1 | Wine | Italy, 91 to 95, 2004

"This has beautiful intensity. Aromas of blackberry and dried mushroom follow through to a full body, with silky, refined tannins and a long aftertaste of bright fruit. Juicy and delicious on the intense finish."

"Ripe plum, verging on prune, with coffee and dark chocolate character. Full-bodied, with soft tannins that are very velvety and caressing. Chewy and concentrated. Sneaks up on you. A superb debut Barolo from Piedmont's best Dolcetto producer."

"The 2004 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico is flat-out gorgeous. The 2004 is a superb, elegant Amarone graced with expressive dark red fruit, flowers, tobacco and spices, all supported by finessed, silky tannins. Sweet roses, tar and licorice are woven into the layered, sublime finish. Deceptively medium in body, the 2004 has the stuffing to age well for decades. This is a terrific showing from Bertani."

"Shows bright berry, earth, mushroom and leather on the nose. Full-bodied, with very ripe, almost raisiny fruit. Tight and lean now, but the rich fruit comes through on the finish."

"Scavino’s 2004 Barolo Carobric comes across as classic in its expression of violets, black cherries, minerals and sweet toasted oak. It too offers gorgeous inner sweetness to its fruit, but it is more focused and less concentrated than the other 2004 Barolos. This is a beautifully proportioned, vibrant Barolo that is sure to find many admirers. Carobric is made from a blend of Rocche di Castiglione, Bric del Fiasc and Cannubi This bottling has often suffered an identity crisis among the single-vineyard wines in the lineup but in recent years its personality has gradually begun to show its potential."

"Giacosa's 2004 Barbaresco Santo Stefano is a superb wine. Sweet, floral, mentholated aromatics meld into an expressive core of ripe fruit, with superb length and elegant tannins to round out the finish. Made in a more linear style than the Asili and Rabaja, it doesn-t possess the expansiveness of those two wines, but it does reveal tremendous depth, harmony and balance. This pure, sweet, long Barbaresco is the best Santo Stefano in years."

"The 2004 Vin Santo del Chianti Classico Occhio di Pernice emerges from the glass with an intriguing array of smoke, licorice, honey, scorched earth and tar, all of which add considerable complexity to the fruit. This is an exotic, full-throttle style of Vin Santo, but there is more than enough freshness to balance some of the wine’s more opulent leanings. From time to time the volatile acidity (always present in sweet wines) sticks out a bit, which is the only thing that keeps the score from going higher."

"A lively dark ruby, it is a vibrant effort bursting with expressive aromatics and layered, well-delineated fruit, showing much purity on the palate and closing with a long, finessed finish."

"The 2004 Langhe Conteisa, from vineyards in La Morra, is especially dark-toned and rich in this vintage. Made in an uncharacteristically weighty, opulent style for this wine, it reveals plenty of ripe dark fruit, spices, new leather, licorice and tar. With air it gradually turns more feminine and delicate, yet it remains a gorgeous, sumptuous wine of outstanding pedigree."

"Reveals impressive richness in its wild cherries, sweet herbs, spices, minerals and tobacco that meld with a high-toned bouquet. This gorgeous, medium to full-bodied Brunello blossoms on the palate as intricate layers of fruit continue to emerge with a wonderful classiness. The long, harmonious finish leaves a lasting impression. This is a terrific effort from Costanti."