Rivetti's blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Nebbiolo, the 1999 Pin Monferrarto Rosso, is an exotic, ripe, luxuriously intense effort displaying extravagant flavors that border on excess. It is voluptuously-textured with intense aromas of red and black fruits, smoke, and new oak. While there is a tendency to think of this as an internationally-styled offering, Nebbiolo gives the wine a finesse and complexity not found in most new breed wines. Its texture, richness, and thickness are a total turn-on. Who knows how it will age, but certainly it is impossible to resist at present. My instincts suggest drinking it over the next 7-8 years, but it may be uncommonly long-lived.
A Marc de Grazia Selection, various American importers, including Michael Skurnik, Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300, Vin Divino, Chicago, IL; tel. (773) 334-6700, and Estate Wines, Ltd., San Rafael, CA; tel. (415) 492-9411