Decanted approximately 1 hour before serving. Reasonable amount of sediment thrown off.
Color: Inky purple.
Nose: More tame than I had expected. Dark fruit, some earth and a hint of coffee.
Taste: Very tart on the tongue initially. Undifferentiated fruit in the background. Some tannins, but not overpowering. Some earth and anise lurking in the background. Less spicy and a bit more flat than I had hoped for.
Not a bad wine, but I had expected more "umph" from it. Perhaps the structure was never very tight, or at age eight it is starting a down hill slide. Probably would not buy the "Asinone" version again at the price I paid, but will seek out more VNdM to expand my experience base.