Antichi Vigneti di Cantalupo Colline Novaresi Amagium, 2009

This is a Nebbiolo wine from the Novara Hills of the Northern Piedmont. Amagium is Latin for Ghemme, where the vines are located. Compared to Barolo and Barbaresco, it displays a lighter, more delicate and intriguing face of Nebbiolo.

Bright crimson, translucent. Even though it is nearing its 15th birthday, this wine still requires at least two hours of aeration to show its best. Cranberries, red raspberries, violets. Swirl and enjoy. Bright flavors on the palate: red berries, sour cherries and cinnamon. Very expressive in a graceful, elegant way. It's easy to identify the acid thrust that enlivens the wine, but the tannins are also there on the mid-palate and finish, delicate, lacey and full of ripe fruit flavors. One critic (Vinous) found the finish "Chambolle-like." I don't have that much experience with fine red Burgundy, but I find it heavenly.

I paid $15 at auction for this 2009. The current vintage can be found for about $20 a bottle--an incredible bargain.