First time the boys at Muscedere have worked with the king of reds, and what a debut. Made from grapes taken from 3-year old vines, cropped down to 10 clusters per vine or one ton per acre. This wine is big in the fruit forward department, lots of cherry, raspberry and blackberry along with vanilla and herbs backing it up. The entry is sweet blackberry and raspberry with good tannin structure and balancing acidity. Aged 12 months in new French oak the wine shows signs of good ageability; alcohol was kept in check at 13.3%, though the hot growing season of 2007 would have had brix (sugar) levels high; and then there’s the big extended fruit finish. Only 75 cases made. Price: $30 – Rating: *****