($20, VOS Selections):  Badia di Morrona packs unusually good depth into their Vermentino.  Saline-tinged acidity keeps it fresh and balances its weight.  This Vermentino has real substance so uncork it with creatures from the sea that are swimming in a hearty sauce.… Read more

($26, VOS Selections):  Badia di Morrona’s more substantial Chianti Riserva has the same wonderful combination of cherry-like fruit accented by spice and herbal nuances as their non-Riserva.  The energy of the 2021 vintage is apparent and keeps the wine lively.  Either drink it now with hearty fare or give it another year or so for the tannins to soften. … Read more

($18, VOS Selections):  Wines from the subregions of Chianti, like Chianti Classico or Chianti Rufina, often overshadow the wines from Chianti.  Well, it’s a mistake for consumers to ignore wines labeled Chianti, a broad region with its own DOCG that can be home to excellent wines. … Read more

($38, VOS Selections):  With N’Antia, Badia di Morrona shows that a Bordeaux blend can be successful outside of Bolgheri. Bright and floral, N’Antia conveys the same striking fruit and “not just fruit” flavor combination as the Taneto, albeit with a more graceful, less chunky profile. … Read more

($25, VOS Selections):  I was unfamiliar with the Pisa-based producer, Badia di Morrona until their Italian public relations firm sent me samples.  After tasting a trio of their wines, I’m glad I’ve been introduced!  Taneto, a blend of Syrah, Sangiovese, and Merlot, delivers both dark fruit and a “not just fruit” character that makes it very appealing. … Read more

($42, VOS Selections):  With their N’Antia, Badia di Morrona shows how well Bordeaux varieties do in Tuscany outside of Bolgheri.  With VignaAlta, they show that Sangiovese reigns supreme in Tuscany.  Racy and elegant, the youthful 2019 VignaAlta is show stopping.  Sure, red and dark cherries, the signature of Tuscan Sangiovese, are evident but more emerges as the wine sits in the glass. … Read more

($30, Vintus):  Ornellaia is one of Italy’s iconic and greatest wines.  They produce a second wine, Le Serre Nuove dell’Ornellaia, that is made from young vines or from grapes that just don’t make the cut to be used for Ornellaia itself. … Read more

($110):  With Giorgio Primo, Giampaolo Motta, the owner of La Massa, shows that Bordeaux varieties do well in Tuscany outside of Bolgheri.  The sumptuous blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot, grown at their estate in Panzano in the heart of Chianti Classico, consistently thrills. … Read more

($76, Oz Wine Company):  Do not be put off by the vintage — not a great one for Chianti Classico — nor the late release, which is the current one for this top producer.   Their Riserva, made entirely from Sangiovese, comes from their best vineyards and spends two to three years in barrel aging prior to bottling. … Read more

($25, Volio Imports):  This ripe, 14.5 percent stated alcohol, Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant Bordeaux blend delivers up-front fruitiness wrapped in plush tannins and supported by a touch of firmness that prevents it from being flabby.  Good acidity and a hint of bitterness in the finish keep it in balance though the overt fruitiness still predominates at this stage. … Read more

($24):  Badia a Coltibuono provides another compelling argument for the joys Chianti Classico in general.  Their luscious and well-priced 2020 delivers an ideal combination of dark cherry-like fruit balanced by savory or herbal nuances, while weighing in at a modest 13.5 percent stated alcohol. … Read more

($28):  The wines from the higher, and therefore cooler, elevations, like Lamole, turned out especially well in 2020, another year with a hot and dry growing season.  Lamole’s cooler climate imbued the wines, such as I Fabbri’s, with a firmness and freshness that balances the dark cherry-like nuances. … Read more

($60):  The Contini Bonacossi family owns Capezzana, Carmignano’s best producer.  Ugo Contini Bonacossi, who transformed the property from the typical sharecropping agricultural endeavor of the era, into the current modern wine and olive oil producing estate, adored a particular small Sangiovese vineyard that he thought consistently produced exceptional grapes. … Read more

($18):  Rùfina, the smallest of the Chianti subzones, is mountainous and wild.  The wines, like this one, have an appealing wildness and refinement.  Frescobaldi, Rùfina’s largest and most important producer, never falters, which means that this 2020 delivers more than its price suggests. … Read more

($21):  The ready-to-drink 2020 Villa Calcinaia Chianti Classico shows why Chianti Classico is so popular.  Lip-smacking acidity acts as the foil for its succulent black cherry-like fruitiness.  Subtle spice common to Chianti Classico adds appealing complexity, preventing monotony.  Mild tannins lend support without intruding. … Read more

($32, Volio Imports):  I reviewed this wine last year and jumped at the chance to revisit it since it is still available at the retail level.  Spoiler alert — I like it just as much.  As a reminder, the Cecchi family has two distinct estates in Chianti Classico, Villa Cerna and Villa Rosa, both in Castellina in Chianti. … Read more

($33, Volio Imports):  The Cecchi family purchased the Villa Rosa estate in 2015 because it was an ideal site for Sangiovese. The focus is to make a Gran Selezione, the category at the tip of the Chianti Classico quality pyramid.  I suspect this Chianti Classico comes from grapes that did not make it into the Gran Selezione. … Read more

($19, Volio Imports):  Villa Cerna is the home, and one of the estates, of the Cecchi family, one of the top producers in Tuscany.  Primocolle — literally, first hill — comes from vineyards at lower elevations on the estate.  The bright and juicy 2020 Primocolle is a lovely, classically proportioned Chianti Classico filled with good depth and an impeccable combination of fruity and savory notes. … Read more

($27): Giampaolo Motta acquired the 67-acre estate located in the Conca d’Oro in Panzano, the heart of Chianti Classico.  Instead of making Chianti Classico, he opted to blend traditional Bordeaux grapes with the native Sangiovese.  Some would call his wines Super Tuscan. … Read more

($121): Tenuta Luce, originally a joint venture between wine icons Robert Mondavi and Vittorio Frescobaldi, is now solely owned by the Frescobaldi family.  Located in Montalcino and though it does make a Brunello, Tenuta Luce is distinct from Castelgiocondo, another Frescobaldi estate. … Read more

($111): Giampaolo Motta named this flagship wine after his grandfather and son.  With more structure and less flesh that the 2020 La Massa, the stellar 2019 Grigio Primo needs considerably more time in the bottle for its true grandeur to show. … Read more

($20):  Frescobaldi, a name synonymous with quality in Tuscany, has established this estate in Montepulciano.  It’s really a return to Montepulciano for them since Leonardo Di Niccolò Frescobaldi was the town’s mayor in 1390.  The exquisite 2020, their second vintage, is, in a word, gorgeous, melding black fruit that borders on tarriness with minerals. … Read more

($46, Total Beverage Solution):  Pugnitello, a grape whose name means “little fist” based on the appearance of the bunches, is a relative newcomer to Italian wine, having been studied and developed by San Felice in the 1980s.  So, it is not surprising that their rendition should be outstanding. … Read more

($89, Wilson Daniels):  The label says Rosso, but the wine says Brunello.  That’s Biondi-Santi for you.  Firm, sleek and minerally, this mid-weight Rosso has more elegance and stature than many producers’ bottlings of Brunello.  Fine tannins surround tightly coiled power and exquisite austerity. … Read more

($33):  Frescobaldi, the iconic Tuscan producer whose homebase is Chianti Rùfina, has recently expanded into Chianti Classico with their Perano estate.  Just as they make exceptional wine in Rùfina, they have done the same at Perano.  As expected from a Riserva, their 2018 has more weight and depth than their straight Chianti Classico. … Read more

($52):  Grapes for a Gran Selezione bottling, which sits above Riserva at the pinnacle of the Chianti Classico quality pyramid, must come the estate’s own property — no purchased grapes allowed.  Perano’s comes from a single vineyard, Rialzi, located at about 500 meters above sea level, which is a real advantage in these days of climate change. … Read more

($33, Vintus):  Sometimes described as the “third” wine of Ornellaia, Le Volte is and it isn’t because it addition to estate wine that did not make it into either Ornellaia or Le Serre Nuove dell’Ornellaia, Le Volte contains grapes that have been purchased from other sources. … Read more

($33):  Frescobaldi, the iconic Tuscan producer whose homebase is Chianti Rùfina, has recently expanded into Chianti Classico with their Perano estate.  Just as they make exceptional wine in Rùfina, they have done the same at Perano.  As expected from a Riserva, their 2018 has more weight and depth than their straight Chianti Classico. … Read more

($52):  Grapes for a Gran Selezione bottling, which sits above Riserva at the pinnacle of the Chianti Classico quality pyramid, must come the estate’s own property — no purchased grapes allowed.  Perano’s comes from a single vineyard, Rialzi, located at about 500 meters above sea level, which is a real advantage in these days of climate change. … Read more

($73, Vintus):  Sauvignon Blanc was among the initial plantings at Ornellaia and initially they made a wine exclusively from that variety.  Over time, Viognier, Vermentino, and Verdicchio have been added and now the current blend includes those four in proportions that vary from year to year depending on the weather. … Read more

($33, Frescobaldi):  Though I have always been impressed by any of Frescobaldi’s Chianti Rufina — after all they are THE name in that appellation — I remember being disappointed when I tasted their first vintage of Chianti Classico a few years ago. … Read more

($89):  With an unusual blend of roughly 70 percent Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc, Campo alla Sughera’s Super Tuscan is remarkably well-balanced.  The unnecessarily heavy bottle predicts the weight of this 14.5 percent stated alcohol wine.  That said, it retains suaveness and poise. … Read more

($25, Vintus Wines):  The stunning 2020 Lucente could be the red wine buy of the summer.  This Merlot Sangiovese blend delivers a marvelous combination of black fruit and dark minerals wrapped in a suave, silky texture.  Black fruit character is evident, but this is not a fruity wine. … Read more

($78):  Arnione, a blend of roughly 40 percent Cabernet Sauvignon with equal parts of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot, is their Bolgheri flagship.  As much as I liked their Adèo, Arnione is just, well, a much better wine.  Here, minerals balance the lush black fruit and take center stage. … Read more

($37):  Founded in 1998 by the German Knauf family, Campo alla Sughera has become an estate to watch in Bolgheri.  Their ravishing reds represent a variation on Bordeaux blends.  Adèo, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, delivers bright and juicy red cherry notes supported by mild tannins. … Read more

($94, Soilair Selection):  Podere Sapaio, founded in 1999, is making itself known among the Super Tuscan with their flagship wine, Sapaio.  A blend of organically grown Cabernet Sauvignon (70%), Petit Verdot (20%) and Cabernet Franc, the stylish Sapaio impresses with a plush, velvety texture that shouts, “I’m important.” … Read more

($19):  Elisabetta Geppetti’s estate, Fattoria le Pupille, is one of the leading producers in the Morellino di Scansano, a DOCG located in southern Tuscany, near the coast.  Though Sangiovese provides the base for Morellino, as it does in Chianti Classico, the wines from Morellino are typically richer than those from Chianti Classico because of the warmer climate. … Read more

($90, Dalla Terra Winery Direct):  The bottles were opened at least a dozen yards away, but the aromas of apricots and nuts stopped all conversation as people looked for the source of the wondrous aromas.  Vin Santo is a curious wine, this one especially. … Read more

($62, Dalla Terra Winery Direct):  This youthful treasure is a single vineyard Sangiovese named after Ugo Contini Bonacossi, the force behind the modern Capezzana estate who sadly passed away in 2013.  The production is small, fewer than 3,000 bottles a year, because only the best grapes from this vineyard that Ugo loved go into the wine. … Read more

($66, Dalla Terra Winery Direct):  Capezzana produces their Trefiano Riserva, a blend of Sangiovese (80%) with equal parts Cabernet Sauvignon and Canaiolo, only in the best years.  The stunning 2018, a big wine, to be sure, is balanced by spicy, savory notes and an incredible freshness. … Read more

($48):  Castello di Ama is known for spectacular Chianti Classico.  But Pinot Nero?  Isn’t it too warm in Chianti Classico to grow Pinot Nero?  Apparently not, judging from this energetic beauty.  The expressive aromatics and savory notes suggest the Pinot Nero must be planted in a cool site. … Read more

($22):  The 2020 vintage in Chianti Classico generally produced rich satisfying wines.  Badia a Coltibuono’s certainly fits that mold with dark, but not black, cherry nuances.  It has great concentration but more importantly, gorgeous balancing acidity that gives this mid-weight wine enormous energy. … Read more

($45):  An electric tension between fruit and firmness energizes this mid-weight wine.  Made entirely from Sangiovese, this elegant and sculpted Chianti Classico has a bit of everything, floral aromatics, a steady frame, and a suave texture.  Black cherry-like notes add charm to the finish. … Read more

($60, Dalla Terra Winery Direct):  Ghiaie della Furba, a Super Tuscan blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah from Capezzana, Carmignano’s top producer, is a robust wine when young.  Even at eight years of age, this tightly wound beauty reveals its glories slowly as it sits in the glass. … Read more

($31, Dalla Terra Winery Direct):  Carmignano, Tuscany’s smallest DOCG, is unique because it requires the use of Cabernet, either Sauvignon or Franc, in the blend with Sangiovese. Capezzana makes the benchmark Carmignano.  Their 2016, from a spectacular vintage and still widely available retail, is a great introduction to the DOCG. … Read more

($35):  Cupole is the second wine of Tenuta di Tinoro, a “Super Tuscan” that commands a three-digit price tag — and the first digit is not a one.  Like the first wine, Cupole is a blend of Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Petit Verdot that varies year to year to years depending on how the individual varieties fare during the growing season. … Read more