La Fortezza Brunello di Montalcino 2019, Italy

Beautiful color of ruby with a brick hue.

Elegant nose of red fruits with light wood, licorice, chocolates, tobacco, herbs, spices and black pepper.

Medium plus in body with medium acidity.

Dry on the palate with cherries, sweet raspberries, light plums, chocolates, light oak, spices, licorice, herbs, light vegetables and peppercorn.

Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.

This is a delicious Brunello di Montalcino. Complex and inviting from the first sip. A good quality wine. Elegant and smooth.

This 5 year old is drinking beautifully now, and will continue to drink nicely in the next 7 years.

A lovely wine to drink by itself, as a sipping wine. Easy drinking and well balanced. Drinking it in Montalcino, made it taste even better…

14.5% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$40.

Tenuta Meraviglia Bolgheri Rosso 2020, Tuscany, Italy

It is time for my #FridayCabernetfix.

Dark ruby in color with a wide reddish rim.

Nice nose with red and blue fruits, light wood, spices, tobacco leaf, herbs and light vegetables.

Medium bodied with medium plus acidity.

Dry on the palate with cherries, plums, raspberries, spices, dark chocolates, black pepper and earth.

Short and bitter finish with fine grained tannins.

This is an interesting take on Cabernet Franc from Tuscany. Doesn’t drink like one, but easy drinking and good by itself or with food. Elegant and tangy.

100% Cabernet Franc grapes were aged for 12 months in large Chianti wood barrels.

14% alcohol by volume.

89 points.

$30.

Omina Romana Merlot IGP 2021, Lazio, Italy

It is time for some Merlot on this #MerlotThursday. Let’s bring Merlot back!

Ruby in color with a wide reddish rim.

Spicy nose with light oak and dried meats.

Medium bodied with medium acidity.

Dry on the palate with nice complexity.

Showing red and black fruits with wood, earth, light vegetables, herbs, light earth, tobacco leaf and light black pepper.

Tangy finish with soft tannins and raspberries.

This 3 year Merlot is still young and already drinking nicely.

Easy drinking right out of the bottle, and better with airtime, so be patient.

A good quality wine. Elegant and soft. Good by itself or with food.

100% Merlot grapes were aged for 12 months in French oak barrels.

13.5% alcohol by volume.

90 points.

$40.

Il Poggione Brunello di Montalcino 2010, Italy 90

Ruby in color with a wide brown/ brick rim.

Medium bodied with medium acidity.

Dry on the palate with nice complexity.

Showing black fruits with wood, earth, vegetables, spices, tobacco leaf, bitter herbs and peppercorn.

Nice finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.

This 14 year old Brunello lost a lot of its fruits at this point. Soft and elegant. Earthy and better with food.

I paired it with a prosciutto and arugula pizza.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

90 points.

$100.

Azienda Agricola Poggio al Grillo Rezeno Aleatico Passito 2023, Tuscany, Italy

This is a delicious sweet wine from Tuscany.

Medium bodied with high acidity and a long finish.

Sweet on the palate with red fruits, spices, chocolates and light earth.

Nicely balanced with enough acidity to balance the sugars. 

Needs a few years to mature properly, but already enjoyable.

Has good potential to become a 94+ point wine. Would be nice to revisit it in 7 to 10 years.

100% Aleatico grapes were dried for one month, and then fermented, leaving 150 g/l of sugar. A tiny production of only 800 bottles made.

15% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$45.

Podere Sapaio Volpolo di Sapaio Bolgheri Rosso 2022, Tuscany, Italy

Sitting for lunch in the heart of the city of Bolgheri, at a great restaurant, I had to try something I never had before. This entry level Bordeaux blend was a nice surprise.

Purple in color with a purplish rim.

Medium plus in body with medium acidity.

Dry on the palate with nice complexity.

Showing blueberries, plums, black currants, cherries, light oak, spices, light earth, herbs, tobacco leaf, dark chocolates, licorice and a touch of vanilla.

Tangy finish with round tannins and tangy raspberries.

This young Bordeaux blend from Tuscany is already drinking nicely, even right out of the bottle. Spicy and rich.

Opulent with lots of fruits, but also some earth notes to compliment the fruits.

Tannins show up after 30 minutes of airtime. A great nose shows itself after 90 minutes in the decanter. Much better once it opens up, so be patient.

Will continue to age nicely in the next 5 to 10 years.

Good by itself as a sipping wine, or with food. Tangy, spicy and entertaining. I paired it with beef stew.

A blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot and 15% Petit Verdot. Aged in oak barrels for 14 months.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

91 points.

$30.

Marchesi Antinori Le Terrazze di Guado al Tasso 2021, Tuscany, Italy

Purple in color with a wide purplish rim.

Pretty and prominent nose with blue and black fruits, light wood, spices, coffee, tobacco and earth.

Medium plus in body with medium plus acidity.

Very dry on the palate with cherries, plums, light oak, spices, earth, espresso and peppercorn.

Short finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cranberries.

This is an experimental red wine from the house of Antinori. Very unique. Tangy and engaging, but not very elegant. 

Needs time to open up properly, and better with food.

Not necessarily my style, but it’s always nice to try these kind of unique wines.

100% Vermentino Nero grapes were aged for 14 months in French oak barrels. A tiny production of only 700 bottles made.

13% alcohol by volume.

88 points.

$50.

Tenuta Castello di Bolgheri Bolgheri Superiore 2021, Tuscany, Italy

It is time for my #FridayCabernetfix.

Dark ruby in color with a reddish rim.

Medium plus in body with medium acidity.

Showing plums, black cherries, currants, chocolates, light oak, spices, coffee, licorice, light vanilla, peppercorn, tobacco leaf and light earth.

Medium plus in length on the finish, with grippy tannins and tangy cherries.

This is a delicious Cabernet Sauvignon blend from Bolgheri. Spicy and interesting. Nicely balanced and elegant.

Very tasty and already enjoyable, although still young. Needs 5 years in the bottle to mature properly. Has good potential to become a 94+ point wine.

A blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc and 5% Merlot. Aged for 16 months in French oak barrels and then 6 months in Austrian oak.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$85.

Tenuta Guado Al Tasso Bolgheri Cont’Ugo 2021, Tuscany, Italy

It is time for some Merlot on this #MerlotThursday.

Purple /reddish in color with a wide reddish rim.

Showing a beautiful nose that takes me to Bordeaux.

Medium plus in body with medium acidity.

Showing black plums, cherries, light oak, tobacco, licorice, light vanilla, peppercorn, espresso, light earth, chocolates and herbs.

Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.

This is a delicious Merlot from Bolgheri. Drinks like a Right Bank Bordeaux. Fruit forward, Interesting and rich.

Well balanced and elegant. Easy drinking with a nice mouthfeel.

Still young, but already delicious. Will continue to age nicely in the next 10 to 15 years.

Good by itself or with food.

100% Merlot grapes were aged in French oak barrels for 14 months.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$50.

Travaglini Giancarlo Gattinara Nebbiolo 2020, Piedmont, Italy

Ruby in color with light intensity.

Not much on the nose with red fruits, light wood and coffee notes.

Light to medium in body with medium plus acidity.

Very dry on the palate with raspberries, cherries, light oak, spices, coffee, tobacco, earth and peppercorn.

Short finish with round tannins and tangy pomegranates.

This Nebbiolo from Piedmont is a little unbalanced and better with food. Very tangy, almost tart.

Needs an hour to open up and calm down a bit, as the tannins are pretty grippy. A decanter really helps.

I paired it with fillet steak and potatoes.

100% Nebbiolo grapes were grown on volcanic soils and aged for 36 months in oak barrels.

13.5% alcohol by volume.

87 Points.

$35.