90+ 2005 Poliziano Vino Nobile di Montepulciano 2/28/09 ($26)
13.5% alc
Color: Deep garnet. (3.0) Bouquet: Tart, concentrated black cherry with very dusty terroir. Excellent acidity and tannin, making it a bit racy and backward at the same time. Also quite gamy and nutty. (3.0) Body: Light heavyweight with excellent acidity and solid tannin. The fruit is rich, but youthfully tart. Coats the mouth. (3.0) Flavor: Parallels bouquet. Young, but tasty. (3.0) Finish: Parallels bouquet, but shows some green, youthful bitterness, probably due to a combo of dusty tannins and oak. Still very persistent. (3.0)
Overall: Another successful vintage for this wine. Has the usual dusty black cherry fruit with ageworthy structure. Not as ripe and approachable as the '03 and not as perfectly balanced as the '04, which is both ageworthy and delicious. This has excellent potential, but needs 2-4 years for the tannins to smooth. If drinking now decant for a couple of hours. (15.0)