There are Super Tuscans — and then there are true Super Tuscans. Luce, an impeccable blend of Sangiovese and Merlot, falls squarely into the latter category. It delivers refined power, with the firmness and structure of Sangiovese balancing the more boisterous and juicier Merlot component.… Read more

Cosimo de’ Medici included Pomino, along with what is now Chianti Classico, Carmignano, and Val d’Arno di Sopra, in his 1716 edict defining areas capable of producing outstanding wine. Whether Chardonnay was planted in Pomino at that time is not known.… Read more

The talented Chianti Classico producer, Famiglia Zingarelli of Rocca delle Macie, owns the Campo Maccione estate. Unsurprisingly, they fashioned a lovely, easy going Vermentino from organic grapes in 2024. Saline-tinged acidity keeps it bright throughout a meal. It is an excellent choice for simple seafood this summer.… Read more

The 2024 Vermentino from Tenuta Sassoregale, an estate that is part of the Santa Margherita group, blossoms in the glass, delivering subtle and engaging citrus notes accented by a touch of saline-like acidity.
90 Michael Apstein – April 30, 2025… Read more

The famed Montecucco producer, Collemassari, produced a creamy, gentle bottling of Vermentino from organic grapes in 2024. Weighing in at a modest 13 percent stated-alcohol, this Vermentino still invigorates the palate with mouth-cleansing acidity and magnifies its appeal. It is another great choice for summer sipping, either alone or with grilled fish.… Read more

It is no surprise that Castello di Volpaia, a top Tuscan producer based in Radda, fashioned a crowd-pleasing 2024 Vermentino. Their Vermentino, Prelius, has always been a hit with me. The 2024 is no exception. Made from organic grapes, it combines a touch of creaminess with an attractive and subtle white pepper-like spiciness.… Read more

Wines like this one help explain the justified popularity of Chianti Classico. At five years of age, Carpineto’s Riserva delivers a harmonious combination of red and black fruits accented by spicy notes. It has depth without heaviness. Suave tannins lend support while providing a suave texture.… Read more

It turns out that Bolgheri, well known for top red wines, also makes noteworthy whites like this one. Its captivating aromatics indicate that Vermentino is the predominant variety. Sometimes said to be a grape that does best when “it sees the sea,” Vermentino is well suited to growing on the Tuscan coast, where Bolgheri is located.… Read more

San Felice, a top Tuscan producer, incorporates Pugnitello, a traditional Tuscan grape, into their Super Tuscan blend with Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Petit Verdot. Wonderfully aromatic, rich dark fruit and minerals flavors emerge from this bold wine. Pleasing and invigorating acidity provides an ideal counterbalance to its rich profile.… Read more

The perfume that emanates from the glass exemplifies why Valdipiatta is a leading producer of Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. Their mid-weight and elegant 2019 Vino Nobile highlights the firm and minerally side of Sangiovese grown in Montepulciano. Its multifaceted profile shines because it is not heavy or overdone.… Read more

Valdipiatta considers Vigna d’Alfiero their most prized vineyard with a perfect balance of soils that impart depth and elegance to the wine. After tasting the wine, it’s impossible to argue with them! Enthralling floral and mineral aromatics like Valdipiatti’s normal Vino Nobile captivate.… Read more

Sette Ponte has modified the viticulture, winemaking, and the composition of Oreno, their Bordeaux blend. The result—a magnificent wine. Amedeo Moretti Cuseri, Sette Ponte’s CEO, explains, “We want the wine to have more finesse.” Having tasted a twenty-year vertical of Oreno last year, I can affirm that they have succeeded admirably with the 2022.… Read more

Piaggi, another of the leading producers of Carmignano, has made a positively brilliant 2022 Riserva. The legal definition of Riserva is additional aging prior to release. Practically, however, Riserva in Carmignano, and most other DOCGs, indicates a better wine made with better grapes that will improve with additional aging.… Read more

Barco Reale di Carmignano fits the Italian “rosso” category, as in Rosso di Montalcino, a fruit-forward rendition of a structured age-worthy wine. Capezzana, a leading producer in Carmignano, has fashioned a fragrant and refined one, filled with red cherries counterbalanced by earthy savory notes.… Read more

Capezzana opts to hold back several thousands of bottles that they then release at a decade of age because they know that Carmignano, and not even the Riserva, needs plenty of time to show its complexity. Of course, they’re correct. From a recent tasting of their Villa di Capezzana that showed wines back to their first vintage, the 1925, it was abundantly clear that Carmignano, like other great wines, needs time to develop and show their stuff.… Read more

Vin Ruspo is, for lack of a better word, dialect for “stolen wine.” It originated during the sharecropping era in Tuscany. At the end of the day, the farmer would hold the last barrel of harvested grapes overnight before taking them to the landowner’s winery the next morning.… Read more

Carmignano requires the inclusion of Cabernet, either Sauvignon or Franc, in the blend with Sangiovese, producing a substantial and structured young wine, capable of virtually unrivalled development with proper aging. Well, Fabrizio Pratesi’s 2021 Carmignano Riserva can serve as “Exhibit A.”… Read more

Regulators carved Lamole, the smallest of Chianti Classico’s UGAs (unità geografica aggiuntiva, additional geographic units) out of Greve because its high altitude and rock-laden soil has the potential to make unique and distinctive wines. Lamole di Lamole, by far the largest producer in the UGA with more than one-third of the total acreage, has done just that with their Duelame Chianti Classico.… Read more

A step up from “Duelame” bottlling is Lamole di Lamole’s pure Sangiovese Riserva. From a single vineyard that sits at almost at the pinnacle of elevation at which Sangiovese can ripen (400 to 500 meters above sea level), Lareale focuses on minerality and firmness rather than fruitiness, though enticing black cherry notes are noticeable in the background.… Read more

Gran Selezione sits at the pinnacle of the Chianti Classico quality pyramid. The wines must be aged for 30 months, compared to 24 for Riserva, and come entirely from the producer’s own vineyards. Lamole di Lamole opts to make two Gran Selezione wines, both from single vineyards, Vigneto Campolungo and this one, Vigneto Grospoli.… Read more