2016 Badia Di Morrona I Sodi Del Parentaio Chianti Riserva

2016 Badia Di Morrona I Sodi Del Parentaio Chianti Riserva

with No Comment $30 and underChiantiChiantiItalyKevin VogtTuscany

BADIA DI MORRONA 

I SODI DEL PARETAIO
2016 CHIANTI RISERVA

2016 Badia Di Morrona I Sodi Del Parentaio Chianti Riserva
Badia di Morrono is an historic Estate in Tuscany dedicated to farming their land and balancing technology with traditional techniques. Their land near the village of Morrona was once undersea, and is now rich in marine nutrients. The vines are grown in well-drained clay, minerally and sandy soils that make their wines recognizable with a clear sense of place. Their 2016 Chianti Riserva is classically styled, harmoniously balanced, and at $26, it’s a stunning value. 
 
This 2016 enters from one of Tuscany’s greatest vintages in the last two decades, and one the Wine Spectator rates 97 points and describes as producing, “Vibrant, elegant wines; grapes harvested under ideal conditions”
 
The winemaking team fermented the Riserva for ten months in concrete and stainless steel tank, preserving the natural flavors of the fruit. The blend is predominantly Sangiovese, balanced with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah, and was aged for 18 months in oak.
 
BADIA DI MORRONA 
I SODI DEL PARETAIO
2016 CHIANTI RISERVA 
 
Your Price: $26
 
 
“Quite reductive at first, but this later opens up with notes of brambleberries, red cherries, oranges and herbs. Medium body, firm tannins and a nutmeg-flavored finish. Drink now.”
91 Points
 
“Ruby red with garnet colored undertones when aged. Bouquet: scent of balm and with more finesse as it ages; Harmonious, savory, slightly tannic; soft and velvety. Pleasing and versatile to the palate with a well-balanced acidity and soft, mature tannins.”
2017 Luce Della Vite Luce Toscana

2017 Luce Della Vite Luce Toscana

with No Comment $90-$100ItalyKevin VogtMontalcinoTuscany

LUCE

DELLA VITE LUCE 
2017 TOSCANA

2017 Luce Della Vite Luce Toscana
Vittorio Frescobaldi and Robert Mondavi took a risk creating the first Super Tuscan-style blend of Sangiovese and Merlot from Montalcino’s time-tested terroir. They merged traditional Tuscan winemaking with Montalcino’s majestic earth, balancing Sangiovese’s penetrating fruit with Merlot’s supple richness. Twenty-five vintages later, their flagship Luce Della Vite Toscana continues to turn heads with massive scores, sleek packaging, and powerfully enchanting flavors. 
 
The biodiversity of Luce’s Vineyards is vital in the character and complexity of their wines. Located Southwest of Montalcino Village, their vines are influenced by the sea, earth, and the climate conditions created by the rolling hills.
 
Luce’s team sorts each berry carefully before transferring them into Cement fermentation vessels, where they spend four weeks on the skins, extracting depth and rich color. The wine is barrel-aged for a full 24 months, polishing the powerfully captivating flavors and aromas. 
 
LUCE
DELLA VITE LUCE 
2017 TOSCANA
Retails at: $110
 
Your Price: $99.99
 
 
“Dark-berry, walnut, cedar and violet aromas with just a hint of chocolate. Full-bodied, layered and rich with ripe tannins and a vivid finish. Shows energy and a velvety texture. Deep and long. Give it two or three years to soften. Try after 2022.”
97 Points
 
“… the 25th anniversary of Luce… the 2017 vintage celebrates this birthday properly. Luce is one of the few Super Tuscans of Montalcino. Compared to Brunello it is blended with Merlot adding suppleness and focused on new oak ageing. Deep crimson in colour, full of clove, vanilla and buttery aromas, than brights for black cherry and plummy notes, graphite and cherry flavour, with an earthy mineral finish. Grainy velvety tannins and firm acidity are well supported by incredibly rich fruit concentration and suppleness. A wine drinkable now with potential for ageing. Drinking Window 2020 – 2040”
95 Points
2015 Poggio Nardone Brunello Di Montalcino Italy

2015 Poggio Nardone Brunello Di Montalcino Italy

with No Comment $30-$40BrunelloBrunelloItalyKevin Vogt

POGGIO NARDONE

2015 BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO
MONTALCINO, ITALY 

2015 Poggio Nardone Brunello Di Montalcino Italy
There are great wines made through the winemaker’s decisions, and then there are those that result from the vintage, which was a fantastic one in Montalcino for their 2015’s. The year produced wines with remarkable power, dynamic complexity, and a purity of fruit that’s spectacular. Finding a high-quality Brunello from 2015 is easy, but finding one at $40 is nearly impossible. Of the 118 2015 vintage Brunellos rated by the Wine Spectator, only 1 had a release price of $40. Here’s the needle in the haystack. 
 
Poggio Nardone’s 2015 Brunello is a classic blend of 100% Sangiovese Grosso aged four years in barrel. The vines were grown at an altitude of 350-450 meters in soils rich in marl and limestone and produced fruit with precision detail. 
 
The estate is less than 10 hectares, but it’s also the exact location where ideal soils and high altitude vineyards intersect and produce powerful, dense, and long-lived Brunellos that make a lasting impression.
 
POGGIO NARDONE
2015 BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO
MONTALCINO, ITALY
Retails at: $55
 
Your Price: $39.99
 
 
“A ripe but composed Brunello di Montalcino with tar, leather, dried brambleberries, dried tea leaves and ash. Chewy and foursquare on the full-bodied palate; the rustic tannins give this a silty, grainy quality. Decadent and powerful…”
94 Points
 
“This is a lovely expression of Sangiovese with a full and generous disposition… offers bright cherry, cassis, raspberry and other red berry fruits. Those fruity high notes are followed by savory tones of forest floor, candied orange peel, autumnal leaf and baking spice. The wine offers a smooth and silky mouthfeel with well-integrated tannins and a long, polished finish. This is a clean and compact interpretation of Brunello with the amped up and generous characteristics of this sunny vintage… Drink 2021-2035”
93 Points
2016 Castello Romitorio Brunello Di Montalcino Montalcino, Italy

2016 Castello Romitorio Brunello Di Montalcino Montalcino, Italy

with No Comment $60-$70BrunelloBrunelloItalyKevin Vogt

CASTELLO ROMITORIO 

2016 BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO
MONTALCINO, ITALY 

2016 Castello Romitorio Brunello Di Montalcino Montalcino, Italy
Vinous describes the 2016 Brunellos as “a well-muscled black stallion in its prime…. dark yet radiant, expressive, nearly explosive at times, yet pure, poised and structured.” The vintage marks the second epic year in a row for Brunello, and top producers like Castello Romitorio excelled. Their team has an intimate knowledge of their land and immense respect for tradition, which acts as the perfect vessel for expressing Brunello’s essence from their remarkable Estate.
 
Castello Romitorio has Italian history embedded in its DNA. The Estate dates back to the Middle Ages and is ideally positioned northwest of Montalcino’s town. The vineyard has soils composed of clay and Albarese, from which fossils and shells emerge, evidence of an ancient coastal seabed.
 
The winery’s flagship Brunello powerfully reflects the Estate’s history and is magnified by the superb vintage. The team that produces it hand sorts each berry before and after destemming. They ferment slowly for 20 days, which contributes to the dark color and power of this wine. After maturing for 24 months in oak and a year in the bottle before release, this wine is ready to make you smile.
 
CASTELLO ROMITORIO 
2016 BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO
MONTALCINO, ITALY
 
Your Price: $65
 
 
“The Castello Romitorio 2016 Brunello di Montalcino is a classic expression of the vintage, showing lots of ripe fruit, crushed mineral, herbal nuances and varietal-driven purity. This wine nails that sweet spot between elegance and power that is not easily achieved. It offers an expanded array of Sangiovese flavors with wild cherry, forest floor, crushed clove and medicinal herb, but it also shows plump density and a velvety texture…”
95 Points
 
“Dark, brooding and geared for the cellar, the 2016 Castello Romitorio Brunello di Montalcino takes its time opening up in the glass, yet patience is rewarded, as a mix of blackberry and cherry further blossoms, adding crushed stone minerality with hints of sage, lavender and violets. It’s silky and textural upon entry, yet it firms up quickly through a mix of vibrant acids and saturating fine tannin. However, there’s plenty of density to its primary fruits, feeling almost weighty in this youthful state yet perfectly balanced all the same. Savory herbs and spice linger along with tart red berries on the long, structured and dramatic finish…”
95 Points
2016 Livio Sassetti Montecucco Rosso DOC La Querciolina

2016 Livio Sassetti Montecucco Rosso DOC La Querciolina

with No Comment $30 and underChiantiItalyKevin VogtRossoSangioveseTuscany

LIVIO SASSETTI

MONTECUCCO ROSSO DOC
LA QUERCIOLINA 2016 

2016 Livio Sassetti Montecucco Rosso DOC La Querciolina
The Sassetti family is one of the top producers of Sangiovese-based wines in Tuscany. It’s their dedication to their land and ability to identify new plots capable of producing world-class fruit that has been a key to their success. Their Montecucco Rosso comes from an organically farmed 12-hectare vineyard in Southern Tuscany, and in all honesty, it drinks better than a lot of good $50 Brunellos. Vinous describes the 2016 release as “gorgeous and an amazing value,” and at $28, I bet you’ll wish you had ordered more once you taste it.
 
Montecucco neighbors Montalcino, and most of its seven villages are on the slopes of Monte Amiata, Italy’s second-highest volcano. The soils there are of volcanic origin and produce powerful Sangiovese Grosso fruit that’s concentrated, vibrant, and unique to Montecucco. 
 
Livio Sassetti’s Montecucco Rosso is 100% Sangiovese Grosso, the same grape used for Brunello. The winemaking team aged the 2016 vintage for just six months in barrel, preserving the fruit’s vibrancy, and now with sufficient time in the bottle, this vintage is stunning.
 
LIVIO SASSETTI
MONTECUCCO ROSSO DOC
LA QUERCIOLINA 2016
 
Your Price: $28
 
 
“The bouquet is dark and earthy in the best possible way, as savory herbs give way to crushed black cherry, encased in an air of smoky minerals, sous-bois, and hints of animal musk. The 2016 La Querciolina Montecucco Rosso then floods the palate with silky textures, offset by cool-toned red fruits and minerals, riding a core of brisk acids. It finishes with medium length yet brimming with energy, as a mix of savory spice and minerality slowly tapers off, leaving just a hint of dried cranberry. This is gorgeous and an amazing value. Drink 2020-2026”
93 points
 
“A firm and silky red with berries and a hint of chocolate. Some coffee, too. Medium body, firm yet polished tannins and a fresh finish. Drink now.”
91 Points
2015 Livio Sassetti Pertimali Brunello Di Montalcino

2015 Livio Sassetti Pertimali Brunello Di Montalcino

with No Comment $70-$80BrunelloBrunelloItalyKevin Vogt

LIVIO SASSETTI

2015 PERTIMALI 
BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO

2015 Livio Sassetti Pertimali Brunello Di Montalcino
If you could only drink only one Brunello di Montalcino, what would it be? Robert Parker wrote, “it would have to be Pertimali.” The only problem is they’re a microscopic Italian producer owning only 7 hectares (about 17 acres), and they’re highly desired. The 2015 vintage earned a near-perfect 98 Point score from James Suckling, and at under $100, this should be in every Italian wine collector’s cellar.
 
The 2015 vintage in Montalcino was textbook, and one that James Suckling alerts, “nobody should miss.” The vintage brought remarkable power, dynamic complexity, and a purity of fruit that’s spectacular, and Livio Sassetti’s 2015 showcases all of it. 
 
Livio and his two sons take a hands-on approach in every way possible, and each wine is hand-tended by them. With a concentrated focus on every detail, their Brunello has become a Sommelier favorite, gracing the Grand Award-winning wine lists of Emeril Lagasse, Thomas Keller, and many others.
 
LIVIO SASSETTI
2015 PERTIMALI 
BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO
Retails at: $90
 
Your Price: $79.99
 
 
“There’s something ethereal in the nose with flowers, cherries, strawberries and shitake mushrooms. Full body. This grows on the palate with super tannin and fruit structure. So much berry flavor and round, caressing tannins that fill your mouth. Tight at the end. This needs four to five years to show its true greatness…”
98 Points
 
“Aromas of woodland berry, pine forest, truffle and dried herb emerge from the glass in this fragrant red. Full in weight but refined, the accessible palate offers dried cherry, black tea, star anise and a dollop of vanilla alongside polished tannins before a minty finish. Reflecting the hot vintage, it’s already approachable but still offers good midterm aging potential. Drink 2021–2027.”
94 Points
2015 Fanti Brunello Di Montalcino Montalcino Italy

2015 Fanti Brunello Di Montalcino Montalcino Italy

with No Comment $40-$50BrunelloBrunelloItalyKevin Vogt

FANTI 

2015 BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO
MONTALCINO, ITALY

2015 Fanti Brunello Di Montalcino Montalcino Italy
Filippo Fanti’s wines encapsulate old-world traditions passed down by his ancestors, as well as modern innovations. His family has farmed their land in Montalcino for over 200 years, and in 1980 Filippo produced his first vintage of Brunello from his most expressive hillside vines. After that, Filippo’s wines built upon a reputation of quality, consistency, and distinct sense of place with each subsequent vintage. James Suckling calls Filippo’s 2015 his “Best ever,” and with a 96 point score, don’t miss it. 
 
With attention to every detail in the vineyard and the winery, Filippo redesigned the plantings and added an innovation-meets-tradition winemaking technique that propelled the wine to the next level. His style is one of elegance, vibrant fruit, and incredible persistence.  
 
The 2015 Brunello was created from a selection of 10 hectares of Sangiovese grown on different slopes of the Castelnuovo dell’Abate area. The soils here are volcanic and rich in skeleton, or rock fragments, made of galestro and alberese rocks. The conjunction of the low fertility land, topography, and ancient soils produce fruit with remarkable character.
 
FANTI 
2015 BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO
MONTALCINO, ITALY
Retails at: $50
 
Your Price: $46
 
 
“A sensational effort from Tenuta Fanti…, the 2015 Brunello di Montalcino offers an intriguing and complex aromatic profile, with dark notes reminiscent of black plums, black licorice, and cola that are underlined by turmeric and Indian spices that add another level of complexity. It possesses wonderful energy, through its full bodied frame, which is structured with velvety tannins, that are beautifully integrated as it leads up to the broad, powerful and persistent finish. This is a masterpiece in Montalcino, and should go on to have an absolutely fantastic future ahead.”
96 Points
 
“There’s a beautiful interplay between bright, primary florals, such as rose petals and tulips and dust, hay bale and dried raspberries. The palate suggests a ripe, powerful persona with chewy, juicy tannins and a fine line of pretty acidity. Best ever. Drink from 2022.”
95 Points
 
“The 2015 Brunello di Montalcino reveals an elegant bouquet with bright aromas of wild berry, blue flower and soft spice. These elements are carefully balanced to build the intensity and subtle but enduring power of the wine. There is firm structure at the back, and the wine is defined by its attractive but integrated acidity… Drink 2021-2035”
93+ Points
2018 Rocca Di Montegrossi Chianti Classico Tuscany Italy

2018 Rocca Di Montegrossi Chianti Classico Tuscany Italy

with No Comment $30 and underChiantiChiantiItalyKevin VogtTuscany

ROCCA DI MONTEGROSSI

2018 CHIANTI CLASSICO
TUSCANY, ITALY 

2018 Rocca Di Montegrossi Chianti Classico Tuscany Italy
Each decision that Marco Ricasoli-Firidolfi of Rocca di Montegrossi makes in his vineyard has the laser-focused goal of balancing growth and production, with his wine’s quality paramount. Together with consultant agronomist Dr. Stefano Dini, he cares for 20 hectares of vines grown in one of the finest sections of Chianti. His flagship 2018 Chianti Classico has explosive aromas of rich dark fruits, wet slate, and wildflowers. It’s, as Vinous writes, “a fabulous wine for the money,” so don’t miss it.
 
The richness of this wine is matched equally by the Estate’s history, which dates back to the 7th century AD. In 1141, the property was passed to the Ricasoli family. To this day, Marco Ricasoli-Firidolfi is dedicated to crafting the best wine from the Estate, and International fame has followed. 
 
The Estate is planted primarily to Sangiovese (13 hectares), followed by Merlot, while the remaining 4.5 hectares includes Canaiolo, Colorino, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pugnitello, and Malvasia Bianca del Chianti. Marco blends 8% Canaiolo and 2% Colorino with 90% Sangiovese to make a more complex and serious wine. If you’re looking for a killer bottle of Italian wine for under $30, this is it. 
 
ROCCA DI MONTEGROSSI
2018 CHIANTI CLASSICO
TUSCANY, ITALY
 
Your Price: $28
 
 
“The 2018 Chianti Classico opens with a burst of sweet red berry fruit, spice and wild flowers. Exuberant and racy, the 2018 is endowed with tremendous energy and tons of personality. Time in the glass brings out the wine’s inner sweetness and radiance, with a closing flourish of red flowers. This is a fabulous wine for the money. Don’t miss it. Drink 2022-2038.”
93 Points
 
“A red with blackberries, black cherries and hints of sliced dark mushrooms that follow through to a medium body, chewy tannins and a flavorful finish. Some bark, too. Always a serious Chianti Classico. Drink now.”
92 Points
 
“It is very youthful with great energy and freshness on the palate but still fairly tightly wound. I’d give it a few more months in bottle before approaching. Drinking Window 2021 – 2027.”
91 Points
 
“Rocca di Montegrossi’s Chianti Classico is the estate’s flagship wine; it is a blend of about 90% Sangiovese, with Canaiolo and Colorino, and is produced every year. It ages mainly in large casks and barrels made with oak from Allier, for 12-14 months. It is unfiltered, and after bottling it ages another 6 months prior to release. In the glass it is lively ruby, with bright violet reflections, and on the nose displays the rich fruity aromas typical of the varietals, particularly forest berry fruit and sour cherries.”
2013 Villa Trasqua Trasgaia Toscana IGT

2013 Villa Trasqua Trasgaia Toscana IGT

with No Comment $30 and underChiantiItalyKevin VogtSangioveseTuscany

VILLA TRASQUA

2013 TRASGAIA 
TOSCANA IGT

2013 Villa Trasqua Trasgaia Toscana IGT
Villa Trasqua has a 1000 year history in Castellina, Chianti, rooted in viticulture and innovation. Their wines perfectly balance tradition and modernity and are enriched with old-world antiquity and enhanced with new world styled fruit. Over the years, their Trasgaia Super Tuscan has graced the shelves in our shop and has generated a devoted following due to its remarkable quality and realistic price.
 
The winery is on an ancient plateau in the town Castellina, and they cultivate their vineyards organically, perfectly expressing the site’s specific terroir. The estate shined in 2013, which was a vintage that the Wine Spectator noted as producing, “Sleek, vibrant wines with bright, focused fruit flavors.”
 
The 2013 vintage combined 50% Sangiovese with Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc and matured for 24 months in oak and five years of development inside the bottle. The 2013 release is powerful, beautifully defined and is perfectly ready to enjoy now.
 
VILLA TRASQUA
2013 TRASGAIA 
TOSCANA IGT 
 
Your Price: $28
 
 
“Fresh and aromatic red with blackberries, cherries and hints of flowers. Medium body, firm and silky tannins and a fresh finish. Linear and bright. A blend of sangiovese, cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc. Drink now.”
91 Points
 
“Deep ruby red with very light garnet hues. The aroma is fruity with nuances of sour cherry in syrup, black currant and lemon jelly. Then vanilla, liquorice and nutmeg notes with balsamic reminiscences of eucalyptus and toasted Arabica coffee and gianduja chocolate. The nose opens up to black pepper and star anis. The taste is round with a warmth that makes it pleasant, tasty and well-balanced. The tannins are completely integrated. The long aftertaste is polite and measured with blackberry, currant and liquorice aromas.”
2016 Bibbiano Gran Selezione Chianti Classico Vigna Del Capannino

2016 Bibbiano Gran Selezione Chianti Classico Vigna Del Capannino

with No Comment $30-$40ChiantiItalyKevin VogtTuscany

BIBBIANO 

GRAN SELEZIONE
2016 CHIANTI CLASSICO
VIGNA DEL CAPANNINO 

2016 Bibbiano Gran Selezione Chianti Classico Vigna Del Capannino
Bibbiano cemented its spot on my top 5 list with its explosive richness, deep-seated power, and captivating elegance. It’s a Chianti on steroids, and each time I taste it, the wine not only stands up to Italian, French and American producers, but it dominates just about everything in its path. I wasn’t the least bit surprised to find out it had already earned a 95 Point score from Decanter. After all, Gran Selezione, which means Great Selection, is the pinnacle of quality for Chianti Classico. 
 
Making a dramatic entrance from one of Tuscany’s best vintages in nearly two decades, this stunning wine was created from 100% Sangiovese Grosso (Brunello) and aged for 30 months before bottling. On the palate, the wine is remarkably powerful and with a satin texture and long resonant finish.  
 
Production requirements for Gran Selezione wines insist on sourcing the grapes from 100% Estate grown fruit or selecting the Estate’s best parcels. It also has higher extract restrictions and extended oak aging requirements. If you want to taste an exceptionally high-quality Chianti at a great price, this is it.  
 
BIBBIANO 
GRAN SELEZIONE
2016 CHIANTI CLASSICO
VIGNA DEL CAPANNINO
 
Your Price: $39.99
 
“Restrained, fresh pomegranate fruit with slightly nutty character, earthy-strawberry depth and minerality. Bright acidity and savoury character, firm and chalky, with natural and integrated freshness. Andrew Jefford: A gorgeously teased, poised aromatic ripeness here: subtle incense spice just hidden behind the refined, perfumed plums; a hint of orange peel. Shapely, fresh, vivid and vigorous: super purity, admirable finesse. Monty Waldin: Nose-tingling peppery notes; the fruit on the palate is slightly faded already, although the wine is by no means drying out. Drinking Window 2020 – 2028″ 
95 Points