While I don't have a tremendous amount of experience with Italian wines, I've had my fair share of Italian reds. Generally, I have found them similar in character to what I'd expect from a Chianti.

When I was told that this was a blend, I took an interest. I have had some Italian blends like Villa Antinori Rosso IGT Toscana 2002 that were, as expected, reminiscent of Chianti. I have nothing against Chianti, but I've found it somewhat difficult to drink unless paired with a dish like pasta with a tomato sauce. There's something of a bite in there that is just a bit much for me otherwise.

“This is a little bit different,” I was told. “Old vines—over one hundred years. Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Petit Verdot...”

Okay, so I was in.

The wine was a bit tight upon first opening but opened up quite nicely and became interesting indeed. None of the Chianti-like bite in there. I was put in mind of the more interesting blends from California or perhaps Bordeaux. Wonderfully drinkable, pairing nicely with food but working well to get things going all on its own.

So, let's run the numbers. It turns out that I got most of the story, but not all of it. It breaks down to forty-seven percent Cabernet Franc, thirty-two percent Merlot, twelve percent Cabernet Sauvignon, three percent Petit Verdot, four percent Cesanese, and two percent Uva di Troia. It would figure that it would be the last two varietals (that were forgotten in the process of the sale) that are more uniquely Italian.

Tenuta di Trinoro Le Cupole was a new one for me but my bottle of the 2005 was a good one and should be one that you try if you'd like to get a sample of good stuff from Italy that might be different from what you'd otherwise expect.