The "cinque autoctoni" refers to the five indigenous southern Italian grapes that make up this blend: Montepulciano, Primitivo, Sangiovese, Negroamaro and Malvasia Rossa. I'm not a big fan of Sangiovese which always seems a bit thin and acidic to me, but it's only a small part of this blend, which has a beautiful smooth mouthfeel. Dark fruit, but not a fruit-driven wine, with a smoky finish. After an hour it opened up and reminded me of a Brunello (not that I've had very many of those). It's been a while I tried it but this is a wine that has stuck with me.
The 2004 is no longer available, but the 2005 is on the shelves. Note: because of some bizarre Italian wine law, they're not allowed to give a vintage for this wine (I think because it isn't the approved blend for the region). So, instead of giving a vintage, they provide a "series number" - and luckily, that number just happens to be the same as the year in which the wine was made. But the number only appears on the back of the bottle - just so the authorities know it's just a random number, and not some sneaky way of getting around the anti-vintage law.
I hesitate a bit with the value rating as it's been a long time since I tried this wine, but I'm going to give it a 4/5 and a Recommended because it is an unusual style of wine - if you're looking for something different this might be for you. In any event, will someone please try the "2005 series" of this wine and let me know how it is!
PS - we tried the 2006 at the Wine Expo and found it to be somewhat disappointing.
Price: $40.48
Value: 4/5
Score: 90
Tasted: November 2007
ANBL UPC: 8019873924407
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