Barone Ricasoli, Toscana IGT (Tuscany, Italy) 2008

 One of the more interesting wines on the market, this is a single-vineyard, 100% Merlot that doesn’t list the grape variety anywhere on the bottle.  Baron Francesco Ricasoli says, "We are not selling varietal wines.  We are selling terroir wines.  If people buy this because they want Merlot, they will be disappointed." That’s most likely true:  The aromas of cherry with some herbaceousness might fit on Bordeaux’s Right Bank, but the mouthfeel is unique, featuring the fine acidity of Chianti with the gentle tannins of Merlot.  The flavors are mostly of cherry, with some cherry tobacco notes, and that acidity allows you to drink it with foods you would never imagine opening Merlot with.  "This is Merlot, but it’s speaking the language of Brolio," Ricasoli says.  It’s a positive example of internationalization providing not a generic wine that could come from anywhere, but a great new type of wine that we hadn’t previously imagined.