Felsina : Maestro Raro 2017

The Fèlsina 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Maestro Raro is a spicy, generous and intense expression of this beautiful French grape with a wild Tuscan spirit. You can't escape those notes of sage and Mediterranean herb, with Morello cherry, wild plum and blackberry that give this wine a deep sense of territorial identity that transcends its varietal character. I notice that plumpness and softness of the fruit, the succulence too, that is tied to the hot growing conditions of the vintage. The wine is open-knit and ready, and I recommend a shorter drinking window as a result (compared to previous vintages). Only 6,500 bottles were released.

A broad-shouldered style, matching blackberry, plum and graphite flavors to a solid structure. This is fresh and pretty well-balanced, with gravelly tannins shoring up the finish. Best from 2022 through 2038. 1,075 cases made, 500 cases imported.

A big, rich cabernet with lots of currant, coffee, chocolate and cedar aromas and flavors. It’s full-bodied, very chewy and concentrated. Needs time to soften. Try after 2022.

The 2017 Maestro Raro is a powerful, brooding wine. My impression is that as time goes by, Maestro Raro, which is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, becomes more and more a wine of the estate rather than a varietal wine; there is plenty of volume and depth in the dark fruit, but Maestro Raro is deeply marked by the wild, animal undertones that run through all of these wines. I would prefer to drink it over the next handful of years.

Dark, rich garnet. Little expression on the nose, closed. On the palate also reserved, juicy with grippy tannins, but it lacks fruit and is still finding itself; patience!