2011 - Rosso Centa Borgo del Tiglio, Collio

This special wine is released once every three years or so. The 2012, 2013 and 2014 vintages were not produced, and at the time of my visit to the estate last year, the jury was still out regarding possible production of 2015 and 2016. But the 2011 Collio Rosso della Centa (a pure expression of Merlot) is in the market now, and it is beautiful, fresh and bright. Both sample bottles I tasted showed beautiful intensity with some mild herbal definition, licorice and wild berry. This is a delicate work of elegance, both streamlined and silky. The exciting cherry-berry intensity you get on first nose is dazzling, but the wine reveals many more layers of spice and mineral to follow. The grapes are fermented in open-top oak casks, and the wine is aged in French barrique for four years. A mere 1,200 bottles were produced.

An aromatic blend of crushed black cherries and blueberries complemented by exotic spices and tobacco wafts up from the 2011 Rosso della Centa. This prances across the palate, energetic and mineral-like, with tart wild berry fruits enhanced by brisk acidity. The 2011 finishes with lingering tension and adolescent tannins, leaving licorice and inner rose nuances to fade.