($14): Castello di Fonterutoli’s 2013 Chianti Classico is a riper and fleshier rendition, without going over the top.  It’s a very clean and pure expression of Chianti Classico with an attractive succulence in the finish.  Freshness in the finish holds it all together. … Read more

($19): Castello di Ama, a top producer of Chianti Classico, make a splendid range of wines from this one, to their Chianti Classico Riserva to their Chianti Classico Gran Selezione. This 2013 is a traditionally framed Chianti Classico that conveys a mixture of dark slightly bitter cherries and a savory earthiness. … Read more

($45): Máté, a relative newcomer to Montalcino being founded in the 1990s, made a stellar Brunello in 2010.  Powerful, without being overdone, their 2010 is more fruit forward and accessible than many of the other Brunello from the 2010 vintage.  A dark core of minerality balances and enhances the ripe dark cherry fruit favors. … Read more

($40): Mocali made it into my list of top Brunello of 2010 with its impressive aromatics and gorgeous initial impact of dried and ripe fresh cherries offset by dense dark minerality.  A lovely firmness and hint of bitterness round out this beautifully balanced wine. … Read more

($60): Mastrojanni’s 2010 Brunello, one of the top wines of the vintage, has gorgeous power balanced by suave elegance. An engaging floral aspect suggests greatness.  What follows doesn’t disappoint.  Polished, almost sweet, tannins surround a core of dark earthy minerality.  Succulent dark black cherry-like flavors emerge with time. … Read more

($60): No doubt I will say more than once that the 2010 vintage for Brunello is outstanding — as good as it gets.  Lisini, a traditional producer who rarely falters, made one of the star wines of the vintage.  With an enormous initial aromatic impact, their 2010 delivers an alluring combination of flavors — earth and cherries — wrapped in firm, but polished, tannins. … Read more

($85): The 2010 Caiarossa, an extraordinary wine and the best from this estate since its commercial debut with the 2004 vintage, shows how far this producer has come in a very short time. Owned by same Dutch family who own the Margaux classified growths Château Giscours and Château du Tertre, and whose general manager, Alexander Van Beek, runs those two Bordeaux properties, Caiarossa uses a seeming mishmash of grapes — Bordeaux varieties, Syrah and even Alicante — to make this impressive Super Tuscan. … Read more

($18): The wines from Castello di Uzzano always show well at the comprehensive tasting of Chianti Classico held in Florence every year.   They use only Sangiovese — Cabernet need not apply — for their Chianti Classico and avoid small oak barrels to allow the flavors of the region to shine. … Read more

($20, Winebow): Castellare di Castellina, one of my favorite Tuscan producers, succeeded again with their 2013 Chianti Classico.   Not gussied up with new oak or Cabernet Sauvignon, Castellare di Castellina sticks with traditional techniques to produce an easy-to-recommend wine replete with herbal and earthy flavors that offset and complement its bright cherry signature. … Read more

($25): Paolo de Marchi, who, along with his family, owns Isole e Olena, and is responsible for the wines, is a thoughtful, ever-questioning man who makes exceptional wines.   Rare, perhaps unique, in the region, he makes no Chianti Classico Riserva — only this one and his Super Tuscan, Cepparello, which is made entirely from Sangiovese and which is truly super. … Read more

($32, Artisans Wines, Inc.): Carato, another Vernaccia di San Gimignano from the exemplary producer Montenidoli, is fermented and aged for a year in barrel before bottling.  The winemaking here is so precise that you don’t taste woodiness.  Rather, you feel the effect of wood on the wine — it’s a fuller, richer version of Vernaccia di San Gimignano that retains finesse and vigor. … Read more

($25, Artisans Wines, Inc.): Montenidoli is one of the very best producers of Vernaccia di San Gimignano.  Anyone who has been disappointed by this category of Italian white should taste their wines to see how grand this DOCG can be. Montenidoli makes three Vernaccia di San Gimignano; this one, made from free-run juice and labeled Fiore (flower) is, indeed, floral, fresh and clean. … Read more

($34, Dalla Terra Direct): Since the 2010 vintage was superb in Chianti Classico and Badia a Coltibuono is one of the star producers in that region, it is not surprising that this wine is stellar.  Not boisterous, this is a classically proportioned Chianti Classico Riserva with great elegance and a seamless combination of bright red fruit flavors and earthy notes. … Read more

($14, Dalla Terra Direct): This Chianti Classico reminds us that Badia a Coltibuono consistently makes attractive wines.  The vintage was difficult in the Chianti Classico region because of less-than-perfect weather.  Nonetheless, Badia a Coltibuono has fashioned a traditionally framed — that is, not overdone — Chianti Classico. … Read more

($29, Folio Fine Wine Partners): Frescobaldi, one of Italy’s finest producers, owns estates throughout Tuscany.  Their Nipozzano estate is home to their splendid line of Chianti from the often-overlooked Rùfina subzone of that region.  This bottling is from the oldest vines (Vecchie Viti) on the property. … Read more

($80): Castello Banfi has been — and remains — a leader in Montalcino, specifically refining and raising the profile of one of Italy’s finest wines, Brunello di Montalcino.  They are one of the largest and best producers in the region and have devoted tons of money and done decades of research to determine which clones of Sangiovese do best in the region. … Read more

($140, Cru Artisan Wines): When Castello Banfi purchased land and established a winery in Montalcino in the late 1970s, the locals nervously joked that they would ruin Brunello’s reputation by bottling it under screw top — they were (and still are) the USA importer of Riunite.… Read more

($32, Cru Artisan Wines): The best Rosso di Montalcino, such as this one, can truly be considered “baby” Brunello. Though they lack the complexity of Brunello, they are ready to drink sooner, provide a hint of the grandeur of the bigger brother, and are far easier on the wallet.… Read more

($72, Cru Artisan Wines): As much as I like Banfi’s Rosso from the Poggio alle Mura vineyard, their Brunello from that vineyard shows why Brunello is one of Italy’s great wine. The 2008 vintage, an excellent one for Brunello, was cooler producing structured racy wines.… Read more

($23, Palm Bay International): Reflective of the warmer vintage in Tuscany, Rocca delle Macie’s 2009 Chianti Classico Riserva conveys a juicier and riper cherry-like fruitiness than usual.  Still, it has plenty of that mouth tingling acidity that makes matching Chianti with pasta with a hearty meat sauce such a pleasure. … Read more

($23, Palm Bay International): Francesco Marone Cinzano, owner of Col d’Orcia, is very pleased with their 2012 Rosso–and they should be, because they hit the mark with this wine in a difficult year.  Poor weather reduced the vines’ ability to ripe a full load of grapes, according to Cinzano. … Read more

($33, Maisons Marques and Domaines): Querciabella is always on my short list of top Chianti Classico producers.  Their 2011 reinforces my opinion.  True to their style of Chianti Classico, their charming 2011 is filled with ripe, dark cherry-like flavors and spice, yet avoids being heavy or overdone because of its vivacity. … Read more

($25, Grape Expectations): Paolo de Marchi, owner, viticulturist and winemaker at Isole e Olena, makes only two Sangiovese-based wines. This one and his super stellar Cepparello. Since he stopped making a Chianti Classico Riserva more than 25 years ago, the Sangiovese that doesn’t go into Cepparello goes into his anything but normal, Chianti Classico.… Read more

($13, Banfi Imports): Vernaccia di San Gimignano, a light white wine, was the first to be awarded DOC status in 1966.  Despite that accolade, it seems to have lost panache, which is too bad because it’s a great choice for a multitude of lighter styled seafood dishes. … Read more

($22, Banfi Imports): Though Tuscan and made from Sangiovese, the wines from Morellino di Scansano are far different from those of the Chianti region.  The 2009 Val delle Rose Riserva is an excellent example, focusing more on dark, Bing cherry-like flavors more than the earthy spicy ones found in Chianti. … Read more

($25, MW Imports): Monsanto, a Tuscan producer that consistently turns out stellar wines, eschews the use of “international” varieties in their Chianti Classico.  Monsanto’s 2010 Chianti Classico Riserva, a traditional blend of Sangiovese, Canaiolo and Colorino, delivers a wonderful combination of cherry-like fruitiness and spicy earthiness. … Read more

($55, MW Imports): Il Poggio, a 13-acre single-vineyard that sits about 1,000 feet above sea level, is the source of Monsanto’s flagship wine.  The 2009, from a ripe vintage, is positively explosive with a captivating smoky and mineraly quality.  Racy acidity balances the ripeness so there’s no mistaking it for anything but great Chianti Classico. … Read more

($35, Vinifera Imports): Combine a top vintage, 2010 in Tuscany, and a top Chianti Classico producer, Fontodi, and you get, not surprisingly, a top wine.  There is plenty of deep red, almost black fruit flavors here and enough earthy spice and acidity to remind you this is still Chianti Classico — a very complex one at that. … Read more