($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

($27, Palm Bay International):  This is great success for the difficult and hot 2017 vintage in Chianti Classico.  One producer was so despondent he actually told me that you could forget about the vintage entirely.  This wine clearly shows that assessment to be inaccurate. … Read more

($100, Palm Bay International):  As with their superb Chianti Classico Riserva, “Sergioveto,” Rocca delle Macìe has tweaked the style of their Chianti Classico Gran Selezione “Sergio Zingarelli.”  They reduced the oak aging and eliminated the Colorino, so the 2016 is made entirely from Sangiovese. … 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

($50):  Talenti must have harvested the Sangiovese at precisely the right time in 2015, judging from the balance in this wine.  The 2015 growing season in Montalcino was, similar to the remainder of Tuscany, hot and produced rich, ripe wines, sometimes even over-ripe and jam-y ones. … Read more

($22, Winebow):  Tua Rita, best known for their show-stopping monovarietal Merlot called Redigaffi that routinely sells at release for $300+, makes two other wines consumers should embrace. This one, a blend of Sangiovese, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah, should be in everyone’s cellar. … Read more

($30, Winebow):  Perlato del Bosco shows the broad talents at Tue Rita.  They make the Redigaffi Super Tuscan (and Super Priced) Merlot as well as the bargain-priced and delicious Rossi dei Notri.  Here’s Perlato del Bosco, a marvelous wine made entirely from Sangiovese and displaying a completely different profile. … Read more

($24):  The more I taste Chianti Classico wines from the 2015 vintage, the more I like them.  Take this one, for example, from Principe Corsini, whose consistency makes them an easy choice.  It’s fresh and lively with zippy Tuscan acidity that balances the cherry-like fruit characteristic of Sangiovese. … Read more

($26, Folio Fine Wine Partners):  This label of this rosé lacks identity, so I relied on Bibi Graetz’s website, which explained that it’s a Tuscan wine made entirely from 50 to 80-year-old Sangiovese vines.  The grape variety and the age of the vines helps explain why this bubbly delivers such pleasure. … Read more

($80, Winebow):  The Bertarelli family, who owns Colle Massari, a leading estate in Montecucco, also owns Grattamacco in Bolgheri.  They founded Grattamacco in 1977, shortly after Sassicaia was established nearby.  Grattamacco’s flagship wine, also named Grattamacco and priced at $135+ a bottle, is an unusual blend for Bolgheri because it includes a little Sangiovese, a grape not widely planted in that part of Tuscany. … Read more

($37, Maisons Marques & Domaines):  Castiglion del Bosco, a top producer in Montalcino, consistently produces excellent Brunello di Montalcino and Rosso di Montalcino.  They have recently added this specially selected Rosso, labeled Gauggiole after the area in which the vineyards are planted. … Read more

($54, Kobrand Wine & Spirits):  Silvio Nardi is one of my favorite Brunello producers, in part because they are consistent and in part because they make single vineyard bottlings from different sections of Montalcino that highlight the exciting diversity of that appellation. … Read more

($110, Kobrand Wine & Spirits):  Silvio Nardi refers to the wine from their Manachiara vineyard as a wine of the East, because the vineyard is located in the eastern part of Montalcino and the vines face southeast. The 2015 shows the ripeness of the vintage without being over the top.… Read more

($46):  The warm and dry 2015 growing season in Brunello was the opposite of the cool and rainy weather of 2014.  That weather explains the potential pitfalls for the wines — ripe and alcoholic with low acidity.  Talenti avoided those problems with their 2015 Brunello. … Read more

($110, Kobrand Wine & Spirits):  Nardi’s Poggio Doria vineyard lies in the cooler northwest sector of Montalcino and consistently produces elegant, tightly wound wines.  More closed and less powerful than the Manachiara, the Poggio Doria reflects its cooler environment.  Volcanic soil here amplifies the wine’s dark mineral component. … Read more

($35, Winebow):  Castellare di Castellina, one of Chianti’s traditional and best producers, hits the bullseye again with this Riserva.  The grapes come from a single vineyard that they think produces superior fruit.  After tasting it, I certainly agree there’s something special going on. … Read more

($35, Winebow):  Castellare di Castellina, one of Chianti’s traditional and best producers, hits the bullseye again with this Riserva.  The grapes come from a single vineyard that they think produces superior fruit.  After tasting it, I certainly agree there’s something special going on. … Read more

($52, Winebow):  I know, 50 bucks for a Vermentino?  But this is no regular Vermentino.  It’s a captivating, stop-you-in-your-tracks kind of wine.  Grattamacco, founded in 1977, was the second winery, after Sassicaia, in what’s now the Bolgheri DOC.  They planted Vermentino in addition to Cabernet, Merlot and Sangiovese and now claim to have the oldest Vermentino vines in Bolgheri, which probably accounts, at least in part, for the wine’s splendor. … Read more

($22, Winebow):  It’s hard to go wrong with any of the wines from Castellare di Castellina, one of the very best Chianti Classico producers.  This wine, their normale or annata, is their base Chianti Classico and what high base it represents.  … Read more

($20, Bluest Sky Group Imports):  Maremma Toscana, a large and relatively new DOC, is located in southwestern Tuscany, roughly halfway between Rome and Florence, extending from the coast to hilly inland areas.  The Vermentino grape is king here for white wines. … Read more

($24, Montcalm Wine Importers):  Though perhaps not as well-known as Chianti Classico, Chianti Rufina, another of the eight subzones of the great Chianti region, is home to wonderful wines, such as this one.  The focus of Grignano’s 2016 Rufina is on a combination of earthy and fruity notes. … Read more

($20):  The cutesy label and name (two roosters) represent the two brothers, Bernardo and Umberto Valle, who have crafted this engaging mid-weight red.  Morellino di Scansano, which carries DOCG designation, Italy’s highest ranking, is an area in the Maremma in southwestern Tuscany, the primary grape of which is Sangiovese. … Read more

($20):  The quality of this wine and the enjoyment from it should come as no surprise.  The 2016 vintage in Chianti Classico was fabulous, producing ripe but racy wines.  Badia a Coltibuono is consistently among the top producers.  The surprise here is finding a wine of this caliber for an average price of $20, though I’ve seen it for much less. … Read more

($86):  Though not the current release, Mastrojanni’s 2011 single vineyard, Loreto, is still available on the retail market and those who want to know why Brunello is such a revered wine should try it.  The only problem with the 2011 vintage in Brunello is that it followed 2010, a great one. … Read more

($41):  Gran Selezione is a new category of Chianti Classico that is supposed to represent the pinnacle of a producer’s bottling.  Whether it does is a matter of debate because some producers’ top wine from Chianti Classico region is not a Gran Selezione. … Read more

($30):  Capezzana is certainly among the top producers, if not the top one, in Carmignano, the DOCG that requires inclusion of Cabernet (either Sauvignon or Franc) in the blend with Sangiovese.  Think of it as the original Super Tuscan.  Capezzana is incredibly consistent, year after year, producing a beautifully balanced Carmignano that marries fruit and earth perfectly. … Read more

($25):   Rosso di Montalcino, made from Sangiovese, the same grape that is required for Brunello di Montalcino, requires and undergoes less aging than Brunello, which explains why the wines are ready to drink sooner.  Donatella Cinelli Colombini, one the star producers of Brunello, also makes an engaging Rosso. … Read more

($44):  Fontodi, one of the great names in Chianti Classico, is located in the heart of that region, in what’s known as the Conca d’Oro (golden shell) because of the amphitheater-like exposure.  It’s a perfect area for bringing Sangiovese, the only grape used for this Chianti Classico, to perfect ripeness. … Read more

($125):   This is Brunello at its best.  Col d’Orcia, one of the leading producers of Brunello, makes fabulous Riserva…but only in the best years.  Vintage after vintage, Col d’Orcia’s Poggio al Vento consistently combines power and elegance.  The 2012, from an excellent vintage in the Montalcino region, is no exception. … Read more

($44):   Although this release is only the third vintage of this wine, Giovanni Manetti, owner/winemaker at Fontodi told me they have been working on the project for 15 years.  The Filetta vineyard, owned by Manetti’s cousin, is only a few miles from Fontodi’s home base near Panzano, but the wine is very different from their usual Chianti Classico because of the extreme elevation of the vineyard. … Read more