2001 Trinoro

Magnum, not decanted because Andrea Franchetti thinks it is gold and doesn't need it. 'This is the best wine I think I ever made. Perfect ripening.' Very classic nose – blended and with a hint of tobacco savour. Very sweet and gorgeous. Long. Fabulous balance. So long. Yet fresh. (JR)

The estate's 2001 Tenuta di Trinoro (48% Cabernet Franc, 22% Merlot, 19% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Petit Verdot) is simply a wine to marvel over. The cool, long growing season provided Franchetti with the perfect conditions with which to harvest each parcel at the optimal level of ripeness and he fully captures the potential of this important vintage in the breathtaking 2001. Incredibly detailed for such a big wine, it presents highly expressive aromatics along with endless layers of fruit that burst from the glass, showing exceptional depth and fine, silky tannins on the long finish. Stunning in its overall balance, the 2001 is a wine I found myself coming back to often.

Here's the wine that put the unknown town of Sarteano on the enological map of Tuscany. Andrea Franchetti's break-out success comes thanks to the profoundly delicious 2001 Tenuta di Trinoro. Similar to the equally impressive 2009 vintage, this wine shows classic lines and immense pedigree. The Cabernet Franc element weighs in at almost 50% and the other grapes, in descending order of importance, are Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot. What stands out to me is the excellent sense of proportion. The wine offers a harmonious flow of dark berry nuances with wet earth, white truffle, licorice, tar and grilled earth. The bouquet is fluid and ever-changing. That same sense of balance hits the palate, where the wine delivers a twofold punch of firm tannins and crisp freshness that add to the overall textural richness. On a side note, I can't help but point out that this is one of the only Italian wines in the Wine Advocate database that has been tasted and scored by five separate staff reviewers. In a sense, this is a benchmark wine against which I can calibrate my own palate with those of my colleagues. If you are curious to know: Lisa Perrotti-Brown gave it 96 points; Antonio Galloni gave it 96 points; Daniel Thomases gave it 95 points on release; and Robert M. Parker, Jr. gave it a 91-94 range when the wine was still in barrel. To conclude, either I am one point more generous or the wine is improving with age. I believe the latter to be true. This is a drop-dead gorgeous Tuscan wine made with Bordeaux grapes. It shows no sign of slowing down. Dec 2015, www.robertparker.com