This wine is a No-Brainer. Jim Winston, our head of fine wine, put this piece together on it and I could not have said it better. The wine is peaking to perfection, a classic vintage and impossible to find. The wine is made by Franco Bernabei who makes one of the all-time greats Fontodi’s Flaccianello and at the price cannot be beat. This is your opportunity to experience Tuscany in all it’s Glory.

On Wednesday John took the Grapes Team to Long Island to the warehouse of America's leading Importer of Italian wine. We tasted. And tasted. Ate some provolone and crusty bread imported from Arthur Avenue. Tasted some more. We found "gems"... and a couple of wines will find their way into the Grapes Portfolio. But there is one wine that I have to recommend to you before the wine gets out there (and John decides to blast email it to the prison population).

The '97 Tuscan wines were released to fanfare and wide acclamation of their greatness. Perhaps, the finest Tuscan vintage in the 20th Century. Now, 13 years after vintage we have seen how correct the pundits were... no longer is it speculation. The '97s are drinking fabulously. Folks who put some away are reaping the rewards of their astute buying.

When we went to the warehouse, little did we expect to find anything from the '97 vintage. We tasted thru some top current release wines, and then the Terreno Riserva '97. The earth "moved" and we all agreed that it was stunning. The wine was drinking to perfection! And the wine will drink superbly over the next 5 - 10 years. Call it Lady Luck. We grabbed everything and left town. Now I can share our luck with you!

The Terreno winery is located in the heart of the Classico Zone and since 1988, the Estate is owned by the Ruhne family from Stockholm. The farm covers 150 hectares of which 25ha are planted to vine. The vineyards are planted over thin, rocky soil with a mixture of sand, clay shale in the sub-soil that is also rich in lime.The Riserva is made of 90% Sangiovese and 10% Canaiolo Nero. Harvested by hand, the must was cool fermented on its skins for 12 days to maximize flavour extraction and freshness of the fruit. The wine was aged in a combination of barriques, larger oak barrels and tank for 18 months. The wine is sinfully aromatic with deep black cherry and spicy notes. On palate excellent depth of dark fruit with an earthiness that is tinged by tobacco leaf. Incredibly supple, with a finish that recedes gracefully in the distance. The winemaking was led by Franco Bernabei (who makes wine at Felsina and Fontodi among others) and who has earned more Tre Bicchieri awards than any other winemaker.