1990 Podere Il Palazzino Grosso Senese -- dark ruby red with quite a bit of bricking at the edges, looks its age; nice nose of berry fruit and sage; very bright flavours of blackberry, sage, honey, lip-smacking acidity, quite silky; long berry finish, some fine tannins, with a bit of heat emerging at the end. About 90-91 pts. Although it's got enough acidity and fruit to go a couple more years, it's wide open right now and probably should be drunk up.

Served with grilled sage-and-sundried-tomato turkey sausages, and grilled polenta loaded with carmelized onions, a very nice match.

Looks like this one went from closed to tired without much of a drinking window. How does that happen?

This is the only time I've had this wine, Ron, so I'm not sure about the length of the drinking window, but as I wrote, it's drinking well now.

I infer that your experience with it has been different?

It was quite tannic in the late 90s, like a 3-5 year-old Brunello. I would have guessed now would be its prime window 2005-12. Not what I wanted to hear.