91 2008 Salvestrin Retaggio Napa Valley 6/15/13 ($36)
about 50 % Sangiovese blended with Merlot, Cabernet and CabFranc 14.8% alc
Color: Deep black cherry garnet. (3.0) Bouquet: Rich, ripe black cherry and black raspberry candy complemented by fancy milk chocolate and cedar. (3.5) Body: Heavyweight with excellent fruit and acidity and lots of smooth tannins. Coats mouth nicely. Acidity does stick out somewhat, so not quite balanced. (3.0) Flavor: Parallels bouquet, but needs time to integrate and calm. Not quite as distinctive. (3.0) Finish: Acidity and alcohol burn you in the throat here. Hopefully this resolves with time. Still long and tasty. (2.5)
Overall: Excellent red blend with plenty of ripe, delicious black cherry and black raspberry fruit. It has power from the Cabernet and a pretty aspect to the fruit probably from the Merlot. It doesn't taste much like Sangiovese to me, more like a Zin/Cab blend, although it does have some fierce acidity typical of Sangiovese. Delicious now with red meat, but I worry as to whether it has the balance to improve. (15)
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