Birthdays on the wrong side of 45 can be a shock to the system, but gifts like this really ease the pain of it all. We drove our rental car to a suburban ‘Total Wine’ store in Northwest Vegas and came to find the largest and most extensive collection of bottles of fermented grape juice in existence. What can I say? If you’re going to go big, go all the way. We splurged.

This Nebbiolo based wine from Italy’s Piedmonte region has a deep garnet core moving to a thick ruby rim with consistent and even, yet elegantly light legs.  On the nose, it’s dry and subtle with aromas of plum, minerals, oak, vanilla and anise.

The palate is dry with medium acid, the silkiest of tannins, medium plus alcohol, a better than average body and intense flavours of red plum and ripe cherry with notes of licorice, leather and rocks.  Vegetal tones emerged including mushrooms, fall leaves and cool, damp earth. The finish is long and memorable.

This graceful wine is exquisitely balanced. Drinkable now, but can certainly be kept for years to come (8-10) as the tannins, acidity and fruit are so strikingly complex. A truly incredibly even-handed and sublime wine; WSET Outstanding.

Robert Parker has rated this as a 98 and Cellartracker has scores ranging from 92-96. Either way you strike it, it’s an absolutely tremendous wine to enjoy now or for years to come.  Makes turning 46 worth it!  Almost.