TUA RITA REDIGAFFI 750ML 2018

A very refined red with super integrated tannins and polished and caressing texture. Medium to full body. Tight and focused. Gorgeous finish.

This is a precious release of just 411 magnums. The Tua Rita 2018 Redigaffi 7 Magnum represents the second edition of a wine that was only ever made before in 2013. The exact DNA of the wine is shrouded in mystery, as 2,700 vines were planted in 1988 and the clones used have never been fully identified. These especially concentrated clusters of Merlot have produced an ambitious wine of soaring intensity and lasting power. The bouquet reveals pressed blackberry and cherry liqueur with spice, leather and cured tobacco. The wine is explosive and opulent, and it will surely delivers lots of pleasure and comfort to the few of us lucky enough to taste it.

This Redigaffi reflects beautifully the 2018 vintage with its cool spring, mild summer and slower, well-balanced, late ripening season. It's a lithe and lively wine, perhaps less concentrated than some other vintages but very bright, vivid and accessible. On the nose it is sweetly fragrant with digestive biscuit, light toast and intense blackberry aromas. The palate is smooth, medium-full and delightfully creamy, with espresso coffee notes wrapped caressingly around blackberry fruit. Another great example of a beautifully managed vintage, with no greenness and almost invisible ripe tannins. Incredibly harmonious.

The 2018 Redigaffi is another terrific wine for drinking today. Now with a few years in bottle, the 2018 possesses lovely aromatic intensity and complexity to play off a core of dark-toned fruit. Black cherry, gravel, spice, new leather, licorice, chocolate and espresso build nicely with time in the glass. I would not push my luck on aging too far, but the 2018 is in a fine place today. Its balance is impeccable.