With a dark appearance and the bold concentration of a hot vintage, the Illuminati 2017 Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Colline Teramane Riserva Zanna plays up its dense flavors of black fruit, spice and sweet earth. The bouquet is very generous, and this large-scale approach gives this wine plenty of latitude for grilled meat dishes. Some 40,000 bottles were made.

The Illuminati 2013 Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Colline Teramane Riserva Zanna offers black fruit, plum, spice, tar and an aged hint of licorice or ash. This wine unwinds in Slavonian oak cask for two years, an aging process that adds to the polished or dusty quality of its mouthfeel. This is a mid-weight red with smooth elegance and grace. It would make a friendly companion to some grilled porcini or portobello mushrooms. Some 45,000 bottles were released.

Among Dino Illuminati's Montepulciano-based reds, the 2010 Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Colline Teramane Riserva Zanna is the most distinctive. Compared to the others, Riserva Zanna is riper and bolder with thicker extraction and a larger framework. The bouquet is redolent of blackberry, currant, Indian spice, Graham cracker and smoked bacon. Everything feels bigger about this wine including the mouthfeel. Only the persistency holds back and the wine is moderately short on the mid-palate. There is a touch of tight tannic astringency as well.

I find the estate’s 2008 Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Colline Teramane Riserva Zanna even more compelling than the Zanna, although it is less expensive. Firm yet well-integrated tannins give the wine much of its backbone and verve. Here the fruit is ripe, but not as sweet or opulent. Juicy black cherries, flowers, mint and licorice flow through to the vibrant, utterly impeccable finish. This is a fabulous showing from Illuminati. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2018. Illuminati excels with a style that places considerable emphasis on textural richness and intensity. When they are on, the Illuminati wines are exciting and full of personality. Importer: Montcalm Wine Importers, New York, NY; tel. (212) 602-7700

The 2007 Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Riserva Zanna is a selection from some of the estate's oldest vineyards that spends two years in oak. The 2007 reveals gorgeous detail and nuance along with the Illuminati's signature textured expression of fruit. Hints of tar, smoke and licorice add complexity as the fruit wraps around the palate on the long finish. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2022. Illuminati is a good source for bold Montepulciano and Montepulciano-based reds. Importer: Tricana Imports, Plainview, NY; tel. (516) 935-4080