2006 Madigan Montepulciano

I have two of these and just opened the first.  I bought it without tasting it first, which I try to avoid, but it came on a strong recommendation from my friendly Wine Man, David Maggard.  It's rare to find a California Montepulciano.  Word is that the vines were grafted from a winery in Tuscany.   It's always fun to see what happens when you take an Old World varietal and plunk it down in Napa. Usually, the wines are big and intense, and this one is no exception.  It WILL be excellent.  Big, dusky, a hint of cherry.  Right now, though, it's really, really tightly closed, even after decanting.  It turned out to be enjoyable with a pasta in a strongly flavored sauce with Italian sausage, but I am going to put a sticky note on the 2nd bottle that says "Open in 2015".  Be advised.