Riserva Le More Castel del Monte Nero di Troia

Colour: almost no transparency, dark red, violet.
Nose: quite ripe and concentrated nose of red and black fruit (raspberry, red/black cherries, plums), notes of violet and red pepper, old wood bark, pine wood, vanilla, Mediterranean spices, bay leaves.
Palate: medium body, moderate acidity (not a lot), quite warm at the palate but not too much. Red fruit coming through (raspberry, red cherries), tannins quite evident, and quite strong, wool-like tannins and astringency. Rustic feeling. More astringent in the finish.

A terrific wine recommended to us by Tony Sasa, owner of Enoteca Ponte Vecchio (best wine shop in Florence!). Has an intense but restrained nose of blue and black fruits. Was a bit closed on the palate at first - probably needs decanting or, better yet, a few more years in bottle - but once it opened up it was full-bodied, balanced, and not nearly as tannic as I was initially expecting. Great complement to our mushroom ravioli/tomato-sausage ragu dinner!