A strong effort, the 1996 Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Riserva del Nocio is a sweet, full-bodied, concentrated wine with obvious new oak, as well as ripe fruit, impressive glycerin and volume, and a long finish. An outstanding effort (assuming some of the obvious wood becomes better integrated over the next several years), it has 10-15 years of aging potential, but is already revealing complexity and sweet, ripe fruit. Importer: Empson, USA, Alexandria, VA; tel. (703) 684-0900