I love being around for a major wine making decision – which just happened to be the case when winemaker Fred DiProfio wandered into the tasting room and popped the following question to owner Lou Puglisi: “have we made a decision to filter or unfilter the Bella Terra reds?” What followed was a tasting of two 2010 Bella Francs, the released version versus a special bottling of an unfiltered version. The rest, as they say is history, and has given these wines a great future. Aromas fill the air once poured: raspberry, vanilla, cinnamon and smoke followed by spice and pepper on the palate – give it a little more time and raspberry and cassis show up backed by big, bold tannins … the yin and yang of this wine is the aggressive start but silky smooth smoky finish … 10 years is a conservative ageing estimate. Price: $34.95 – Rating: **** ½