One of my all-time favorite Italian wines and I revisit it when I dine at various restaurants with deep Italian lists because I know it will be there and typically after perusing the entire list carefully I will just go back and order the Crognolo.  Drink it *maybe* once a year and have done so for at least a decade–its just such a fun wine.  Not an expensive Super-Tuscan either.  Usually 50-60 dollars on a resty list so that puts it somewhere in 20-25 dollar-range in a shop and maybe 30 full retail?  Probably my second-favorite Italian Wine after the Finisterre–which just boggles beyond words.  The Crognolo boggles in terms of ‘goodness’ in a lot of little areas which add up to an impressive package.  Deep, bright, staining ruby with thin purple edges.  A nose so full and round and deeply-fruited you can not believe you are holding a Sangiovese.  Ok, to be honest it is 10% Merlot and I suppose that component could–at best–contribute maybe 20-30% of the profile but that would be stretching it.  Merlot just isn’t that powerful.  Lovely deep briar and steminess in the nose as well.  So stemmy, some of the very-drying tannin come through in the nose.  I should note:  This is easily the youngest Crognolo I have had.  They seem to get younger and younger.  This is the problem with the day-and-age of our wine consumption and naturally, as a wine popularizes, the curve between release and consumption shortens.  I remember these being 4-5 years old when I first discovered them, then 3 or 4… now I was actually really hesitant to even ORDER this one because of the BARELY-TWO-YEARS under its belt!  Just a crime–especially considering once the full-round, spicy, just AMAZINGLY fruited and oaked mouth gets about halfway through its travels, the afore-mentioned searing, drying tannins–not massive, blistering ones, but def something to take notice of–take over and carry this thing way off into an amazing sunset.  I know I should branch out and try a lot of different Italian wines at places with deep lists, but oh man! it is just so hard when this yummy thing is just sittin there smilin at me.  13-5  ♦♦♦