GAJA COSTA RUSSI 2009, Piedmont

The licorice and violet notes on the nose are incredible, and the soft tannins made it so approachable right out of the bottle. Already complex but clearly has the structure to age another decade easily.

Opened this with some hesitation since I’m not usually a Piedmont guy, but the violet and licorice notes came through exactly as described, and the finish stayed silky for a good minute. It’s drinking beautifully now, and I can see why it’s built to last another fifteen years.

The nose alone is worth the price—violets and red berries leap out of the glass. Soft tannins make it dangerously easy to drink now, but I’m cellaring a few more to see how that licorice note deepens over the next decade.