This intense version reveals licorice, cherry, tar, leather and stony mineral aromas and flavors in spades. Fresh and savory, with a long, chalky feel on the finish. Shows fine potential and plenty of life ahead. Best from 2020 through 2033.

This is a special wine with its own cult following. The 2012 Gattinara San Francesco stands apart for its apparent fruit intensity and the extra density and richness that it so generously offers to the palate. Dark cherry and blackberry drive a long and exuberant finish.

The 2012 Gattinara San Francesco is powerful and dense in the glass. The dark stone fruit, espresso, licorice and leather notes fill out the wine's frame effortlessly. Although medium in body, the 2012 is endowed with potent tannins that look like they may very well outlast the fruit. I am not fully convinced by the wine's balance today.