This is the top-shelf red blend from Calabria's Librandi. The 2016 Gravello is a blend of 60% Gaglioppo and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon aged in barrique for 12 months. Some 90,000 bottles were produced. Since the last time I tasted this wine (a few years back), I found this vintage to be nicely focused and sharp with dark fruit intensity. This is a mid- to full-bodied red wine with firm tannins and a touch of cherry sourness or bitterness on the close.

The 2012 Gravello is a food-friendly blend of Gaglioppo and Cabernet Sauvignon from the deep south of Italy. The bouquet seems to favor the soothing and classic aromas often presented by Cabernet Sauvignon. These include dark berries, black olive, spice and dried tobacco leaf. Those trademark Gaglioppo characteristics of tight tannins and some bitterness are more apparent in the mouth. This wine makes great use of the individual traits of both varieties.

The 2006 Gravello (60% Gaglioppo, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon) is a delicious, mineral-infused wine loaded with black fruits, cassis, smoke and mint. It also happens to be an incredibly refined wine from Calabria. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2012. Librandi is a good source for wines based on Calabria’s unique, quirky varieties. A Leonardo Lo Cascio Selection, Winebow, Montvale, NJ; tel. (201) 445-0620

Librandi’s 2004 Gravello is a gorgeous wine. A blend of 60% Gaglioppo and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, this long, super-ripe red offers an enticing array of dark cherries, spices, tobacco and leather in a full-bodied, generous style. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2010. Importer: Winebow, Hohokus, NJ; tel. (201) 445-0620

The 1999 Gravello, Gaglioppo and Cabernet Sauvignon, is dark in color, international in flavor with its oak spices and cassis fruit, and concentrated and large in size. Drink: 2005-2012. Importer: Winebow, Hohokus, NJ; tel. (201) 445-0620