Luca Maroni’s Best Italian Wines 2003

De Conciliis
Zero 2000 91 Points

An excellent wine. It enters the palate softly, with fluid fruit and abundant massive, pulpy sweetness. Concentrated, giving solid impressions as well as softness. Made from mature fruit, the wine exhibits an extremely pleasurable flavor. It’s rare to find a contemporary wine this dense and light. Here is a perfect balance between softness and tannin, between freshness and sweetness. Concentrated, spicy, with aromas of blackberries. Produced with impeccable technical execution, the wine is clean, with well-defined aromas. This is a powerful wine.

De Conciliis
Naima 2000 90 Points

A large wine with a gustatory impact characterized by sweetness. Presents itself with complex flavors: concentrated cassis fruit, mint, and the sweet aromas from aging in new oak barrels. The sensations of cherries carry through in every phase of the tasting. On the palate, the wine is pulpy with mature fruit. The power of the alcohol gives the wine an intense and profound expression. Purple-black reflections demonstrate the wine’s freshness and force. Soft, fruity and spicy due to the rich quality of the grapes and the international vinification standards used to transform the grapes into wine.

Paternoster
Rotondo 2000 84 Points

No longer orange and brick-red in color due to excessive enological development, the wine presents itself as a dark purple, much like that of the fruit that produces it. This extends substantially the potential longevity of this pulpy champion. Aromas incorporate lightly dried fruits to blackberries. Sensations of oak are well-pronounced, with notes of vanilla and woodland fruits. Excellent density. Superior passage along the palate, warm and voluminous. Fruity and spicy, with soft tannins. Long, warm, persistent finish. The best version of the Aglianico by this practiced producer.

Ronco del Gnemiz
Rosso del Gnemiz 1999 84 Points

Sensations of big, new, purple-black fruit. The almost black color and opacity of the wine predicts its excellent, full substance. The explosion of aromas is not limited to mere fruitiness. On the nose, there is a sweet, strong hint of spices, vanilla, and mint; hints that attest to a clear freshness and sensations of blackberries. On the palate are strong sensations of spicy tannins, with a soft, berry-like acidity. The clean, fresh definition of the aromas confirms the technical value of this exceptional wine, an example outside of its class.