2018 Cavalli Tenuta Degli Dei Toscana IGT

2018 Cavalli Tenuta Degli Dei Toscana IGT

with No Comment $40-$50ItalyKevin VogtNapaProprietary Red

CAVALLI

TENUTA DEGLI DEI
TOSCANA IGT 2018

2018 Cavalli Tenuta Degli Dei Toscana IGT
The Cavalli family has been crafting fine wines in Tuscany since the 1970s. Their Tenuta Degli Dei estate is located near Panzano in Chianti, a region known for its rich marl soils and sunny southern exposure. Tommaso Cavalli, the current winemaker, is committed to sustainable farming practices and works with his father, Roberto, to produce wines that are both delicious and environmentally friendly.
 
The 2018 Cavalli is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, and Cabernet Franc. It is a full-bodied wine with a dense, robust structure and an underlying elegance. Antonio Galloni describes it as “wonderfully inviting…with exceptional balance and tons of character.” The wine will age gracefully, but it is also enjoyable to drink now. 
 
CAVALLI
TENUTA DEGLI DEI
TOSCANA IGT 2018
Retails at: $65
 
 
 
“The 2018 Tenuta Degli Dei is dense, juicy and wonderfully inviting. Silky tannins wrap around a core of inky dark fruit, chocolate, spice, lavender and new leather. In the glass, the 2018 is intensely aromatic and layered, with exceptional balance and tons of character. Here, too, the wine’s overall sense of harmony can only be described as exquisite.”
96 Points
2018 Federico Graziano Fedegraziani Etna Rosso Sicily Italy

2018 Federico Graziano Fedegraziani Etna Rosso Sicily Italy

with No Comment $30-$40ItalyKevin VogtRosso

FEDERICO GRAZIANI

FEDEGRAZIANI ETNA ROSSO
SICILY, ITALY 2018

2018 Federico Graziano Fedegraziani Etna Rosso Sicily Italy
Federico Graziani won best Italian sommelier in 1998 at the Italian Association of Sommeliers competition at 23 years of age, allowing him to work with some of Italy’s most influential chefs while earning a degree in Viticulture and Enology in 2006. That same year, Federico was ready to make wine from Sicily’s Mt. Etna, so he contacted famed enologist and Etna expert Salvo Foti for help finding old head-trained vines near the mountain’s base.
 
Interestingly, the Etna DOC shares similarities to Burgundy with a likeness in soil diversity, differing aspects, and the age of the vineyards. These vineyards wrap around the volcanic mountainsides, providing wines with intense minerality, concentration, and complex nuance. Federico’s 2018 Fedegraziani Etna Rosso has won critical acclaim and is on the wine lists of some of the world’s finest restaurants, including, Geranium and Osteria Francescana.
 
FEDERICO GRAZIANI
FEDEGRAZIANI ETNA ROSSO
SICILY, ITALY 2018
 
Your Price: $39.99
 
 
“Typical Etna style with light color, but lots of red-berry and mineral aromas and flavors, packed into a medium body with graceful, well-integrated tannins and lots of bright-berry flavor on the tight finish. Nerello mascalese and nerello cappuccio. Nor overly complex, but well defined and true. Drinkable now, but best from 2023.”
91 Points
2018 Bulzaga Epipogio Romaga Sangiovese Superiore

2018 Bulzaga Epipogio Romaga Sangiovese Superiore

with No Comment $30 and underItalyKevin VogtSangioveseTuscany

BULZAGA

EPIPOGIO 2018
ROMAGNA SANGIOVESE SUPERIORE

2018 Bulzaga Epipogio Romaga Sangiovese Superiore
Cantina Bulzaga is located in Romagna, Italy, looking up to the Brisighellesi hills that create the natural border between Romagna and Tuscany. The winery’s roots run deep within the region, with each wine named for a flower found in the Apennines. Epipogio gets its name from the epipogium flower or ghost orchid.
 
Bulzaga’s team organically farms, with only vines that strongly connect to the terroir with distinct varietal character selected for wine production. The 2018 vintage is 100% Sangiovese aged for eight months in cement vats before bottling and exudes aromatic purity with earthy notes, fresh fruit, spice, and everything nice. 
 
As a side note, our panel tasted this wine blind without any prior knowledge of the wine’s value price, and we couldn’t believe it was only a $20 bottle.
 
BULZAGA
EPIPOGIO 2018
ROMAGNA SANGIOVESE SUPERIORE
 
Your Price: $19.99
 
 
“The Bulzaga 2018 Epipogio Romagna Sangiovese Superiore opens with sultry notes of rosemary, sour cherry, cranberry, earth, black tea, and cigar box. On the palate, the wine is focused, with flavors of black cherry, cranberry, black tea, and peppercorns. The wine’s fruity, savory, and spicy characteristics are uniquely balanced in a rustic Tuscan fashion and provide an incredible drinking experience.”
94 Points
2018 Bruna Grimaldi Camilla Barolo Piedmont Italy

221118 2018 Bruna Grimaldi Camilla Barolo Piedmont Italy

with No Comment $40-$50BaroloBaroloItalyKevin VogtPiedmont

BRUNA GRIMALDI

CAMILLA BAROLO
PIEDMONT, ITALY 2018

2018 Bruna Grimaldi Camilla Barolo Piedmont Italy
Bruna Grimaldi and her husband Franco Fioriono grew up in the hills that join Grinzane Cavour to Serralunga d’Alba, where grape growing and high-quality wine production are a big part of family traditions. The Camilla Barolo is made in a classic style with extended maceration to gently extract color, tannins, and the aromatics essential for high-quality Nebbiolo wines with long aging potential.
 
The fruit comes from specially selected vineyards, including the famed Badarina in Serralunga that belonged to Bruna’s mother, the Bricco Ambrogio site Bruna and Franco purchased in Roddi, and the Grimaldi family’s original property in Grinzane Cavour. The regional blending incorporates harmony and balance in the wine, aged in large Slavonian oak barrels and French oak tonneaux for a minimum of 30 months before being further matured in the bottle before release. These techniques create a compelling wine with an impressive range of diverse flavors and complexity.
 
BRUNA GRIMALDI
CAMILLA BAROLO
PIEDMONT, ITALY 2018
Retails at: $50
 
Your Price: $42
 
 
“This is an ambitious, all-encompassing blend that is especially accessible in 2018. It offers a harmonious bouquet with wild berry and rose. The tannins are soft and yielding, and you can start enjoying this Barolo without waiting too much longer.”
91 Points
2019 Tinazzi Corvina Collezione Di Famiglia Verona Italy

2019 Tinazzi Corvina Collezione Di Famiglia Verona Italy

with No Comment $30 and underCorvinaItalyKevin Vogt

TINAZZI

COLLEZIONE DI FAMIGLIA
CORVINA 2019
VERONA ITALY

2019 Tinazzi Corvina Collezione Di Famiglia Verona Italy
The Tinazzi family has produced wine for over 50 years and seeks modernity and sustainability within their traditional vineyard and winemaking practices. The winery’s sustainability focus began in the 2000s to protect and preserve the environment and the needs of future generations while producing prestigious local wines.
 
Corvina is a late-ripening Italian grape variety grown in the Veneto that’s low in tannin and high in acidity. It is integral in Valpolicella wines, including the region’s famous Amarone. This 100% Corvina is varietally classic with red berried fruits, black cherry, and spice that entices fans of juicy Rhône-style blends, Zinfandel, and of course, Valpolicella. The previous vintage made our top 5 wines list last year, and the 2019 vintage represents the same level of top-notch quality for an unbeatable value.
 
TINAZZI
COLLEZIONE DI FAMIGLIA
CORVINA 2019
VERONA ITALY
 
Your Price: $25
 
 
“The Tinazzi 2019 Corvina begins with lavender and juicy fruit notes of red and black cherries and cranberry with complementary spice notes of white pepper and black tea leaves. On the palate, the wine bursts with cherry, raspberry, black plum, and sweet baking spices with soft, supple tannins and a smooth finish. This wine is just as easy to drink as it is to enjoy.”
93-94 Points
2019 Castello Romitorio Colli Sensi Chianti Tuscany

2019 Castello Romitorio Colli Sensi Chianti Tuscany

with No Comment $30 and underChiantiChiantiItalyKevin VogtTuscany

CASTELLO ROMITORIO

COLLI SENESI CHIANTI
TUSCANY 2019

2019 Castello Romitorio Colli Sensi Chianti Tuscany
Italian artist Sandro Chia believes the best expressions of art and wine thrive with a minimalistic approach. This philosophy is a guiding principle for his wines, and his estate is becoming known for producing wines of superb quality, character, and value. Sandro purchased Castello Romitorio in 1984 and initiated a complete restoration of the historic property that previously served as a Roman temple, fortress, monastery, castle, and manor house.
 
Colli Senesi is the Southernmost subregion of Chianti DOCG with warmer conditions and slightly more stringent production rules requiring a minimum of 75% Sangiovese in the blend resulting in more substantial, fuller-bodied wines. The 2019 Chianti Colli Senesi is 100% Sangiovese and encompasses the winery’s vision of artistic exploration and commitment to excellence and sustainability. 
 
CASTELLO ROMITORIO
COLLI SENESI CHIANTI
TUSCANY 2019
 
Your Price: $24
 
“Castello Romitorio 2019 Chianti Colli Senesi opens with delicate notes of rose petals, violets, ripe red cherry, ground nutmeg, dried sage, and black tea leaves. The wine has flavors of cranberry, red plum, wild strawberry, and white pepper with vibrant acidity and silky tannins. This beautifully balanced, classic wine is easy-drinking and effortlessly over-delivers for the price.”
94 Points
2016 Patrizia Cencioni Solaria Brunello Di Montalcino

2016 Patrizia Cencioni Solaria Brunello Di Montalcino

with No Comment $40-$50BrunelloBrunelloItalyKevin VogtPiedmont

PATRIZIA CENCIONI SOLARIA 

BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO
MONTALCINO 2016

2016 Patrizia Cencioni Solaria Brunello Di Montalcino
Brunello di Montalcino was one of the first regions in Italy to receive DOCG status in 1966 and is one of the most sought-after Italian wines. Fifty years later, the Wine Spectator ranks Brunello’s 2016 vintage as one of the highest-rated vintages in the region’s history, earning an overall vintage rating of 99 Points and noting a “Textbook growing season resulting in wines of finesse and elegance, balance and harmony.”
 
Winemaker Patrizia Cencioni knows Montalcino’s best wines are born in the vineyard and developed in the cellar. Solaria Vineyard, planted in 1989, sits 300 meters above sea level on a natural plateau composed of coarse tuff and clay soils, contributing to the wine’s incredible depth. Patrizia ages this wine for 30 months in a cask to fully integrate the flavors, and now, after extended time in the bottle, the wine is singing brilliantly.
 
PATRIZIA CENCIONI SOLARIA 
BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO
MONTALCINO 2016
Retails at: $60
 
Your Price: $49.99
 
 
“The 2016 Brunello di Montalcino holds your attention with a gorgeous bouquet of lavender giving way to cherry, blackberries, earthy minerals and white smoke. This is dark in character and silky in feel with a savory, almost-salty display of polished black fruits and minerals. Brisk acids provide grip and lend a cheek-puckering tension. Fine tannins add to the 2016’s already-youthful poise, yet they don’t get in the way. A mix of sweet violet florals and lingering ripe fruit satiate the palate. I love the balance here. The 2016 almost tricks you into thinking that it doesn’t need time in the cellar to show its best. But don’t be fooled; this will only get better with time.”
93+ Points
2017 Castello Romitorio Brunello Di Montacino

2017 Castello Romitorio Brunello Di Montacino

with No Comment $60-$70BrunelloBrunelloItalyKevin Vogt

CASTELLO ROMITORIO 

BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO
MONTALCINO 2017

2017 Castello Romitorio Brunello Di Montacino
Castello Romitorio’s history is extensive, beginning as a temple in Roman times with many transformations before its purchase in 1984 by Italian artist Sandro Chia, who restored the property into a winery and art workshop. Sandro believes art and wine thrive on minute details and that natural progression should never be altered or changed but enhanced.
 
The winery is dedicated to promoting the Brunello di Montalcino DOCG region, recognized over several centuries for its suitability for viticulture, now with sustainable farming practices that respect the environment and surrounding biodiversity. This flagship bottling from the 2017 vintage reflects the proprietor’s intimate understanding of the estate’s terroir that brilliantly transforms after maturing for 24 months in oak and one year in the bottle before release, creating a magnificently impressive wine.
 
CASTELLO ROMITORIO 
BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO
MONTALCINO 2017
Retails at: $70
 
Your Price: $65
 
 
“The Castello Romitorio 2017 Brunello di Montalcino comes from an estate that is quickly becoming a leader in a special niche of the Montalcino market. The wine is modern and soft, showing lots of contained ripeness and creaminess, yet it successfully embraces the fundamentals of the appellation and Sangiovese, thanks to its bright acidity and finely tuned structure. Few wines reach this level of precision, especially in a challenging vintage such as this.”
94 Points
2017 Pecchenino Barolo San Giuseppe

2017 Pecchenino Barolo San Giuseppe

with No Comment $50-$60BaroloBaroloItalyKevin VogtPiedmont

PECCHENINO

BAROLO 2017
SAN GIUSEPPE

2017 Pecchenino Barolo San Giuseppe
The same family has run Pecchenino Winery since the end of the 20th century. They own 86 acres of vineyards in Dogliani, Bossolasco, and Monforte d’Alba, where they have a modern winery dedicated to Barolo production. The vineyards within Monforte d’Alba cover several different Menzione Geografica Aggiuntivas (MGAs), which are specially delineated areas of Barolo similar to a French cru and represent quality and distinction.
 
The age of the vines is between 15 and 40 years, giving a complex range of fruit, spice, and earth components further enhanced by 24 months in large casks and 12 months in cement tanks. The wine is a signature classic of the region on the palate with a rustic, robust structure, intense flavors, and silky tannins, resulting in this bottle being the first emptied at our recent tasting and one that you won’t want to miss.
 
PECCHENINO
BAROLO 2017
SAN GIUSEPPE
Retails at: $65
 
Your Price: $59.99
 
 
“A rather soft and rich young Barolo with strawberry and floral character and hints of watermelon. It’s full-bodied and layered. Rich finish. So attractive now, but will age nicely. Try after 2023.”
94 Points
2020 Livio Felluga Pinot Grigio Collio

2020 Livio Felluga Pinot Grigio Collio

with No Comment $30 and underItalyKevin VogtPinot Grigio

LIVIO FELLUGA

PINOT GRIGIO
COLLIO 2020

2020 Livio Felluga Pinot Grigio Collio
Livio Felluga has identified with Friuli’s most traditional and passionate winemaking traditions for six generations and continues today in that same pursuit in the vineyards that Livio renovated in Rosazzo. Their vineyards are a part of the “Geographic Map” of the region and symbolize Friuli’s prestige, proudly displayed on their wine labels since 1956. 
 
Livio passed down the respect for the environment, terroir, attention to detail, and quality control to his children, who nurture and maintain the estate. The 2020 Pinot Grigio exemplifies Friuli’s cultural adoration for the varietal and celebrates its fun and playful nature in a refreshing, easy-drinking wine.
 
These guys are a reference standard for high-quality Friuli Pinot Grigio, and they should be on everybody’s radar.
 
LIVIO FELLUGA
PINOT GRIGIO
COLLIO 2020
 
Your Price: $27.99
 
 
“A textbook pinot grigio with peach and sliced cooked apple, as well as lemon curd. Medium body. Flavorful finish. Drink or hold. Screw cap.”
92 Points