A sleek and racy red, with sculpted tannins providing fine definition for the tightly knit flavors of cherry and black raspberry, Mediterranean scrub, star anise and graphite. It's full-bodied and dense, with the flavor range slowly unfurling in the glass and on the palate. Best from 2023 through 2035. 1,000 cases made, 100 cases imported.

The 2013 Taurasi Cinque Querce is dark and intense, showing crushed black cherries and dusty dried roses, as wild herbal and earth tones evolve, along with a hint of animal musk. On the palate, velvety textures coat the senses, giving way to a tightly wound core of black fruit, minerals, and fine tannin, as the 2013 flexes its structural muscle. The finish is long and youthfully dry, gripping the senses, yet with airy floral tones and a hint of pretty blackberry fruit. This is in need of a few years to come together, but it has all of the raw ingredients to excel through medium-term cellaring.

A release of 10,616 bottles plus about 160 magnum bottles, the Salvatore Molettieri 2013 Taurasi Vigna Cinque Querce occupies a place far removed from primary intensity that is closer to full-on aged aromas. This is a well-structured and direct red wine with dusty tannins that cede to flavors of dried cherry, leather and spice. The wine is drinking nicely at the moment, and I don't see much reason to wait longer.