Red Wine

The 2016 Barolo Pajana is ample, powerful and resonant, with terrific body and a real sense of expansiveness that builds with time in the glass. Sweet spice, citrus and floral overtones add brightness to this attractive, mid-weight Barolo. The 2016 is deep and yet also tannic. I would prefer to cellar it for at least a few years.

The 2018 Valpolicella Classico Superiore pulls the taster close to the glass with a darkly alluring blend of dried roses, violets, crushed stone, clove and blood orange. It washes across the palate with silken textures, lifted and finessed in the style of the vintage, as ripe wildberry fruits swirl beneath an air of sweet lavender. The word ethereal comes to mind as the 2018 tapers off with sweet tannins that provide a lovely framework to perfumed inner florals and hints of blackberry that resonate.

The 2019 Barolo Bric del Fiasc is a gorgeous wine in the making. Deep, fleshy and wonderfully nuanced, the 2019 offers up an exotic mélange of kirsch, pomegranate, baking spice and a kick of new oak. Often quite the tannic beast, in 2019, the Bric del Fiasc is impeccable in its balance. The rich, substantial finish is a thing of beauty. Best of all, the 2019 should drink well relatively early for this wine.

The 2020 Léoville Barton has a very concentrated and opulent bouquet with lavish blueberry and bilberry fruit and a veneer of new oak that will be subsumed in the near future. The palate is medium-bodied with succulent, ripe tannins. Cedar and touches of baking powder infuse the layered red fruit, segueing into a spicy, persistent finish. Classy. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting.

The 2019 Brunello di Montalcino Tenuta Nuova is an understated beauty, perfumed and highly aromatic, with a gorgeous blend of dried black cherry, clove, hints of sage and spiced blood orange. It is cool-toned and classic in feel, with silken textures and vibrant acidity that enlivens the core of tart red berry fruits. A cascade of violet and lavender tones resonate over a coating of fine-grained tannins as it flexes its structural muscle, tapering off long and potent and demanding the taster's attention. This will pay dividends in the cellar.

The 2016 Barolo Bussia is explosive, vibrant and full of energy. Bright saline notes give the Barolo Bussia great tension and sheer drive. Deceptively medium in body the Bussia is also incredibly distinctive. Its rich, vivid flavors are so finely sculpted. In this range, the Bussia is distinguished by its mid-palate sweetness and that creaminess that is so common in the best Bussia Barolos. I love the vibrancy here.

The 2016 Barolo Campè is superb. Dark, potent and powerful, the 2016 possesses tremendous intensity to match its dark, virile personality. More than anything else, in 2016 the Campè offers a captivating interplay of fruit and structure. The 2016 is not a shy wine; rather it is rich and hedonistic to the core, while maintaining a striking sense of translucence. Black cherry, chocolate, espresso, licorice and clove all build into the huge finish. In a word: Superb. In 2016 Giorgio Rivetti and his team made a Barolo with a sense of classicism I have never seen before to this degree in a La Spinetta wine.

The 2020 Tignanello is so primary, so intensely fruit-driven, that it almost tastes like a barrel sample. A burst of red Sangiovese fruit opens first, followed by hints of blood orange, cinnamon, spice, dried flowers and mocha later. Time in the glass brings out striking dimension. In 2020, Tignanello is wonderfully sleek and racy, with fine tannins that lie below a core of bright, sculpted fruit. The balance here is just sublime. I can't wait to revisit the 2020 with age. "We are gradually increasing the Cabernet Franc in Tignanello to balance the greater richness that today's warmer seasons are giving to our Sangioveses" Antinori CEO Renzo Cotarella told me.

The 2021 Bolgheri Superiore Guado al Tasso is a very beautiful wine, but also quite a departure from the style that made it famous years ago. Readers will find an especially polished Guado al Tasso, a wine that emphasizes finesse more than power. Silky tannins wrap around a core of black cherry fruit, licorice, spice, mocha and new leather. Bright, saline undertones extend the exquisite finish. There's more Cabernet Franc in the blend these days, and that very much comes through in the wine's crazy aromatic presence and feel. The 2021 spent 16 months in wood, three months in used French oak barrels during the malolactic fermentation and then 14 months in barrel (80% new) for the rest of its aging. Gorgeous.

The 2020 Bolgheri Superiore Guado al Tasso is a rich, resonant wine that captures the natural radiance of the Tuscan Coast. Blackberry jam, mocha, plum, chocolate, spice and espresso all build in a mid-weight yet succulent, inviting Bolgheri red. There's terrific richness and resonance here. This is a classic Guado al Tasso. In 2020, the estate did not make its top bottling, the 100% Cabernet Franc Matarocchio, opting to use that fruit for Guado al Tasso. "Late season rains were challenging for the Cabernet Sauvignon, so we chose to use all our best Franc in Guado al Tasso," CEO Renzo Cotarella explained.

The 2019 Tignanello is one of the most reserved, understated young wines I can remember tasting here. In so many vintages Tignanello is quite showy, but in 2019 the nervous energy and brightness of Sangiovese takes center stage. That’s intriguing, because the 2019 blend has a bit more Cabernet Sauvignon than normal, a decision made to compensate for some of the lighter qualities in the Sangiovese. With air the 2019 shows gorgeous depth and captivating inner perfume, even if it is clearly still coming together. The 2019 spent about 14 months in oak, with 50% new wood. Things are always in constant evolution at Antinori. This is the first vintage to incorporate some larger 500L barrels, an approach I think will work brilliantly.

The 2019 Guado al Tasso is a model of total refinement. Deeply pitched spice, mocha and leather nuances meld into a core of plush dark fruit as the 2019 reveals its considerable charms. The aromatics alone are mesmerizing, but the 2019 has so much more to offer. I admire the wine’s balance and allure, both of which it has in spades. Like so many 2019s, Guado al Tasso is a wine more of energy and persistence than volume. Clean, bracing mineral notes linger on the sublime finish. The 2019 spent 18 months in barrel, 90% new. (Originally Published in March 2022)

The 2016 Barolo Riserva Bricco Boschis Vigna San Giuseppe is a powerhouse. Huge swaths of tannin wrap around a core of dark fruit in a brooding, almost somber Barolo that demands patience. Hints of licorice, spice, leather, menthol, incense and black cherry fruit begin to emerge with time in the glass. I won’t be surprised if the 2016 turns out even better than this note suggests. There is a ton of potential here. I find the combination of power and translucent energy both evocative and quite promising.

The 2017 Tignanello is dense, exotic and flamboyant. Red berry fruit, cherries in liqueur, blood orange, wild flowers and sweet spice are front and center in this sumptuous, racy Tignanello that is likely to drink beautifully right out of the gate. The Antinori team has done a terrific job with the 2017, a year in which heat and dry weather took with them 30% of the production.

It's such a pleasure to taste the 2016 Brunello di Montalcino from Poggio di Sotto; this is easily one of the wines of the vintage. Its bouquet is pure class, balsamic, exotic and spicy. A blend of dried orange and cloves gives way to sweet lavender and black cherries. Elegant and silky, yet with cooling acidity and depths of tart red berry fruits, the 2016 impresses further with a salty savoriness and a sense of sheer energy. It leaves a coating of dusty tannins and dark florals to resonate, displaying a youthful concentration slowly easing as traces of licorice fade through the incredibly long finish.

The 2020 Canon is very succinct on the nose, beautifully defined with extraordinarily pure red fruit laced with pressed violet and iris flower. The oak is perfectly integrated. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, fresh and almost citric, very vibrant and precise with a quite peppery finish. God made wine so that it can taste as good as this. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting.

The 2016 Brunello di Montalcino is a dark stallion of a wine that showcases both the depth and radiance of the vintage. At first, its bouquet is dark and earthy, yet quickly blossoms into an enthralling mix of musky red currants, wild peppery herbs, dusty rose and worn leather. While satiny in feel, it’s also sleek and lively, with a vibrant burst of sweet and sour citrus that enlivens its notes of tart cranberry and pomegranate, all wound tightly in a web of saline-minerals. Violet and lavender tones arch across the palate over a core of silky tannins that nicely frame the experience, as a hint of balsamic spice slowly tapers off. The 2016 is one of the most deep and balanced Brunellos that I’ve ever experienced from Biondi Santi. If this is the Annata, then I can only imagine what the Riserva might bring to the table. Something of note is that in 2016, production was down by 15% following the abundant 2015 vintage and the dry conditions in the early part of the season.