2019 Italian Wine

Owned by Elisabetta Gnudi Angelini since 2003, Altesino has been one of Montalcino’s leaders since the zone exploded into international prominence in the 1970s. The wine style is traditional, with all large, Slavonian oak,... Read More

From the only producer with 100% of their vines in the Grand Cru of Montosoli and one of the original 13 Brunello estates, a wine tempting now and drinking through 2040. As Wine Advocate says, Baricci's wines are some of the... Read More

The sister winery of Altesino draws on fruit from across Montalcino to craft this delicously approachable Brunello 2019. This is spicy, silky, Brunello with generous red fruit at the core and tannins that lightly grip and acids... Read More

Organic/Bio From its very first release from vintage 1980, Rampolla’s Sammarco has consistently delivered as one of Italy’s most outstanding Cabernet Sauvignon-based “super-Tuscan” reds. And we’ve... Read More

Organic/Bio Since its debut in the 2003 vintage, Ciacci’s Brunello “Normale” has established itself as one of Montalcino’s greatest values – and finest wines! The fruit for this bottling comes from... Read More

One of the more brilliant Italian white wines we've tasted in recent years, but all too limited. It’s from a remarkable vineyard planted in 1974 on a small hillside plot where lots of limestone mixes in with Jesi's... Read More

A really good and gutsy Tuscan T-Bone steak wine here made from Chianti’s classic blend of Sangiovese, Canaiolo and white Trebbiano, all aged in concrete. Bold blackberry and black cherry juice flavors take center stage,... Read More

Our favorite wine from the fantastic 2019 Brunello vintage combines the rich fruit and power of this warm vintage with the elegance and purity of a unique sandy-soil site in the northern part of the zone. The critics’ reviews... Read More

Asili is the most famous vineyard in Barbaresco – in part because of Bruno Giacosa’s brilliant wines – and it’s always one of the most exciting wines in the Produttori line-up. Always my personal favorite,... Read More

In contrast to Galloni's review below, a bottle of Pora opened in April 2024 was remarkably open, full of flavor, and delightful to drink. It certainly has plenty of cellar potential and could shut down at some point, but... Read More

Another wine where Galloni seems to have caught things at an awkward moment - at our April 2024 tasting, it was among the most compelling wines open for both medium and long-term drinking! Do air it out a bit now and enjoy with... Read More

Montestefano is one of the Produttori’s steepest sites and one of the warmest. The high calcium content of the soil is more like Barolo’s Serralunga than the rest of Barbaresco, and the wine is more Barolo-like as... Read More

Rabajà is a 12.5 acre vineyard with southwestern exposure that gives the vines full afternoon sun. It’s richer and more darkly fruited than some of the cooler climate crus, but is more round and supple than the most... Read More

Organic/Bio Curra is also in Neive, but this uniques site produces a remarkably different wine. As Vinous says, A firm, wiry expression of structure and floral aromatics define the mid-weight Barbarescos of Currà. There... Read More

Organic/Bio Here’s a beautiful expression of Barolo from the important commune of Serralunga d’Alba that is already deliciously expressive with a bit of air and will keep on improving for 15 years. Even this young,... Read More

With its recent elevation to DOCG, it’s great to see the fine Colli Fiorentini region of Tuscany get the recognition it deserves – at least when the wines come from Torre a Cona! It’s 90% Sangiovese and 10% Colorino,... Read More

Founder/owner Andrea Cortonesi launched Uccelliera in 1986 by purchasing a few hectares of land that had been part of the famous Ciacci Piccolomini estate in the warm southern Castelnuovo dell'Abate part of the Montalcino... Read More

When Andrea Cortonesi decided to open a modern Tuscan restaurant in Siena 15 or so years ago, he wanted to serve some of his own wine with the re-imagined Tuscan dishes he planned. But, production at Uccelliera was too small,... Read More

Zenato goes after the richer, deeper, even more full-bodied style of Amarone (made from air-dried grapes) and delivers that with style in 2019. As Suckling says in the 95 point review, Very complex nose of bay leaves, dried prunes... Read More