Notes from August Imports:

"To say “a great wine from Lazio” is usually a misnomer. Italia’s greatest city, Rome, may be the center of the Ancient World, but the wines have historically left a lot to be desired. Not anymore! Cesanese, Lazio’s most important variety, is thriving at Compagnia di Ermes, a tiny boutique estate nestled high in the Apennine foothills. Spiced cherry, pomegranate, fig, and dark currants are surrounded by firm, dusty tannins in this full-bodied (yet unoaked) Superiore. Just 3000 bottles made.

Perched high in the dreamy village of Olevano Romano, this rustic, 3-hectare estate is run by longtime friends and winemaking patners, Silvestro Colli and Mariano Mampieri. Together with their daughters, they focus almost solely upon Rome's most important historical red grape: Cesanese."