($159, Empson USA): The 2016 Il Nocio is an extraordinary wine. Boscarelli is one of the top producers — some would say THE top producer — of Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. Il Nocio, from the vineyard of the same name, is their top wine. The 2016 is exceptional, but I repeat myself. Crystalline and pure, it delivers hints of cherries and plenty of minerality. Though not a fruity wine, it is plush, but not soft. Indeed, there’s a beauty in its austerity. Then, all of a sudden, it’s no longer austere, but mouth-filling. A long and elegant wine, the 2016 Il Nocio reveals more with each sip after time in the glass. Its super suave texture is deceptive because it’s lovely to drink now, but the 2016 Il Nocio is a wine to age. Their website notes, “The aging potential of our Nocio is measured in decades. . .” From my experience, the 2004 Il Nocio was just starting to show maturity in 2013, at a decade of age, and the 1996 was magnificent at 17 years of age at that same 2013 tasting. So, I’d put the 2016 in a deep corner of your cellar.96 Michael Apstein Jul 21, 2020