The house has never been tempted by the sirens’ song of Bordeaux varieties, but many different grapes are under experimentation in the vineyards and the 2000 Outsider uses Cabernet and Merlot. It is the former which gives the wine its character with its black currant fruit, sweet herbs, tar, and graphite. The concentrated structure, the important tannic support, and the grip and bite of the finish are those of a Medoc wine, though notably more alcoholic and warm. Drink: 2006-2018. One of the greatest pleasures in my professional life over the past fifteen years has been the discovery of the wines of Marco Caprai and, through him, the tremendous potential of Sagrantino, at the time a totally unknown grape which no one, even in the wildest stretch of his imagination, could have ever considered a variety capable of giving some of Italy’s greatest wines. Some of Italy’s most important professionals work here, Leonardo Valenti of the University of Milan in the vineyards, Attilio Pagli in the cellars, but, in the last analysis, it is the owner who counts, the man - a very young one at the time – who decided he wanted to make great wine and put the capital and energy to work to realize the dream. Importer: Villa Italia, San Francisco, CA; tel. (650) 873-6060