2007 Tenuta di Trinoro Toscana Rosso

50% Cabernet Franc, 40% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Petit Verdot (!). Very dark indeed. Superlative. A wine that stands apart because it was a very dry year. Not that hot but there was so little liquid that the pumps would stop because of lack of pressure. Sound of dry leaves being raked. Just skins really. Exceptionally deep crimson. Fantastic richness. Not uncomfortably dry despite the lack of juice. Beautifully long and fresh. Young and sweet. Very youthful and angular. (JR)

The estate's Grand Vin, the 2007 Tenuta di Trinoro, is shaping up to be one of the vintage's finest successes. A dark, richly-textured wine, the 2007 Tenuta boasts a seamless core of ripe fruit that flows all the way through to the long finish. This super-ripe, explosive wine offers spectacular density and richness in a full-bodied, immensely rewarding style. Hints of new leather, spices, grilled herbs and minerals linger on the sublime close. In 2007 Tenuta di Trinoro is 35% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Franc, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Petit Verdot. The wine underwent malolactic fermentation in oak (which was long that year), where it spent 8 months prior to finishing its aging in cement. The shorter oak-aging regime Franchetti has employed over the last few years seems to be resulting in more elegant and deeply expressive wines than was the case in the past. The 2007 Tenuta was lightly fined but not filtered prior to being bottled.

The 2007 Tenuta di Trinoro delivers impressive results despite the challenging, drought-driven growing season. Andrea Franchetti remembers walking through the vineyards and hearing the crackling sound of leaves as they disintegrated in the dry weather. Under those conditions, it's not hard to imagine the dark berry concentration, textural density and general ripeness on display in this wine. This edition sees Cabernet Franc in the driver's seat (at 55% of the blend) because, as Franchetti puts it, "Cabernet Franc ripens on a sweet side, not a sour side." The wine is fleshy, opulent and packed tight with blackberry preserves, cherry compote, spice, leather and grilled herb. The tannins are dry and polished, but they make a great contrast against the sweetness of the wine's berry flavors. Dec 2015, www.robertparker.com