fruits, a little bit of beef jerky, light ferrous notes of blood, a little bit of ripe red cherry, a hint of wood tar, a touch of pipe tobacco and a whiff of smoke-cured meat. The wine feels juicy, silky and moderately ripe on the palate with a full body and a taste that doesn't seem young anymore, nor particularly old either; there are intense flavors of dark fruits, some leather, a little bit of ripe black raspberries and strawberries, light crunchy notes of fresh, slightly tart dark plums, a hint of earth and a developed touch of beef jerky. The overall feel is quite firm and muscular, thanks to the quite high acidity and still rather assertive and moderately grippy tannins. The finish is ripe, richly-fruited and quite grippy with a long, dry aftertaste of tobacco and brambly black raspberry, some leathery tones, a little bit of sweeter-toned dark fruit, light strawberry tones, a hint of fresh black cherry and a touch of earth.

This was a rather impressive effort, coming across as slightly bigger and more substantial than most other bottles in our 2004-1989 Produttori Riserva vertical, yet not any softer or sweeter than any other wine - this is through-and-through a textbook Produttori with some age. Compared to some other wines of similar age, this didn't feel as youthful, but the wine isn't fully mature, either. There are some evolved earthy and meaty tones, but there is still a lot of room for further development - both in structure and in the fruit department. All in all, this is a fantastic example of Montestefano that drinks beautifully right now, but will potentially get even better over the next decade or decades. Very highly recommended.

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