"MLV" stands for Masseria Li Veli. The 2011 MLV is a blend of 85% Negroamaro and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon. I have very much enjoyed this wine in the past, but the 2011 edition falls short of my expectations. The wine is enriched and dark in appearance, although it lacks depth and definition when put to the taste test. The bouquet is redolent of sweet raspberry and cherry. Both grapes used in this blend taste overripe and chewy.

The 2009 MLV is 60% Negroamaro and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon. Black cherries, smoke, licorice and incense are woven together nicely in this exuberant, flashy wine. Firm tannins provide a sense of structure, balancing the opulent, jammy fruit with considerable structure. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2017. Li Veli is one of the most exciting wineries to come on the scene in the last few years. The Falvo family has done a great job ratcheting up the quality following their sale of Avignonesi in Montepulciano. As has been the case since Li Veli was founded, many of the gems in this range are found at the more modest price points. Importer: Dalla Terra, Napa, CA; tel. (707) 259-5405

The 2008 Salento Masseria Li Veli is made from the estate's oldest vines. Like so many wines from the South, sometimes too much of a good thing is, well, too much. This is a dark, powerful wine packed with fruit. Excessive oak dominates the balance and leaves the wine with unnecessarily harsh tannins. Bottle age is unlikely to make a material difference. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2023. This is a promising set of wines from Li Veli. It will be interesting to see what the Falvo family comes up with now that they have fully exited Avignonesi and are free to focus on their Puglia property. This year I tasted two new sweet wines that are clearly modeled on the legendary wines the family made at Avignonesi, but with much shorter aging.Importer: Dalla Terra, Napa, CA; tel. (707) 259-5405