This is a phenomenal wine with blackberries, black olives, orange, and spices on the nose and palate. It's full-bodied and super silky with a very long and rich finish, yet powerful and bright. Not heavy. It remains so intense and structured. I can’t make up my mind for the moment if I like it better than the 2007, but it could be in the long run. So long and racy. Incredible. Pure Merlot. Give it five to six years of bottle age.

The 2008 Redigaffi is impeccable in its elegance and polish. Dark cherries, licorice, espresso and mocha meld together beautifully in this textured, fleshy wine. Despite its sophisticated personality, there is plenty of tannin lurking underneath to provide support. This is a beautifully round, opulent, yet impeccably balanced wine of the highest level. Smoke, minerals, licorice and tar wrap around the intense finish. Redigaffi remains a unique and powerful expression of Merlot from the Tuscan coast. Anticipated maturity: 2018-2028. AG

(100% merlot) Bright, deep ruby. Exhilarating nose combines wild berries, smoky plum, sage and flowers. Wonderfully dense and sweet, with a captivating light touch to the flavors of ripe black and red fruits, coffee and sweet spices. The wine's oak-derived vanilla is a bit more present today than in most young vintages of Redigaffi, but the terrific core of ripe acidity really extends the finish and contributes lift. The tannins are extremely smooth and fine-grained. Much less herbal than the '07, this is a great vintage for Redigaffi.

The 2008 Redigaffi feels much less ripe; the flavours are slightly green, with wild bramble, blackberry and cool, dark berry fruits. 2008 was in fact a hot vintage but there was little temperature difference between day and night in September, which has affected the accumulation of flavours and aromas as well as phenolic ripeness - the tannins are a little firmer than typical and do not feel completely ripe. I would keep this a bit longer before approaching it but I'm not sure if it’s ever going to come round and achieve great harmony.

This is the second of two bottles in this Tua Rita retrospective that did not live up to expectations. Two out of 26 are darn good odds, though. The other one was the 1998. Jumping forward 10 years, the 2008 Redigaffi comes from a hot vintage, and the results are a bit flabby and heavy. This is an open-knit, loosely textured wine with dark fruit, crushed mineral and pencil shavings on the bouquet. It has lost it shape at this point in time.