Vino da Tavola Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon

Here's the story as presented, without any fact checking so I'm sure others will identify some mistakes... The winemaker was known as "the hermit of Lazio" as he went about making wines in his own way, built to age, and building up a vast library as he had little interest in selling his bottles. He made arrangements to sell his wine to a broker when his health was failing. The other act he took in the last months ahead of his death was to rip up all his vines because his daughter and heir married into a well known winemaking family that he didn't like and he couldn't face the prospect of them making his wine. This wine is a unicorn.

Earthy and slightly rustic, it retains red fruit qualities though rose, tar and tobacco dominate. It is an interesting wine with a fascinating story.

Found on the Maialino wine list, which is filled with gems from the reference points to the obscure.

I wish I could properly describe the pleasant taste so I don’t deter anyone when I say it smells like freshly laid cow manure but here we are. It has a spicy tartness to it, maybe similar to those mango lime salsas where it could be good but the mango is just confusing.
Thank you @James Forsyth for letting us taste!