The 1998 Marsala Vergine Riserva smolders up from the glass with a dark mix of rum-soaked currants, cinnamon sticks and a dusting of cocoa. It's velvety smooth, showing its minerality up front as waves of savory dried fruits and exotic spices resonate throughout. The 1998 tapers off surprisingly fresh and lifted, leaving a salty tinge and hints of roasted almond that linger on and on.

Matured for 23 years in what the winery calls a forest of woods" (because there are so many oak barrels packed into this landmark winery that is made with yellow blocks of tuffaceous rock), the Cantine Florio 1998 Marsala Vergine Riserva VR1898 is very dry to the palate with lots of exotic spice, toasted grains, tea leaf, aniseed and caramel. Only 900 bottles exist. The wine's code VR1898 stands for "Vergine Riserva," with alcohol added 18 times since the 1998 vintage. The barrel's resting place was exactly 147 meters from the sea shore, meaning that this Marsala matured on the slightly drier and warmer side of the cellar that sees accelerated evaporation and, consequently, added concentration. The angel's share is 41%. This is a measurement of how much liquid evaporated into the environment over time. This is another indication of added richness and viscosity."

We have a tendency to primitivize the past--imagining that people who lived a long time ago had different feelings, different reactions to the world, different desires. Of course, evolution does not work that quickly, and people living 500 years ago were just like us, if with less SSRIs. One sip of the Florio Vergine Riserva 1998 and you will understand how centuries ago Marsala was prized beyond any other drink, and you'll hope you can drink a lot more of it before everyone else in this timeline figures it out too.