2005 Cantine Cipressi "Macchiarossa" Tintilia, Molise

I picked up this wine at Wine Expo in Santa Monica for around 20$. The grape is so wacky--tintilia--that it isn't mentioned in Vino Italiano, or The Oxford Companion to Wine. There is also little about it on the internet, although Cantine Cipressi has a website. What I do know is that tintilia is native to Molise and has apparently been disregarded by most bulk producers because it's difficult to grow. Perhaps the "tin" portion is some Italian adaptation of Spanish "tinta?"Maybe it's related somehow to tinta fino, ie tempranillo? I don't know just a thought. It has somewhat similar characteristics, what with the spiciness and cherry.

Immediately on pulling the cork, you can smell this wine. Spicy, with lots of fruit and lots of intensity on the nose. Various spices, blueberry, plum, cherry, raspberry, maybe a bit of herb, a little earth, all shifting and swirling around. There's a lot of complexity. This wine has a great depth of sweet fruit flavors, with some vanilla, accompanied by a moderate level of tannin, and just the right amount of acidity to even out the structure of the wine. The finish is okay. Exciting to drink, because it keeps up offering something new with each sip and swirl. It has great bones, and is obviously very well made. This went great with pizza, although I'm not sure that that's the best match. Or maybe it is? By far the best wine that I've picked up from Wine Expo so far. A couple of the others, I've been somewhat indifferent about, but this one is definitely worth a look, espcially since it's way off the beaten path. B+/A-