Extremely aromatic with black currant, strawberry and cherry. Some rosemary. Full body, ultra-fine tannins and a gorgeous finish. Bright acidity. It came from all the hillside vineyards. This shows lovely potential and balance. Delicate and fine. Much better than anticipated considering the cool and wet growing season in Tuscany.

A difficult vintage that required more green harvest than normal and leaf plucking round the fruit in June because of disease pressure. 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc. Fermented in tank with indigenous yeasts. 11-15 days' vatting (longer than usual). Aged 24 months in French oak. Bottled in the last week. I had the impression that owner Priscilla Incisa Della Rocchetta and importer Armit were being a little bit defensive about this vintage - pre-empting suggestions that it was a poor vintage. But I don't think they needed to be. Deep garnet. Smoky, dark and restrained on the nose. Lots of cassis but also a lightly savoury/meaty Italianate quality. Rounded and just a little chewy. Very approachable on the palate but not very expressive on the nose. Lively, elegant and long. Firm but not resistant tannins, finely textured. Rich fruit on the finish. Moderate length. Very fresh. Coming back to this after tasting the 2002 from magnum (the winemaker thought it was a good comparison to show the way a vintage similar to 2014 had aged), this seemed refined and elegant. Juicy and still dry on the finish. Very mouth-watering and makes you want to drink more. It may be a less powerful style than in some years but a significant achievement in 2014 in an attractive, balanced style. 17.5/20 Points (JH)