2010 Fattoria di Fubbiano, Aleatico Passito Dessert Wine (500ml) Lucca, Tuscany. As I mentioned above, Marco embraces both the old and the new in wine making. He is a thinker. I can't get enough of this guy every time I visit. Wait till you meet him; you will see what I mean. This is remarkable wine, as the Italians say a vino da meditazione. Well, I say drink this after dinner as a dessert alone or with a tart, some fresh fruit or ripe cheese. And think about setting up next to the fireplace as well. With this wine Marco uses the ancient varietal Aleatico, a grape of mysterious origin, but who cares, it's about the juice. Now he allows the grapes to fully ripen and then, cluster by cluster, places them in racks and allows them to dry in an airy barn before fermentation. This is the passito process. During the winter, daily inspection is required to yield only the healthiest grapes on the cluster. Anything off has to be removed. That's right, grape by grape. Very, very labor intensive. Marco is after the elusive extract of Aleatico fruit. Beginning to sound like Amarone? Yep, you got it. This yields a true nectar, wonderfully purple in color with scents of flowers like gardenia, and somehow other grape varieties (Muscat comes to mind). There is no shortage of power here bringing it all together. Serve in a port glass (1.5 oz. is all one needs) and savor away. Singular, delicious and a debut to the states.