($15, Volio Imports):  The Cecchi family, one of the top producers in Tuscany, have two separate and distinct estates in Chianti Classico, Villa Cerna and Villa Rosa.  Unsurprisingly, the wines from the two estates are very different because of the diversity of soil, climate, exposure — in sum, the terroir — even over a short distance. … Read more

($32, Terlato Wines International):  Cecchi’s Chianti Classico Riserva, unsurprisingly, is bigger and more powerful than their 2019 regular (annata) bottling.  Weighing in at 14 percent stated alcohol, it has more power, yet retains elegance.  The wood is still showing at this stage, but from my experience with their wines, it will become better integrated after another year or so in the bottle. … Read more

($27, Terlato Wines International):  This Chianti Classico shows why Cecchi is one of Tuscany’s top producers.  Based in Castellina in Chianti, the heart of Chianti Classico region, Cecchi has fashioned a lovely, mid-weight wine that combines savory elements — earthy notes — with cherry-scented flavors. … Read more

($70, Vision Wine and Spirits):  Gran Selezione is a relatively new, not even a decade old, category of Chianti Classico.  It sits at the pinnacle of the region’s quality pyramid, which now has the three levels: annata or regular bottling, Riserva, and finally Gran Selezione. … Read more

($63, Vision Wine and Spirits):  San Felice, a top Chianti Classico producer, also owns the Campogiovanni estate in Montalcino.  They produced a stunning Brunello in 2016.  The San Felice’s wines always express power, but they manage to modulate it so that the terroir is not overwhelmed. … Read more

($40, Montcalm Wine Importers):  There us Vermentino, then there is Lunae Black Label Vermentino.  I’ve always loved this wine and the 2020 is no exception.  It has everything: richness, a saline-infused minerality, and extraordinary freshness.  It has a seemingly never ending finish. … Read more

($26, Folio Fine Wine Partners):  No one needs an introduction to Ornellaia, a Bordeaux-blend and one of Italy’s greatest wines.  But some explanation about Le Volte is important since even Ornellaia’s website reveals few details of this wine.  Ornellaia took a giant leap in quality in 1997 when they introduced Serre Nuove dell’Ornellaia, a second wine, also a Bordeaux-blend. … Read more

($75, Massanois):  Located in Gaiole in Chianti in the heart of the Chianti Classico region, Bertinga is a new venture.  The 2016s are their first release.  After tasting their wines, I have a feeling their success is not beginner’s luck.  Their 50 or so acres of vineyards are planted exclusively with Sangiovese and Merlot. … Read more

($169, Massanois):  This 100 percent Merlot is equally expressive and explosive as Bertinga’s Punta di Adine, just in an entirely different way.  While Punta displays red fruit qualities, Volta di Bertinga is all about black fruit complemented by tar-like minerality.  It’s a wonderful red-black contrast. … Read more

($119, Massanois):  This gorgeous wine comes exclusively from Sangiovese planted in a six-acre vineyard in Gaiole in Chianti that sits at an altitude of about 1,800 feet.  The elevation moderates the temperature, especially at night, which allows the grapes to retain more acidity. … Read more

($55, Montcalm Wine Importers):  Gran Selezione is a relatively new quality category, aiming to represent the pinnacle of a producer’s Chianti Classico production.  This gorgeous wine certainly achieves that distinction.  It’s all the more impressive considering Villa Vignamaggio managed to produce such a stellar wine in 2017, a difficult year for Chianti Classico. … Read more

($25, Montcalm Wine Importers):  Villa Vignamaggio’s 2018 Chianti Classico is textbook Chianti Classico and reminds us why that category is so popular.  Made entirely from Sangiovese, this mid-weight wine delivers the ideal combination of dark fruit and savory nuances, all wrapped in a suave texture. … Read more

($35, Montcalm Wine Importers):  Unsurprisingly, given the stature of the producer, this wine manages a presence without being powerful or in your face.  Its unusual blend, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese, Petit Verdot and Montepulciano, speaks to the experimentation going on in the Maremma. … Read more

($12):  This is a great example of the straightforward — fruity and fragrant — style of Vernaccia di San Gimignano.  Its youthful crispness is emphasized by a delightful salty rather than lemony acidity, which keeps it fresh and lively.  Daniele Cernilli, one of Italy’s top wine authorities explains that the salty acidity comes from an abundance of tartaric rather than malic acid characteristic of Mediterranean wines. … Read more

($16, Taub Family Selections):  The name of the wine, which transliterates into English as “white island” refers to Vernaccia di San Gimignano’s situation as the sole white DOCG in a sea of Tuscany red wine.  Teruzzi, formerly named Teruzzi & Puthod, remains one of the region’s top producers despite the name change. … Read more

($28):  Campo della Pieve is one of Il Colombaio di Santa Chiara’s top cuvées of Vernaccia di San Gimignano.  It is distinguished from their easy-to-recommend regular bottling, labeled Selvabianca, by extended lees aging, which occurs for about 18 months in concrete tanks. … Read more

($31):  Tenuta di Arceno managed to succeed in a difficult vintage.  Their bold style worked well in 2017 because they captured ripeness, good acidity and suave tannins simultaneously.  Though rich and fruity, a subtly haunting bitterness in the finish reminds us, thankfully, it’s not just about fruit. … Read more

($24, Montcalm Wine Importers):  Consumers sometimes forget there are sub-zones other than Chianti Classico in the greater Chianti area that spreads between Florence and Siena.  The Chianti Rufina area, just to the northeast of Florence, is home to some wonderful wines, including this one from Grignano. … Read more

($33):  Fattoria Varramista, located halfway between Florene and Pisa, has about 20 acres of vineyards planted to Sangiovese, Merlot and Syrah. They expertly blend those grapes to make this glossy well-proportioned wine where none of its elements predominate.  Fleshy, but not overly fruity, savory notes remain in this traditionally framed wine. … Read more

($28):  Since Sangiovese, a grape associated with Tuscany, is the most widely planted grape in Italy, it is not surprising to find excellent wines made from it outside of that region.  Here’s one such example from nearby Romagna, which Mauro Sirri, the owner of Celli, is quick to identify as distinct from Emilia: “They’re known for Lambrusco; we’re known for dry wines.” … Read more

($45, Taub Family Selections):  Col d’Orcia, one of the largest producers of Brunello di Montalcino, has proven, time and time again, that quality and quantity can go together.  They did it again with their positively stellar 2016 Brunello.  The 2016 vintage is outstanding throughout Tuscany.… Read more

($70, Enotec Imports, Inc):  A paradox, the traditionally framed Il Poggiolo Brunello marries the ripeness of the 2015 vintage with a lovely austerity.  Not a blowsy wine, it combines dark cherry-like fruit with a core of minerals.  Importantly, especially for the vintage, it has great acidity, which imparts a wonderful vivacity to the wine. … Read more

($33, Enotec Imports, Inc):  Fanetti, one of the great names for Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, has produced a fabulous 2015 Riserva from their Tenuta S. Agnese estate.  Traditionally framed, that is, not all gussied up with oak and over ripe fruit, the dark cherry-like fruit of Sangiovese shines. … Read more

($20, Dark Star Imports):  Estate 44 pays tribute to the Allied soldiers, including the owner’s father, who liberated Tuscany in the summer of 1944.  A blend of Sangiovese (60%) Cabernet Sauvignon (20%) and equal amounts of Syrah and Merlot, it is more muscular than Buli’s 515 bottling, but has the same grace, suaveness and structure. … Read more

($20, Dark Star Imports):  Robert Buly, an American who owns Buli, was drawn to Italy by heritage: his father married an Italian woman from Tuscany soon after WWII ended.  On their website, he jokes that his father met his mother while on the search for red wine to drink. … Read more

($48, Terlato):  Cecchi is one of the great names for Tuscan wines, especially Chianti Classico.  Combine their talents with a great vintage, like 2016, and, unsurprisingly, you have a truly fine wine.  It conveys both the charm and power of a Chianti Classico Riserva reinforced and amplified by great acidity, a characteristic of the vintage. … Read more

($65):  Gran Selezione is a relatively new category of Chianti Classico.  It sits at the pinnacle of the quality pyramid, above Riserva.  Regulations require, among other things, that the grapes come entirely from the producers’ vineyards — no purchased fruit is allowed — and that the wine must be aged for 30 months before release, compared to 24 months for Riserva. … Read more

($99, Taub Family Selections):  Giovanni Mazzei, Fonterutoli’s export manager, believes that the vineyard’s southern exposure and high elevation (almost 1900 feet above sea level) combines great sunlight with large diurnal temperature variation, the combination of which results in ripeness and freshness. … Read more

($99):  The Mazzei family planted 36 biotypes of Sangiovese in their Vicoregio vineyard in Castelnuovo Berardenga.  Hence the name of the wine.  This one, the deepest of the trio, conveys black cherry-like flavors, bordering on plumy ones, reflecting the warmth of Castelnuovo Berardenga. … Read more

($74, Taub Family Selections):  The grapes for “Castello Fonterutoli” come from 11 different plots around the hamlet of Fonterutoli.  Each plot is vinified separately, allowing precision in constructing the blend.  The 2017 is the first year the wine was made entirely from Sangiovese. … Read more

($25, Taub Family Selections):  Col d’Orcia, best known for their stunning Brunello di Montalcino, makes other wines.  At first glance at the label, you might think this is their Rosso di Montalcino.  It’s not.  Also, don’t be put off by the 2014 vintage, which was, as the Italians themselves describe it, “difficult.” … Read more

($159, Empson USA): The 2016 Il Nocio is an extraordinary wine. Boscarelli is one of the top producers — some would say THE top producer — of Vino Nobile di Montepulciano.  Il Nocio, from the vineyard of the same name, is their top wine. … Read more

($80, Selezioni Varietali):  This is my first encounter with this producer, but it certainly will not be my last given the quality of this wine.  Their importer tells me Cenni’s focus is Sangiovese, with their 12 acres planted entirely with 28 clones of that variety. … Read more

($35, Beivuma Wines):  Beconcini, located in San Miniato, a small town halfway between Pisa and Florence, makes range of wines from a Chianti to this one, his top of the line.  Made entirely from organically-grown Sangiovese, it’s a beauty, probably, in part at least, because of the age of the vines. … Read more

($80, Selezioni Varietali):  This is my first encounter with this producer, but it certainly will not be my last given the quality of this wine.  Their importer tells me Cenni’s focus is Sangiovese, with their 12 acres planted entirely with 28 clones of that variety. … Read more

($32, Wine Worldwide Inc): The Terre di Pisa DOC is not even a decade old, having been founded only in 2011.  It’s a tiny area (less than 150 acres) with only a handful of producers, surrounding the Tuscan town of Pisa on Italy’s west coast, north of Bolgheri. … Read more

($40, Ideal Wine):  Gran Selezione, a category introduced a decade ago, sits at the pinnacle of the Chianti Classico quality pyramid, above Riserva.  To qualify for this distinction, the wine must come from the producer’s estate — no purchased grapes allowed — be aged for a minimum of 30 months, and receive approval from a tasting panel. … Read more

($22, Winebow):  One of the things I admire about producers, such as Tua Rita, who can make a high-end wine (in Tua Rita’s case, their Redigaffi a $300+ per bottle Merlot) is that they can also produce a perfectly delightful $25 wine, such as this Rosso dei Notri. … Read more

($16):  Morellino di Scansano is yet another Tuscan wine region that uses primarily Sangiovese for its red wines.  Located in the Maremma part of Tuscany on the region’s southeast coast, it received DOCG designation (Italy’s highest official wine classification) in 2006. … Read more

($56, Dalla Terra Winery Direct):  Carmignano, lying just northwest of Florence and Tuscany’s smallest DOCG, is really the original Super Tuscan.  Regulations there mandated the marriage of Cabernet, either Sauvignon or Franc, with Sangiovese long before that blend became popular elsewhere in Tuscany. … Read more

($53, Palm Bay International):  Rocca delle Macìe changed the blend, vineyard site, and appellation for this wine starting with the 2015 vintage.  The wine was originally created in 1985 as a Super Tuscan by Italo Zingarelli, the company’s founder, and named for his son, Sergio, the current head of the company. … Read more

($32, Seaview Imports):  Rosso di Montalcino is a great introduction to Brunello di Montalcino, one of Italy’s greatest wines.  Similar to Brunello, Rosso must be made entirely from Sangiovese — no blending with Cabernet, Merlot, or anything allowed.  This mid-weight wine delivers sour cherry-like fruitiness — the Sangiovese speaking — and a hint of tarry minerality, which is emblematic of the area. … Read more

($58, Palm Bay International):  Rocca delle Macìe created Roccato, their Super Tuscan 50/50 Sangiovese-Cabernet Sauvignon blend, in 1988.  Starting with the 2015 vintage, it is now entirely Cabernet Sauvignon, which is grown on their Poggio alle Pecchie vineyard on the Le Macìe estate located in Castellina in Chianti. … Read more