The opaque purple-colored 2000 Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot Moda, made in the Amarone style (meaning raisined grapes fermented when they are high in sugar), boasts notes of licorice, plums, figs, black currants, and background spicy new oak. This distinctive wine is large-framed, with considerable body, glycerin, and extraction. With sweet tannin in addition to well-integrated acidity, this chewy blend does not taste like an Amarone, but it is clearly very ripe. Drink it over the next 10-12 years.Imported by USA Wine West LLC, San Rafael, CA; tel. (800)-485-5753, for John Larchet, The Australian Premium Wine Collection