2006 Gabbro

The 2006 Gabbro (100% Cabernet Sauvignon) is a spectacularly ripe, opulent wine endowed with layers of fresh dark cherries, blackberries, smoke, minerals and French oak. This primary, dense wine exudes profound balance in all of its components, with phenomenal length on the palate and spellbinding purity in its fruit. The tannins build on the finish, suggesting the wine needs at least several years of aging before it offers its finest drinking. This is another superb achievement from Montepeloso. Anticipated maturity: 2016-2026. I have been following these 2006s from Montepeloso and proprietor Fabio Chiarellotto for three years. Now that the wines are in bottle their true potential is clearly evident. It appears I underestimated the 2006s from barrel, as all three offerings are showstoppers of the highest level. My scores from bottle are in some cases significantly higher than from barrel. The 2007s are also very beautiful; in fact Montepeloso is one of a handful of estates where the 2007s are very close in quality to the 2006s. I tasted the 2007s as final blends just prior to their bottling. Chiarellotto believes his wines shut down for several months after bottling so with his 2007s he added the final dose of SO2 in two stages, in between which he prepared the sample bottles I received. I chose to score the wines in parentheses to indicate that technically they were not fully finished. If history is any indication, I have tended to err on the side of excess caution when judging the wines at this early stage in their lives. This year Chiarellotto also has a new, entry-level wine, A Quo, that is sure to thrill Montepeloso fans looking for an alternative to the higher-end bottlings. In short, these are marvelous Tuscan reds that readers will absolutely not want to miss. Importer: The Rare Wine Co., Sonoma, CA; tel. (707) 996-4484

Hard as it may seem to believe, the 2006 Gabbro is even better. Even at this painfully young stage, it presents breathtaking continuity and length on the palate, as seamless, perfumed fruit is gorgeously framed by big, yet refined tannins. From start to finish this is an impressively endowed wine, with layers of richly-textured dark fruit, smoke, cassis, blackberries, mint, graphite and minerals. It is reminiscent of a Serralunga Barolo in the way it marries power with elegance, the proverbial iron fist in a velvet glove. The wine's opulence and ripeness will tempt readers to drink it young, but this Gabbro has the stuffing to go the distance. It is breathtaking. Gabbro is 100% old vine Cabernet Sauvignon