La Mozza I Perazzi Morellino di Scansano

Wine: La Mozza I Perazzi Morellino di Scansano.

Grapes: Sangiovese (morellino) (90 percent), ciliegiolo (10 percent)

Region: Tuscany, Italy

Vintage: 2008

Price: $13.99

In the glass: La Mozza from Morellino di Scansano is a deep blood-ruby-red color with a dense semi-opaque core going out into a fine light reddish-violet rim definition with medium-high viscosity.

On the nose: The wine exudes tremendous crushed black fruit character with a soft underlying "buttery" streak, ripe black cherries, violet pastilles, molten licorice, spice box, tobacco and clean earth-driven minerals with just a hint of oak references.

On the palate: The wine is rich and vibrant with loads of crushed black fruits, cherries jubilee, phenolic compounds, black currant juice, huckleberry sauce, red raspberry sorbet, herbs and spices, minerals and hints of violets. The midpalate is just clean, bright fruit all the way through to the well-balanced and supple finish that lingers with yet more crushed raspberry character, hints of chalk and stone-ground cherries.

Odds and ends: What do you get if you take two parts superchefs Lidia Bastianich and Mario Batali and combine them with one of the hottest wine regions in Europe, the Maremma region on the Tuscan coast? You get a tasty wine like this La Mozza from the 75-acre vineyard of the same name. The Maremma region is a rugged, hilly area south of Siena and Chianti that can challenge winemakers, but the vineyard's 10-mile proximity to the Tyrrhenian Sea presents a moderating marine influence. It is no wonder that such illustrious producers as Antinori and Gaja have set up shop here, because the wines that come out are becoming known as "Super-Meds" referring to the proximity to the sea as well as a play on the already famous Super Tuscans. Clearly the aim was to create a wine that would work well with the cuisine that is served at all the restaurants of the Batali/Bastianich empire, and the partners have more than achieved that with this well-structured La Mozza wine that normally sells for more than $25. It can use opening up for about an hour before consumption, so try it with a good hearty spaghetti Bolognese. Drink it now through 2018.

Gil Lempert-Schwarz's wine column appears Wednesdays. Write him at P.O. Box 50749, Henderson, NV 89106-0749, or email him at gil@winevegas.com.