The 2005 Villa Gresti (90% Merlot, 10% Carmenere) is elegant and harmonious as it caresses the palate with tons of super-ripe dark fruit, grilled herbs, minerals and new leather. The wine turns brooding on the palate, as notes of scorched earth, smoke and tobacco emerge, adding further complexity. This is a very serious and totally delicious wine from Tenuta San Leonardo. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2023. This is an impressive set of wines from San Leonardo, a historic property that was an early advocate of French varieties in Italy. In recent years the house style has tended towards more concentration, and that, along with increasingly warmer growing seasons, has led to series of important wines, most notably in recent vintages of the flagship San Leonardo.Importer: Vias Imports, New York, NY; tel. (212) 629-0200

The 2004 Villa Gresti is 90% Merlot and 10% Carmenere aged in French oak. This is a very pretty red endowed with layers of ripe dark fruit, herbs, cassis and toasted oak. Today the tannins come across as a little rough around the edges, but this is a property with a strong track record for making ageworthy wines and I wouldn’t be surprised to see this wine improve quite a bit with a few years of bottle age. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2014. Tenuta San Leonardo has been on a roll of late. These are among the strongest wines I have tasted from this property.Importer: Vias Imports, New York, NY; tel. (212) 629-0200

The 2003 Villa Gresti (90% Merlot, 10% Carmenere) is a plump, juicy wine with a soft core of sweet dark fruit along with herb and tobacco flavors that develop in the glass. It reveals excellent length, yet the presence of early tertiary notes indicate it won’t be especially long-lived. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2009. Tenuta San Leonardo is one of Trentino’s historic estates. The property has been owned by the Guerrieri Gonzaga family since the mid 18th century and winemaking is overseen by consulting oenologist Carlo Ferrini.Importer: Vias Imports, New York, NY; tel. (212) 629-0200