96 1999 Poliziano Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Asinone 8/11/18 ($40)
13.5% alc
Color: Deep garnet with some browning, but no clearing. (3.5) Bouquet: Dusty Tuscan earth, roasted mushrooms, crushed mixed nuts, ashes and cigarbox meet zippy stewed cherry fruit. All with intensity. (3.5) Body: Heavyweight with excellent fruit, acidity and tannins. Tangy mouthfeel that coats big time. (3.5) Flavor: Parallels bouquet step for step. (3.5) Finish: Big and long with all the flavors intense and persistent. Nuances of cherry vanilla, leather and gout de vieux linger. (3.5)
Overall: Another great Asinone showing intense, classic flavors of Tuscan earth, crushed nuts, cigarbox and stewed cherries combined with mature flavors of roasted mushrooms, ashes and gout de vieux. A powerful wine that still has plenty of healthy tannins, but is very well balanced and even shows some elegance for its weight. I recently had the '04 Asinone, which is very similar to this, just a little younger. Both are great Vino Nobile. Drink this one now and in the next few years, while it's at its best. (17.5)
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