anthony gismondi: 2019 maestoso

La Stella’s flagship red is Maestoso. The 100 percent merlot takes most of its fruit off the high terrace Lumeno Vineyard, north of Osoyoos. It’s a broader wine than the Allegretto, more along the lines of Washington State’s best labels. It spends 20 months in a mix of Slavonian, and French barriques and puncheons (60 percent new, but not that you notice it). Black plums and dark black cherries define its silky smooth palate awash in dense, refined sweet tannins that are only just settling in. Winemaker Severine Pinte is never heavy handed, so this wine, while rich, is light footed, and will be a super bottle down the road, and a wine of the vintage.