Red Wine

The 2019 Solaia is fabulous. Deep and exquisitely layered, the 2019 is so expressive right out of the gate. Succulent dark cherry, plum, licorice, incense, pipe tobacco, chocolate and grilled herbs all take shape. Here, too, the aromatics are alluring. Cabernet Franc is bumped up a bit in the blend, and that works so well here. Solaia is often a bombastic, intense wine. The 2019 is incredibly refined and buttoned up. Readers will have to be patient. The 2019 Solaia is the sort of wine I would like to spend a whole evening with. Aging was 18 months in 100% new French oak.

There’s something intriguing, alluringly dark, earthy – animal, even – yet floral and packed full of rich black fruits and exotic spices that defines the 2016 Brunello di Montalcino Cerretalto. This impresses with its cool-toned dark berries and minerals, complemented by bright acidity and sweet inner herbal tones. It’s not yet ready to reveal all of its charms, though it drops subtle hints each step of the way. A bitter twang keeps the expression lively and fresh, while grippy tannins saturate deeply and leave the palate aching with youthful tension, as notes of licorice, clove and a hint of ginger linger. What a wine!

The 2015 Sassicaia is incredibly elegant, perfumed and light on its feet. It has become even more wonderfully refined since I last tasted it. Sweet floral and spiced notes lead into a core of sweet red and purplish berry fruit. When it was younger, the 2015 was quite potent. Today, my impression is that, while the 2015 has gained some finesse, it is also starting to shut down in bottle. Wine is always a journey; the 2015 Sassicaia is a great example of that.

The magic of the 2016 Brunello di Montalcino Madonna della Grazie is firmly on display as it slowly opens like a cedar spice box of treasures, with incense, cloves, dried herbs, cherries and mint. It's velvety-smooth, lifted by vibrant acidity, with a potent wave of ripe wild berry fruits energized by tantalizing acidity. The 2016 holds its power in reserve, currently kept in check by a wall of dusty tannins and a bitter tinge of sour cherry. What a darling. Bury your bottles deep. This is pure magic. The 2016 is flirting with perfection and may one day deserve a 100-point score.

The 2016 Sassicaia is one of the most powerful, imposing young Sassicaias I can remember tasting. Explosive and vibrant with stunning depth, the 2016 possesses off-the-charts aromatic intensity, richness and structure, all in a mid-weight style that is so distinctive. Plum, lavender, rose petal, spice and mint all build into the explosive, deep finish in this potent wine.

Maria Teresa Mascarello made one of the wines of the vintage in 2016. Her 2016 Barolo is soft and sensual, but also quite hushed - as many wines are in this vintage in the early going. Medium in body with silky tannins and exceptional balance, the 2016 has so much to offer, but it is also going to require quite a bit of time to be at its very best. Just after bottling, the 2016 was more generous and rich, but it is decidedly closed today. I wouldn't dream of touching a bottle before age ten, and even that will be early for a super-classic Barolo. Rose petal, mint, crushed flowers, anise and blood orange develop with time in the glass, but the 2016 is a Barolo for readers who can afford to be patient.

The 2016 Masseto is simply stunning. Fresh, vibrant and full of energy, the 2016 dazzles from start to finish. I can’t remember tasting a young Masseto with this combination of fruit density and silkiness. Just as it was from barrel, the 2016 Masseto is a wine of magnificent balance and proportion. The polish and sensuality of the tannins is simply remarkable for a young Masseto, especially compared to just a few years ago, when Masseto was often a bruiser right out of the gate. Two thousand sixteen was a year with a long summer and some drought, but no real extremes. Acidity is in line with vintages like 2006, but gentler winemaking with fewer pumpovers than in the past has given birth to a wine that is more finessed than those of the preceding decade.