2009 Potenti Rosso

The 2009 Potenti bursts from the glass with huge, super-ripe black fruit, spices, smoke, chocolate, incense and tar. This is a decidedly big, rich wine loaded with jammy fruit, but unlike so many wines in this style, it possesses remarkable polish. The big tannins need time to soften, but this is a highly promising wine. The appropriately named Potenti is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon aged in French oak barrels. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2024. I rarely hear Petra mentioned in a discussion of the best wines and wineries from the Tuscan coast, but year after year the wines are reliably outstanding and fairly priced for the neighborhood. The house style is one of bold, exuberant wines. Frankly, I am not sure it is possible to make anything but that type of wine in this part of Maremma. Petra is part of Vittorio Moretti’s empire, which is best known for its crown jewel, Bellavista. In 2009 the estate decided not to make their top selection, the Petra Rosso. At a time when virtually all wineries bottle their flagships pretty much every year, it is refreshing to see a winery willing to skip a vintage it deems less important. Importer: TMT USA, Inc., Manhasset, NY; tel. (210) 316-0106