Wine & Spirits - April 2018 - 113

YEAR'S BEST TUSCAN REDS
Our blind panels tasted 476 new-release Tuscan red wines over the past 12 months. Our critic for Italy, Stephanie Johnson, rated 94 as
exceptional (90+) and 35 as Best Buys. Find a complete list of wines tasted and all reviews at wineandspiritsmagazine.com.

A LTA V A L L E D E L L A G R E V E
227700

92 | Poggio Scalette

$60

2015 Alta Valle della Greve Il Carbonaione ^ This single-vineyard sangiovese ages
for 15 months in new and second-use barriques, developing flavors of dark spice and
Bourbon-barrel char that saturate its fleshy
red-cherry tones. Ample tannins lend a raspy
grip to the rich flavors. It's an opulent sangiovese that feels amped up on all fronts yet in
balance, suggesting a few years in the cellar
to let those oak flavors integrate. § Leonardo
Locascio Selections/The Winebow Group, NY
227218

92 | Poggio Scalette

$67

2014 Alta Valle della Greve Il Carbonaione ^ The 2014 Il Carbonaione is more
lithe and frisky than the 2015 (also recommended here), with floral and herbal scents
that developed during the cooler and wetter
vintage. Its juicy, bright cherry flavors and
lightly taut tannins make it a ready partner
for poultry. § Leonardo Locascio Selections/The
Winebow Group, NY

BOLGHERI
227493

94 | Tenuta San Guido

$235

2014 Bolgheri Sassicaia Sassicaia ^ Coolerthan-average temperatures in August 2014
favored the aroma development in this
wine. Scents of dewy herbs and summer
strawberries lead into flavors of taut red berries tinged with blood orange. Silky tannins
carry the flavors over a cool sheet of acidity, leaving an impression of elegance rather
than power. The wine fleshes out with exposure to air, revealing subtle spice notes along
with a saline earthiness that recalls the wine's
coastal origins. § Kobrand, Purchase, NY
227376

93 | Grattamacco

$108

2014 Bolgheri Superiore ^ This showcases
the best aspects of 2014's wet, challenging
growing season. Flavors of just-ripe plum and
black currant quiver with nervy acidity, the
tension heightened by notes of menthol and
fresh pine-forest scents. The fine, compact
tannins begin to unwind after several hours
in the glass, allowing notes of leafy tobacco

and freshly cracked black peppercorn to
emerge. The wine feels firm and fresh rather
than lush, with a drive and energy that suggest it will continue to improve over several
years. § Domaine Select Wine Estates, NY
227375

92 | Grattamacco

$30

2015 Bolgheri Rosso (Best Buy) ^ Lush blueberry and black-plum flavors combine with
herbal freshness in Grattamacco's Bolgheri
Rosso from the warm 2015 vintage. The contrast of sun-baked coastal ripeness and leafy
green herbs creates an exuberant sensation
while velvety notes of chocolate, tobacco and
freshly tilled earth lend depth to the wine.
The price makes it even more delicious. §
Domaine Select Wine Estates, NY
227963

91 | Campo Alle Comete

$45

91 | Le Macchiole

$34

2015 Bolgheri Stupore ^ The Capalbo family,
owners of Campania's Feudi di San Gregorio, acquired this 37-acre estate on the Tuscan
coast in 2016. This is their first release of Stupore, a blend of merlot with 20 percent each
of syrah and petit verdot and 10 percent cabernet sauvignon. Its lifted aromas of bay leaf
and bergamot lead into flavors of red currants edged with orange zest, a mid-weight
red with grace. § Vias Imports, NY
228896
2016 Bolgheri Rosso (Best Buy) ^ Cinzia
Merli's introductory red is lush and lively in
the 2016 vintage. Merlot plays the leading
role in its fresh blueberry flavors and velvety
texture, while smaller portions of cabernet
sauvignon and franc firm up the structure
and lend a touch of eucalyptus. It feels both
playful and sophisticated, ready for a range
of dishes. § Vintus, Pleasantville, NY
228484

91 | Ornellaia

$75

2015 Bolgheri Le Serre Nuove Rosso ^
Polished tannins relent with time to allow
this wine's plush red and blue fruit flavors
to come forward, cushioning the notes of
vanilla and toasted spice. It's ripe, with fresh
acidity and hints of savory notes, but needs a
few years in the cellar for all of the elements
to come together. § Vintus, Pleasantville, NY
227514

90 | Campo alla Sughera

$60

2012 Bolgheri Superiore Arnione ^ From
the warm 2012 vintage, this blend of cabernet sauvignon with 20 percent each of cabernet franc, merlot and petit verdot feels
dense and chewy. Dried and fresh cherry flavors mingle with notes of anise and charred
wood from 18 months in new French oak barriques, giving the wine an unctuous richness
that calls for seared venison. § Curious Cork
Imports, Napa, CA

BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO
227370

96 | Poggio di Sotto

$539

95 | Cerbaiona

$180

2010 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva ^
From the excellent 2010 vintage, this combines succulence and savor in a powerful yet
lithe frame. The fruit comes from the estate's
organically farmed vineyards in Montalcino's southern sector, near Castelnuovo
dell'Abate, where the slopes rise from 650
to 1,300 feet in altitude-cool heights that
help the fruit preserve acidity. Aged for five
years in large Slavonian casks, the wine needs
a little air to get past its initial notes of volatility, then reveals a dense core of black-cherry
fruit infused with fresh herbs and spices. The
flavors turn savory as the wine evolves in the
glass, picking up notes of smoked meat and
fire-roasted tomatoes even as saline acidity
freshens the finish. Built for the long haul, it
should rest at least five more years in the cellar. § Domaine Select Wine Estates, NY
228103
2012 Brunello di Montalcino ^ Firm, schisty
tannins keep a tight grip on this wine's fruit
for several hours after opening. With air,
it reveals flavors of red and black cherries
with earthy and herbal tones, and continues to add flesh for days after uncorking,
taking on notes of roasted mushrooms and
woodsmoke. This is one of the last vintages
under the watch of longtime proprietor
Diego Molinara, who sold the estate to a
group of investors in 2015. The new owners have begun replanting the vineyards to
higher density and converting the estate to
organics. § T. Edward Wines, NY
227371
WINE & SPIRITS

APRIL 2018

113
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