Valentini, Montepulciano d'Abruzzo 1992, 75cl

"Saturated ruby. Knockout aromas of black and red raspberry, cocoa powder, game and toast. Sappy, spicy black raspberry fruit has an almost confectionery sweetness and a glyceral texture.  Finishes quite long, with spice and pepper notes and lush tannins. Less concentrated and structured but also much more accessible than the extraordinary '90 and '88 vintages at the same stage of their development. Valentini is reportedly considering selling future vintages only in Italy as a protest against the endless paperwork that must be done to export even the tiniest quantities to other markets."  Stephen Tanzer, Vinous.com, Jan 1999