The 2007 Vitiano (Sangiovese, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon) is a soft-textured, caressing red that blossoms on the palate with layers of perfumed red fruit and sweet French oak. This is an especially seamless and beautiful Vitiano that is particularly rewarding for its textural richness. Vitiano is typically bottled in several lots, all of which undergo malolactic fermentation in French oak. This is the first lot (0922) to be bottled. According to proprietor Riccardo Cotarella, the bottle variation that occasionally shows up in Vitiano is most likely attributable to the different amounts of time the various lots spend in bottle prior to arriving on the market. Clearly lots that have more time in bottle have the potential to show greater harmony than lots that have less time in bottle. That said, slight bottle variation issues here are a minor quibble for a wine that delivers so much value. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2012.Riccardo Cotarella’s numerous consulting engagements take him all over the world, but it is Falesco, his estate in the rolling hills of Umbria, that he calls home. Falesco is a family affair, with Cotarella’s brother Renzo, and daughter Dominga involved in running the winery. The sprawling property covers 670 acres, 370 of which are under vine. Quality is incredibly consistent when one considers that nearly 3 million bottles emerge from these cellars each year. Never one to rest on his laurels, Cotarella has several new projects in the works. One of the most intriguing of these is a Sagrantino he is making from three hectares of rented vineyards in Bevagna. The first vintage, 2006, will be released later this year.Importer:A Leonardo Lo Cascio Selection, Winebow, Montvale, NJ; tel. (201) 445-0620