4 | Wine | Tuscany, 2008

"Silky, with cherry and strawberry flavors, this red is balanced and elegant. The structure is vibrant and shepherds the fruit and mineral notes to a lingering aftertaste."

"This has grip and fine Sangiovese character, evoking bitter cherry, tobacco, leather and spice flavors. A harmonious wine, lingering with an aftertaste of tobacco and mineral."

"The estate’s 2008 Il Nero di Casanova (Sangiovese) presents an intriguing profile of dark cherries, leather, licorice and tobacco, all of which come together in a medium-bodied, relatively delicate frame that is typical of Sangiovese. The Nero shows lovely inner sweetness and perfume through to the long finish."

"A rich, deep wine imbued with notable class in its black cherries, plums, grilled herbs, minerals and smoke. The 2008 is a decidedly buttoned-up, firm Sassicaia that is currently holding back much of its potential, unlike the 2006 and 2007, both of which were far more obvious wines. Readers who can afford to wait will be treated to a sublime wine once this settles down in bottle. Muscular, firm tannins frame the exquisite finish in this dark, implosive Sassicaia."