The 2006 Redigaffi is another deeply-colored, intense offering. Blueberries, blackberries, grilled herbs, minerals and French oak emerge with tons of inner sweetness as this beautifully delineated wine opens up in the glass. This gorgeous, sculpted Redigaffi possesses tons of harmony and class all the way through to the polished, energetic finish. Although the tannins are rather firm, they are virtually buried under the wine's fruit. This is an awesome effort from Tua Rita.

For Tua Rita, 2006 was generally a sunny growing season with a few showers during the summer that refreshed the vines and led to a long, slow ripening of the grapes. The 2006 Redigaffi has a very powerful, youthful style where the oak has not yet fully integrated. There are some sweet coconut and waxy notes but it opens up after some time to reveal spicy dark fruit and liquorice aromas. On the palate the fruit has a cool, blue fruit and green herb character with firm, upright tannins. This 2006 has a little less immediate charm than some of the other vintages, remaining a little more austere in style throughout the three-hour tasting.

A pure expression of Merlot, the 2006 Redigaffi feels a little too evolved or tertiary in the context of this quarter-century retrospective. There are vintages much older than this that have held up better. This was a hot growing season on the Tuscan coast, characterized by sunshine and cooling rain later on that helped to slow the ripening. Dried porcino mushroom, balsam herb, candied fruit and dried mint appear on the bouquet. Dig down deeper and you recognize the complexity and sheer power of this wine. Perhaps this vintage is fading at a faster pace than some of the others in this tasting. I shortened the suggested drinking window as a result.

Impenetrable dark ruby. Super Tuscan more than anything else, with deep fruit and oak and the first signs of tobacco and undergrowth, but with plenty of energy. A little bit pushed for concentration and with firm stalky tannins. Can probably age for a long time. (WS)