4 | Wine | Sweet, $50 to $100, 91 to 95

"Very plump and showy up front. ...with apricot, papaya and mango, then offering more zip and delineation on the back end, with mineral and floral notes adding length to the rich finish, where a nice echo of unctuous fruit lingers."

"The 2003 Vin Santo del Chianti Classico Occhio di Pernice possesses rich, baritone layers of plums, dried prunes, tobacco leaves, worn-in leather, licorice and cloves. There is a deep, inner sweetness that recalls port, along with a beautifully nuanced centeredness that shimmers across the palate. Despite the warm growing season, this is anything but a precocious wine, if anything, it needs at least a few more years in the bottle!"

"Lovely aromas of vanilla, cream and almond, with a hint of tropical fruit. Full-bodied and very sweet, yet ripe and balanced, with a lovely, ripe fruit aftertaste."

"A combination of rich apricot, peach and pear flavors, with intense sweetness, matched by a racy structure. It's very pure and grapy, with a mouthwatering finish."

"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."