Just as I was underwhelmed by the 2004 vintage, despite my high expectations, the 2005 Pàtrimo delivered a series of beautiful surprises that I did not anticipate. Elsewhere in Italy this was a hot year, but in Campania the vintage brought on conditions from some seriously elegant wines. The bouquet is finely stitched together with beautifully etched mineral notes that add incredible focus and depth. The wine is sightly evolved with licorice and tar, but it reveals none of the dirty or leathery tertiary aromas you sometimes get with Merlot. It delivers a bright point of acidity that gives life to the mouthfeel and helps the wine appear younger than it really is. The vintage was unique with a very dry and hot month of June, followed by a much cooler and wetter August. These contrasts served to prolong the growing season, thus giving more time for the full and generous aromas to develop. This wine gets better and better with each successive tasting during the course of its evolution. This is one of my favorite editions. With this vintage, the wine goes from an IGT Irpinia Rosso appellation to an IGT Campania designation.