92(+?) Points | International Wine Cellar , September/October 2003

($83; a blend of aglianico and piedirosso) Bright ruby-red. Smoky, roasted nose features cherry pit, tobacco, iron, lead pencil, currant leaf, creosote, menthol and pine resin; smells a bit like Haut Brion. Then dense and powerful in the mouth, with pungent, oaky dark berry flavors complicated by tar, tobacco, resin and smoke. A superconcentrated, extremely wild wine with a rather claret-like texture, powerful soil character and strong, slightly bitter hints of oaky torrefaction. The huge, very long and thoroughly untamed finish features big, chewy tannins and notes of dark berries and dried herbs. I was somewhat put off by this wine's bitter oakiness and impression of strong extraction but was impressed by its vibrancy. (Winebow, Inc., Hohokus, NJ)

94 Points | Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate