Le Piane Colline Novaresi Piane

Opened at 6 pm, finished at nearly 11. It opened with a fully oxidized nose. Thought it was corked for a second. Some five minutes later, the musty odor was gone, revealing a tight, tannic and austere wine that blossomed over the hours, showing savory notes in the early hours, letting fruit peek through in the middle, and finally balancing out into a silky, sumptuous symphony of flavor. This is why I live for Italian wine.

PnP and drunk over lunch in good company, no TN. The first sip with the wine still at cellar temperature revealed a wine still young, with lively, but evolved and nuanced fruit and very fine, still drying tannins. This had probably more to do with the temperature than anything else. The wine was drinking very well, lost the rusticity of its youth and was lively and with a good level of complexity and evolution.

Che meraviglia. Straordinario per essere un vino base.

Old world for sure. If I've had these grapes before I don't recall. Very grapey in the nose with saddle hints. Good lift and a bit of aldehyde in the lift. Blue fruit with leather and a crap gob of tannin. This is definitely peaking or over, those tannins are going to eat this wine in the next 2 years.

The nose was coy and ungiving, needing to be coxed into showing notes of soy, roasted meat, wild berry, floral perfumes, and chalky minerals. On the palate, it was light in weight yet intense in flavor with concentrated red berry fruit and mountain herbs contrasted by firm, drying tannin. It's structure held the palate in check throughout the finish, yet high-toned fruit continued to glimmer through its muscular tannin. This may be better in another five years.

Very good! Quite a lot of licorice, a bit of wood and some smoke. High acidity and quite a lot of tannins (smooth ones, though). Some red berries, licorice and minerals. Drinking well now but will probably improve a bit with a few more years.

Dark garnet red. Nose: quite effusive, with sweet cherries, aromatic herbs, perhaps a touch of incense. Mineral. On the palate is light-bodied, enjoyable, fresh, and closes on a grapefruit-cranberry note, with good length. Tannins are light and well delineated. It has 14% alcohol, but it isn't felt. Quite good and enjoyable, different. **

Rosso porpora. Frutti rossi, liquirizia e spezie al naso, con perfetta corrispondenza in bocca dove è caratterizzato da una bella spalla acida e tannini ancora da smussare.

Popped and poured. Tightly knit nose with liquorice, medicinal notes, meat, brooding dark fruit, tar and ashes as well as traces of truffle-like mushroom character. Medium bodied palate with strong acidic current, tight tannic grip and tart dark and red berries. Chewy dark liquorice from mid-palate on and strong smoke-graphite-ashes action in the brooding aftertaste. Long. Extremely dry style. Very nice. Excited to taste this again tomorrow. 2nd day: brighter fruit with raspberry brightess pushing through, beautifully balanced, sour fruit …

Lean and balanced without too much depth. Supple texture, slightly rich fruit, and nice acidity. Good with meatballs.

Third Annual Donato Enoteca 100 Italian Wine Event (Donato Enoteca, Redwood City, California) : Dark ruby color; redolent, dried berry, savory, tart plum, smoke nose; tasty, tight, tart black fruit, tart currant palate; needs 6-plus years; medium-plus finish

Almost pure croatina from old vines, educated in small and large barrels. Dark, brooding nose with iron minerals, tarry notes (charred juniper wood), dark sour cherries, blueberries and lingonberries. Very fresh and firmly structured wine, with equal measures acids, tannins and power, and slightly inky in the vein of a cool northern-rhône syrah. The sweet fruit emerges, and the tannins soften, after two hours or so. Even though it's interesting to try right away, this wine obviously needs airtime, food …

Great food wine. Much lighter than I anticipated, but then I never had wine made from Croatina grapes. Structure, acidity all there. Nicely balanced, and the fruit, while present, tastes of lighter berries -- not a very heavy and dark blackberry kind of fruit, but more like a mix of blueberries and cranberries - sounds strange, but this is a really nice wine!