Incanto Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG

Grapes: Sangiovese (78 percent), canaiolo nero (20 percent), mammolo (2 percent)

Region: Tuscany, Italy

Vintage: 2005

Price: $10.99

In the glass: Incanto wine is a dark garnet-red color with a semi-opaque core going out into a fine garnet-tinged rim definition with high viscosity.

On the nose: The wine has a distinct note of cypress over black cherry fruit intermixed with earthy minty character, a touch of crushed black plum skins and hints of wood. But there also is a particular freshness emanating from the wine, with an underlying note of freshly tanned leather.

On the palate: Incanto is full-bodied with expansive crushed black cherries and plums, then notes of wood, earthy minerals and juniper, clearly influenced by the location of the vineyards that slope along the sides of the hills. The midpalate is classically Tuscan with dried cherry, herbs and woody black fruit with firm tannins and a good finish driven by chestnuts soaking in plum sauce.

Odds and ends: Sangiovese is the predominant grape in Incanto. According to the laws of the DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita), a wine has to contain at least 70 percent of this classic Tuscan varietal to be designated under the prestigious Vino Nobile di Montepulciano category. Drink it between now and 2010, and try it with lasagna.

Gil Lempert-Schwarz’s wine column appears Wednesdays. Write him at P.O. Box 50749, Henderson, NV 89016-0749, or e-mail him at gil@winevegas.com.