It’s a pretty shade of purple in the glass with a 98 point sticker on the bottle….. hmmm.  The nose is thin but offers up strawberry coulis and cherry juice.  On the palate it has much more presence.  A rich mouthful of dark cherry, strawberry extract and cola hit me square on.  Tannins introduce themselves right away and are not holding back.  This is a hefty wine, with structure to boot.  The mid palate has more of that extracted cherry that is almost overwhelmed by the tannic grip.  Wow, this wine is built.  The finish is very astringent yet tasty.  Red fruits swirl alongside black tea and jaw drying tannins.  It’s certainly an interesting wine that I am really enjoying, yet wondering what the cellaring potential is as there is very little acidity.  The tannins and fruit are certainly present, I am just a little concerned about the long term structure.  Let’s see in a few years.  For now, enjoy this Merlot/Sangiovese blend with pasta, steaks or moussaka.  It gets a realistic 91 points from me and 5 stars for the $14 price I paid.  Drink till 2027 at the least.  Salut….

Bright purple in the glass.   Black cherry and sassafras come to mind on the nose.  The palate is very tasty, brimming with Black cherry, cola, and dark chocolate.  Very fine grained tannins introduce themselves right off the bat and help to coat the gums very gently all the way through the mid palate and onto the finish.  Speaking of the mid-palate, there’s more cola than fruit here along with some licorice.  It’s quite nice!  The finish is medium length and continues the theme.  A very satisfying wine that I am enjoying with pasta and meatballs.  90 points, drink till 2025 with anything Italian!  For the $13 price tag, you need some of this 5 star wine.  Salut….