89 2000 Cosimo Taurino Notarpanaro 7/22/07 ($15)
Color: Deep garnet with onion skin. Can just see through. Impressive for its age and price. (3.0) Bouquet: Spicy cinnamon and basil complementing rich black cherry fruit. Developed and enveloping with some game and clay nuances. (3.5) Body: Solid middleweight with very good acidity and fruit. Has substance in the mouth, but does not coat. (2.5) Flavor: Shows its age here with some Madeira. Parallels bouquet, but less intense and more restrained. (2.0) Finish: Parallels bouquet with smooth, spicy, musky length. (3.5)
Overall: At 7 years old, this is fully developed with rich black cherry fruit, musky clay terroir and secondary nuances from age. Some (including me) complained that this was lighter than usual when first tasted a few years ago, but it has developed well, nonetheless. A Southern Italian Gem! I wish their Salice Salentino was still this good. (14.5)
Note: Tasted two more times soon after this from bottles that were probably not stored as well and tasted somewhat faded (86-87).