The estate's entry-level 2006 Poggio alla Guardia is a fresh, vinous offering with pretty notes of dark fruit, herbs, licorice and spices. Some green elements remain, yet I sense with a little more ripeness this is a wine that might merit a higher score. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2011.
This ambitious young property located in Maremma continues to show significant improvement. Proprietor Paolo Panerai's newest project is an as yet unreleased 100% Merlot designed to compete with the region's elite bottlings. It will be very interesting to see what he and oenologists Alessandro Cellai and Christian Le Sommer come up with.
Importer: Vias Imports, New York, NY; tel. (212) 629-0200