So, my first wine of ‘06 turns out to be… a drum roll, please… ‘99 Nozzole “Il Pareto”. (Actually, I guess there was some bubbly last night, but I overindulged a tad, so those don’t count! Mostly Ferrari Rose, iirc).

Okay, so this wine is completely opaque, with a whisper of dark garnet at the rim. The aromas are immediately of crushed blueberries, blackberries, and the like, but there’s also the toasty, dark roasted coffee notes typical of barrique aged cab sauv (which this is). Maybe a touch of cranberry and eucalyptus in there, too; in short, it smells great. The attack is focused and dense, with layers of rich, dark fruit, focused acidity, and some serious tannin. This is built and very ripe, with nary any of the herbal notes that often surface in cab sauv. No, just miles of ripe, saturated fruit. Beautifully detailed, this guy is just getting in stride, and could use a few years to “resolve” these tannins. The finish is very long and fruity, sporting etheral oak highlights. Impressive to awesome. I just might finish this one tonight…