($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

($17, Seaview Imports):  Most people don’t think of northeastern Italy for Cabernet Sauvignon.  Indeed, Friuli Venezia Giulia is home to some of Italy’s best white wines.  But, some Cabernet — both Sauvignon and Franc — are grown on the well-drained gravelly soil, which gives its name to the DOC (Friuli Grave). … 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

($17, HB Wine Merchants):  With rare exception, consumers don’t usually think of Italy for distinctive Chardonnay.  More wines like this one could change that perception.  Racy and refined, it’s paradoxically mouth-filling yet not heavy. It’s cutting and spicy profile is refreshing. … Read more

($24, Dalla Terra Winery Direct):  Very different from Inama’s Soave Classico from Vigneto du Lot, their Vigneto di Carbone is equally entrancing, but in an entirely different way.  More chalky and crystallined, it dances on the palate.  Its laser-like finish reinforces it clean and cutting profile. … Read more

($27, Dalla Terra Winery Direct):  Inama, one of Soave’s top producers, make a great Soave from a blend of vineyards in that appellation.  He also makes two stunning single-vineyard ones — this one, and one from Vigneto di Carbonare.  Inama’s Vigneto du Lot has power and finesse balanced by piercing acidity. … Read more

($17, HB Wine Merchants):  There’s Pinot Grigio, and then there’s Pinot Grigio.  One taste of Peter Zemmer’s explains why the category is so popular.  Delicate hints of white flowers greet you when you pull the cork.  A refined and restrained fruitiness follows. … Read more

($38, HB Wine Merchants):  Peter Zemmer’s single-vineyard Giatl is a very different style of Pinot Grigio from his regular (I hate that word to describe that wine, which is anything but regular) bottling.  The Giatl has power and a Burgundian-like weight and to it. … 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

($35, Mionetto USA):  Cartizze is the top category of Prosecco, and the only “Cru” entitled to its own appellation.  It sits atop the Prosecco quality pyramid because it is the best place within the Valdobbiadene zone to grow the Glera grape, the one used for Prosecco. … Read more

($17, Elevation Wine):  There’s Dolcetto and then there’s Dolcetto di Diano d’Alba, one of the few Dolcetto areas to be awarded DOCG status, Italy’s highest category of wine.  Dolcetto from around Alba, especially Diano d’Alba, typically have more elegance than run-of-the-mill Dolcetto. … Read more

($35, Provicenter USA):  The Sagrantino grape has abundant fierce tannins, which explains the character of the wines from Montefalco Sagrantino (formerly called Sagrantino di Montefalco).  Wines from this DOCG require exclusive use of that grape and benefit from years, even decades, of bottle age to soften them. … Read more

($39):  Andrea Franchetti is either brilliant or crazy.  He built a wine estate, Tinoro, from scratch in Tuscany’s Val d’Orcia and makes wine there, not from Sangiovese, but from solely Bordeaux varieties.  He has another estate in Tuscany, Sancaba, dedicated to plant, of all things, Pinot Noir. … Read more

($23, Dalla Terra Winery Direct):  One of the reasons I love Soave is that — when made by top producers such as Inama — the wines over-deliver.  The region is still trying to recover from its reputation of dilute innocuous wines. … Read more

($19, Mionetto USA):  There’s Prosecco, and then there’s Valdobbiadene Prosecco.  The difference is location, location, location: where the grapes grow.  Tasting the wonderful range of Mionetto’s Prosecco is extremely instructive.  Their DOC Prosecco Treviso, reviewed here previously, is very good and very well-priced. … 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

($16, Folio Fine Wine Partners):  Prosecco Treviso is a cut above wines labeled simply Prosecco, according to Stefano Gava, Villa Sandi’s chief winemaker, because the grapes come from a more limited area.  This wine reflects that.  Fresh and light, it’s a very friendly bubbly, with a subtle creaminess and less aggressive fizziness. … 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

($40):  In 2010, Italian wine regulators created a new DOCG by adding a Riserva designation to the Verdicchio dei Castelli Jesi DOC for wines that have been aged slightly longer and have been made from riper grapes.  To emphasize the importance of place instead of the grape, the official name became Castelli di Jesi Verdicchio Riserva DOCG. … Read more

($20):  Pecorino, in addition to being a cheese, is also a grape, which, in the right hands, makes a captivating wine.  Moreover, I predict Pecorino will become the go-to white wine for Italian fare because its lively edginess cuts through most any dish and refreshes the palate. … Read more

($22, Folio Fine Wine Partners):  There’s Prosecco and then there’s Prosecco Superiore Valdobbiadene, which comes from sloped sites at the heart of the Prosecco production area.  The 2018 from Villa Sandi, one the region’s leading producers, is graceful and lacey.  Though labeled Brut, there is a pleasing softness to it without being sweet. … Read more

($16, Montcalm Wine Importers):  Negroamaro, which literally means black and bitter, is a marketing nightmare.  But don’t let that deter your buying this bargain red that delivers more than its price suggests.  With both black cherry-like fruitiness and delicate herbal notes, it’s more savory than fruity. … Read more

($13, Montcalm Wine Importers):  When you think of white wines from Piedmont, Chardonnay does not spring to mind.  But it is grown there and made into wine and actually has its own DOC.   Bricco dei Guazzi’s 2017 delivers lush creamy fruitiness without being heavy.  … Read more

($12, Montcalm Wine Importers):  Though I reviewed this wine a couple of years ago, it’s worth revisiting because it is still available at virtually the same price.  Still a bargain, it shows that non-prestigious wines are not necessarily a flash in the pan.… Read more

($35):  Ferdinando e Mario Zanusso of I Clivi (which means the slopes) make superb wines.  Their Clivi Galea is a single vineyard with 70-yesr old vines (according to their website) located on the southern tip of the appellation, near the Slovenian border.… 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):  Ferdinando e Mario Zanusso of I Clivi (which means the slopes) make superb wines.  Their Clivi Galea is a single vineyard with 70-yesr old vines (according to their website) located on the southern tip of the appellation, near the Slovenian border.… 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

($18, Palm Bay International):  Frappato, an indigenous Sicilian grape, is best known as a component of Cerasuolo di Sicilia, Sicily’s only wine awarded DOCG status.  By itself, it’s a mid-weight wine that has a beguiling spiciness. The lack of wood aging allows the cherry-like fruitiness to shine. … Read more

($12, Palm Bay International):  This wine from, Mandrarossa, the upscale label of an excellent Sicilian cooperative, Settesoli, could qualify for the best white wine value of the year.  Wine co-ops get little respect, which is a shame. The outdated vision of a co-op is that all the grapes go into one pot and out comes one innocuous wine. … Read more

($20, Palm Bay International):  Full disclosure:  Petit Verdot as a monovarietal ranks among my least favorite wines.  Which makes this wine all the more impressive.  I was struck by its elegance and balance and then amazed when I discovered it was made entirely from Petit Verdot. … Read more

($30, Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant):  Jan Novak, the wine director at Il Capriccio, a wonderful Italian restaurant in Waltham, just west of Boston, suggested this wine, which was unknown to me.  Since she has probably forgotten more about Italian wine than I know, I agreed immediately. … Read more

($37):  Andrea Franchetti, who also owns Tenuta Trinoro, an estate in Tuscany’s Val D’Orcia, started a winery in Sicily about 20 years ago.  In a bold move, he planted 10 acres of Chardonnay at high elevations (2,500 to 3,000 feet above sea level) in powdery lava soil, figuring that the elevation and soil would impart a distinctive character to this grape. … Read more

($18, Romano Brands):  One of the great things about wines from Italy is how many distinctive ones, like this one, fly under the radar.  Abruzzo does not have the name recognition of Tuscany nor does the DOCG of Colline Teramane ring any bells, which explains why this wine’s price doesn’t come close to recognizing its quality.… Read more

($37):  Andrea Franchetti, who also owns Tenuta Trinoro, an estate in Tuscany’s Val D’Orcia, started a winery in Sicily about 20 years ago.  In a bold move, he planted 10 acres of Chardonnay at high elevations (2,500 to 3,000 feet above sea level) in powdery lava soil, figuring that the elevation and soil would impart a distinctive character to this grape. … Read more