The 2016 Poggio ai Merli is gorgeous. That's the short and the long of it. Merlot shows some of its best performances ever in Tuscany in the 2016 vintage. This wine is exceedingly smooth and silky, yet its tightly knit fiber supports a generous profile that ranges from dark cherry to spice, to tobacco and fresh potting soil. On the palate, the wine is rich and large in scope, yet it never leaves behind any residual heaviness. Castellare di Castellina has created a true beauty (with only 4,000 precious bottles made).