"Knockout nose presents a smorgasbord of ripe peach, dried apricot, vanilla, marzipan, white chocolate and dried herb aromas. Then surprisingly light and linear given the opulent aromas, with noteworthy precision to the ripe peach, citrus, herb and white chocolate flavors. Finishes very smooth and long but with an obvious alcoholic warmth. Though I'm not sure this is as successful as the great Vin Santos made here in '97 or '98, this is still excellent, and its nose alone merits 95 points."

"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!"