1997 Tua Rita Giusto di Notri

A decadent red, with intense aromas of berry and herb and a hint of meat. Full-bodied, with lots of soft tannins. The delicious aftertaste has succulent ripe fruit, tobacco and toasted oak. Drink now through 2002. 500 cases made. James Suckling, Winespectator.com

The outstanding 1997 Giusto dei Notri (a 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot blend aged in French oak and bottled with neither fining nor filtration) exhibits a dark ruby/purple color, and excellent aromatics consisting of toasty new oak, lead pencil, black currants, chocolate, and smoke. Layered and rich, but backward and unevolved, with copious tannin in the finish, this wine should improve with further cellaring. The low acidity and sweet fruit give it immediate accessibility, but the wine has not yet developed its secondary aromatics. Anticipated maturity: 2001-2012. A Leonardo Locascio Selection, Winebow, Hohokus, NJ; tel. (201) 445-0620 Aug 1999, www.robertparker.com

Saturated ruby. Inky, faintly meaty aromas of blackberry, leather, earth and spice. Superconcentrated, intensely spicy, essence-of-dark-berry flavors decamp on the palate. Large-scaled but sharply detailed. Explosive finishing blackberry fruit outlasts the sweet tannins. Very impressive.