WTN: 2001 Tenuta Cocci Grifoni "Le Torri" Rosso Piceno - Italy, Marches (4-1-2007) Alc. 13%; $13 retail; Imported by Empson.
Always on the lookout for a new tasting experience from Italy, I picked this up the other day at my favorite retail shop. Never had anything from the Marches before today.
The pure cedar bouquet unadulterated (!) by any fruit served as a lumber alert. Yet there is something on the nose that confirms its Italian origins. On the palate, there is a battle for dominance between the cedary oak and the tart cherry fruit flavor. Great mouthfeel. Good tannic phenols and acidity to balance the whole. To my tastes, it didn't speak of place - it could have come from Tuscany or Umbria as well as the Marches. I clearly had opened this a year or two too early, yet it was very good! Wish I had gotten more of this for the cellar.
Dave Mo