2002 Calvari

I was literally blown away by the 2002 Calvari (magnum), from one of the most difficult harvests of the last decade pretty much everywhere in northern Italy, including Friuli. Then again, I shouldn't have been too surprised given the superb showing of Miani's 2002 Merlot when I last tasted it a year ago. The 2002 Calvari needs time in the glass to come together, but when it does it turns into a spectacular bottle of wine. Fresh, floral red berries, sweet herbs, spices and minerals are some of the nuances that emerge over time. This is a Calvari built on aromatics and structure. I expect that it will develop along the lines of the 1995, also from a cold vintage, which is to say that the intensity of the fruit will melt away over time and that this will be a relatively early drinking vintage, something that should be welcomed with great enthusiasm by readers holding some of the other vintages that will take considerably longer to come around. Still, I could not help note how the wine became virtually explosive on the finish after several hours. The 2002 was one of the wines that developed and transformed most positively over the several hours I followed it.