2000 Trinoro

From double magnum. 60% Cabernet Franc, 25% Merlot ,11% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Petit Verdot. Dark blackish ruby with some evolution at the rim. Beautifully resolved nose that is extremely intense with notes of charcoal, balsam and ripe black fruits. Very long with the tannins only just in retreat. A glamorous Bordeaux blend that expresses the ripeness of this corner of southern Tuscany. Obviously made with great care. I should imagine that in bottle size it would have been broachable at around seven or eight years.  (JR)

Franchetti once again takes ripeness to the extreme with his stunning 2000 Tenuta di Trinoro (55% Cabernet Franc, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Petit Verdot). It is a flamboyant wine packed with generous sensations of blackberry liqueur, jammy dark fruit, bell peppers, cassis and minerals. Fat and opulent on the palate, it displays a youthful, muscular personality, with outstanding finesse for a wine of this size. It is an awesome effort. “The 2000 is really my first important wine,” says Franchetti. “The vines had a little age on them so the tannins are finer. The previous vintages also taught me a lot about when to harvest my various plots.”

The prodigious 2000 Tenuta di Trinoro is a blend of 55% Cabernet Franc, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 10% Petit Verdot, also from yields of 15 hectoliters per hectare. Its opaque purple color is accompanied by an extraordinary nose of freshly ground truffles, damp earth, licorice, black currants, blackberries, and white flowers. There is extraordinary intensity, great richness, a profound, multi-layered texture, and a finish that lasts for nearly a minute. This is compelling wine from a brilliant proprietor. Sadly, there are only 800 cases of this profound offering that wants to be the Cheval Blanc of Tuscany. Anticipated maturity: 2006-2018. One of the new superstar estates in Tuscany, the first vintage of proprietor Andrea Franchetti was 1997. He is obviously a perfectionist, and is doing some things that have never been done with the likes of Cabernet Franc outside Bordeaux and a handful of California wineries. All of Franchetti's wines are made from low yields, given indigenous yeast fermentations, micro-oxygenations, and no racking, fining, or filtration prior to bottling. I have been a fan since the first releases. The wines go from strength to strength, although Franchetti keeps changing some of the names as well as blends. Importer: Rare Wine Co., Sonoma, CA; tel. (707) 996-4484