Vinous (97)

The 2018 Ornellaia is an introvert at this stage. Medium in body, with terrific persistence and impeccable balance, the 2018 is not in any mood to show all its cards today. Hints of red berry fruit, mocha, spice, licorice and dried flowers emerge with a bit of coaxing. I won’t be surprised to see it put on weight with more time in bottle. There is certainly plenty to look forward to. Readers should expect a silky, aromatic Ornellaia in line with vintages such as 2004 that are more about finesse than raw power. This is the first time in which Merlot drives the blend in Ornellaia.

Vinous (97)

The 2018 Ornellaia is an introvert at this stage. Medium in body, with terrific persistence and impeccable balance, the 2018 is not in any mood to show all its cards today. Hints of red berry fruit, mocha, spice, licorice and dried flowers emerge with a bit of coaxing. I won’t be surprised to see it put on weight with more time in bottle. There is certainly plenty to look forward to. Readers should expect a silky, aromatic Ornellaia in line with vintages such as 2004 that are more about finesse than raw power. This is the first time in which Merlot drives the blend in Ornellaia.

The Wine Independent (100)

The Ornellaia 2019 with 62% has the most Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend since the 65% used in the 2001 and 2002 vintages. It is bold and bright on the nose, full of joyful blackberry, cream, and sweet spice. It is very much like the 2016 Ornellaia in terms of finesse and harmony but bigger, bolder, more youthful, and maybe on a larger scale in terms of the brightness of aromas and flavors. On standing the nose becomes much more nuanced and fragrant with blue flowers like iris and violet. There is great concentration on the palate, but it is held together within a very elegant, tight structure. This is a powerful style of Ornellaia but with the 2019 the tannins are more refined than ever and there is a thrilling acidity enlivening the palate! According to Axel Heinz, Director of the Estate, "I think we have learned to tame the tannins.” This 2019 Ornellaia is a beautiful, luxurious, and vivacious wine.

The Wine Independent (100)

The Ornellaia 2019 with 62% has the most Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend since the 65% used in the 2001 and 2002 vintages. It is bold and bright on the nose, full of joyful blackberry, cream, and sweet spice. It is very much like the 2016 Ornellaia in terms of finesse and harmony but bigger, bolder, more youthful, and maybe on a larger scale in terms of the brightness of aromas and flavors. On standing the nose becomes much more nuanced and fragrant with blue flowers like iris and violet. There is great concentration on the palate, but it is held together within a very elegant, tight structure. This is a powerful style of Ornellaia but with the 2019 the tannins are more refined than ever and there is a thrilling acidity enlivening the palate! According to Axel Heinz, Director of the Estate, "I think we have learned to tame the tannins.” This 2019 Ornellaia is a beautiful, luxurious, and vivacious wine.

Matthew Jukes (20+)

An long-forgotten image flashed into my mind when I first tasted this wine. It took me back to a visit, as a child, to a stately home. Goodness knows where this place was, but I remember walking down a long corridor when a huge door opened to my left. As I walked past, I caught a glimpse of the most glamorous and beautifully decorated room beyond the person holding the door ajar. The door closed, and I passed by, but this image has stuck with me ever since. This momentary glimpse of incredible splendour is echoed in this magnificent wine. It starts midnight black in the glass, then as one focuses on the surface, can one see stars? Interestingly, it finishes black, too, in the form of ultra-fine sooty tannins that caress the taste buds as the flavour senesces. Between these two moments of perfect calm, there is layer upon layer of splendour and magnificence. The keyword for this vintage is ‘proportion’, as I found out half an hour through the presentation. It is an inspired choice because every element of 2020 Ornellaia is in scintillating proportion. 2020 Ornellaia represents more than harmony or balance and more than composure and equilibrium – it is truly in perfect proportion. In fact, I have never tasted a vintage of Ornellaia like it. There is a sense of greatness here, both in the intensity of the fruit and also its freshness and lift on the nose and palate – it is astonishing. The Cabernet theme (the blend is 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot) is dominant both in the primary fruit notes but also in the signature flavours. Merlot adds glossiness and also traction, while Cabernet Franc appears to add grace and also crispness and aromatic flourishes. Petit Verdot acts as the invisible welds that pin this magnificent structure together – a complete three-dimensional flavour with no apparent flaws whatsoever. This wine will undoubtedly drink early in its life, given the silkiness and generosity on display, but it will not genuinely get into its stride for a decade, and I feel it will take another decade for it to blossom fully. My childlike fascination with today’s glimpse into the glass will no doubt grow into a full-blown stroll around this wine with the door flung open wide in years to come. This wine will prove to those with the good fortune to own it that its best is yet to come, so be patient in spite of its early allure. Until then, I do not doubt that it is a work of perfect proportion, so I am delighted to award it my first-ever perfect score for Ornellaia.

Wine Advocate (93)

The 2015 Bolgheri Superiore Ornellaia is a dark, exuberant and opulent wine that is teeming with flavor, ripeness and extract. That said, there is also a note of impurity that I only really locked in on when I went back to taste the wine at different time intervals later in the day and the next. To be clear, it was there upon first examination, but then it blew off. And then it came back. That game of hide and seek proved distracting and puzzling. I wondered if it was cork or barrel, although it did not behave like any of those things, and my doubt is recorded by the question mark next to my score. Once you get past that little blemish, you are instantly aware of the beauty and depth of the vintage. The wine is savory in terms of aromas and sweet in terms of tannins. Cabernet Sauvignon flavors of dried blackberry, toasted espresso and cured tobacco play leading roles.

Decanter (95)

From Gaiole, with free-draining soils, the land has formed a natural amphitheatre with southwest-facing slopes at 500m. The 2016 vintage produced intensely aromatic, structured wines. After hand-harvesting, the wine was fermented in stainless steel with regular breaking of the cap, before being transferred to Slavonian oak barrels for 24 months. Aldo Fiordelli: Dense on the palate with silky ripe tannins, cherry fruit and a concentration of darker fruit, along with perfectly integrated structure. A great wine, with great potential. Andrew Jefford: Sweet and elegant aromas: fine leather, fresh red fruits, bay leaf, underbrush, a hint of fungi porcini – everything you hope for, quietly expressed. Intense and vibrant: a super wine. More dominated by its acidity than many, but that acidity is singingly bright and packed with fruit flavour. The tannins are like silk rope: smooth yet ample and gathered. Very beautiful and engaging, long, concentrated and intense. Monty Waldin: Clear, precise ripe red fruit, lovely balance and compactness to this. Drinking Window 2020 - 2028

Decanter (96)

Plenty of capsicum and pepper notes on the nose, tomato leaf and ripe plums. Delicious sweet core of ripe red and black cherry fruit on the palate with very complex savoury notes. Great juicy fruits and long complex finish.

Vinous (96)

A heady, flamboyant wine, the 2016 Sondraia is simply magnificent. Super-ripe red cherry, plum, cedar, tobacco, mocha and licorice are some of the many notes that just soar out of the glass. Vibrancy and opulence come together in a stylish Bolgheri red that delivers the goods big time. The oak is perhaps a bit prominent, but everything about the 2016 works beautifully. This is a fabulous showing from Poggio al Tesoro.

Wine Advocate (91)

Here's a great, easy-drinking wine from beautiful Tuscany. The 2016 Chianti Classico is a full and generous wine from a classic vintage. The wine is streamlined and elegant, but this Sangiovese-based red wine has intense fruit and oak spice in equal measure.

Vinous (92+)

The 2016 Chianti Classico is an explosion of floral-infused aromatics and red-toned fruit, all in the super-classic mid-weight style that is such a signature of the Querciabella house style today. Rose petal, lavender, mint and sweet raspberry fruit are pushed to the forefront. This is the first vintage in which more than half of the wine was aged in larger format oak ranging from tonneau to cask. Vineyards in Gaiole and Greve form the core of the blend, with a touch of fruit from Radda. The 2016 has enough freshness to drink well for another decade plus, but I would give it a few years in bottle for the bright acids to integrate a bit further. There are a number of pricier wines in Querciabella's range, but I am not sure any of them can match the Chianti Classico for pure pleasure. What a lovely wine it is.

Wine Advocate (93)

The 2016 Chianti Classico impresses for the heightened level of vibrant freshness and aromatic precision that distinguishes it in a large playing field. Proprietor Maurizia di Napoli tells me that the 2016 growing season was not without its ups and downs. Farming was difficult, and not all sites came to ripeness with the same consistency because it was cooler toward the end of the growing season. Castello dei Rampolla avoids the use of sulfites in winemaking. However, these results are stunning, especially as this is positioned as a more affordable wine. The blend is 85% Sangiovese, 12% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Merlot.

James Suckling (93)

A classic Chianti Classico with plums, strawberries and peaches on the nose and palate. Medium-bodied with very fine tannins and a long, linear finish with brightness and focus. Juicy finish. Drinkable now, but even better in a year or two.

Decanter (94)

Since taking the reins at Riecine in 2016, winemaker Alessandro Campatelli has crafted a Riserva from the 2.6ha 50-year-old Gittori vineyard. It ferments in concrete Nomblot tanks and ages in large untoasted French oak casks from Burgundy cooper Grenier. Pretty strawberry notes provide a backdrop for cinnamon, cardamom and forest brush to shine through. The tannins are supple and powdery, while penetrating acidity rings out on the finish. Plenty of concentration for ageing.

Decanter (93)

As high temperatures in mid-August shut down the ripening of Sangiovese, Marco Ricasoli reports picking approximately a week later than usual. He also introduced a sorting table to remove dried or green berries as well any pieces of stems. His resulting annata is pristine and sophisticated. Deep violet in colour and equally youthful on the nose, it exudes wild berries, black plum, and hints of wood spice. Tangy dark red cherry fills the mouth, buoyed by rambunctious acidity and framed by suede-textured tannins. Winter mint and liquorice root linger on the finish. With admirable complexity, this outperforms its category.

James Suckling (96)

Aromas of bark, spices, sandalwood, and lavender, as well as joyous ripe fruit. Full-bodied, round and powerful with an impressive backbone of tannins and length. Needs at least three to four years to soften. Try in 2021.

Wine Advocate (94)

From a balanced vintage that delivers acidity and structure, the organic 2021 Chianti Classico reveals a shiny dark garnet color and a clean, mid-weight appearance. There's so much energy and vibrancy on the bouquet, which is a quality that Sangiovese achieves when growing conditions are ideal. Tangy cherry, cassis, blue flower, violet and soft earth give this wine an authentic sense of place. So do the elegant mineral notes. This is a special wine (that is priced very competitively).

Decanter (94)

San Giusto’s Riserva is a selection of grapes based on ripeness as well as bunch and berry dimensions. In 2017, the estate managed to hold off harvesting until after the desperately needed, refreshing early-September rains. This has a lot of everything: intense aromas, ripe flavours, a weighty mouthfeel, rich fruit, dense chalky tannins, heady alcohol, and even concentrated acidity. Somehow, these are all gracefully aligned but it makes for a powerful package. Open according to your preference - I would prefer to wait another year, giving time for all the elements to mellow and meld further.

Jancis Robinson (18+)

Gaiole in Chianti. 97% Sangiovese. 3% Canaiolo. Certified organic. Cask sample. Beautiful shiny ruby. A lifted cherry nose with a hint of pine and black tea leaves. Jewel-like sour-cherry fruit on the palate. Very pure and elegant, yet with lots of concentration and gorgeous tannic bite on the finish.

Wine Advocate (94)

The 2020 Chianti Classico Riserva Le Baròncole (a certified organic wine) shows bright fruit with summer cherry and redcurrant. It offers textural heft and weight. Its Riserva status (with extended aging) is well noted. With time in the glass, it unfolds to leather, potting soil and crushed stone. This vintage does however show a more accessible personality overall (and a powerful 15% alcohol content).

James Suckling (98)

An extremely rich and ripe wine with currant, cherry and balsamic aromas. Hints of leather. Follows through on the finish. Full body, round and velvety tannins that are reserved and beautiful. Sweet and sour. Savory, too. Drink or hold. This has a long life ahead of it.

The Wine Independent (99)

The 2013 Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia was one of the stars of this vertical for me and a big surprise. It is just so graceful and harmonious. The aromas and flavors are brighter and in sharper focus and the tannins are even more seamless than before. Carlo Paoli told me that he also loves this vintage - the weather conditions were so good, with no excess of heat or rain. As he says, "Everything was slow, calm and beautiful." The 2013 Sassicaia reflects this ease. The palate has a lovely combination of a velvety texture, with just the right weight, and thrilling acidity. The fine tannins almost disappear on the finish.

James Suckling (98)

Love the aromas to this young red with blackcurrants, sage, cinnamon and five-spice character. Changes all the time. Full-bodied, dense and powerful with a ripe and rich tannin backbone that gives form and beauty to the ripe and beautiful fruit. Tight and very long. Approachable now but will reward more in five to six years. A classic Sassicaia.

The Wine Independent (100)

The 2016 Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia is another wine I love. It is an exceptional wine from one of the best vintages in Tuscany in the last decade. 2016 was a cooler and more classic vintage than 2015 and one can almost sense more freshness, comfort and ease for the vine in the natural harmony of this wine. The wine has vibrancy, a mouth-watering freshness and a beautiful natural grace. The nose is bright and clear with very precisely delineated aromas of wild flowers, meadow grass, violet, rose and cassis. The 2016 is looking stunning, with a wonderful texture and flow, yet a twist of nervosity and energy too. Drinking now but it needs maybe 5 years to begin to show its best.

The Wine Independent (97)

The 2017 Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia is such an impressive wine in a hot and very dry vintage like 2017. It has a wonderful fragrance of sweet spice, pressed flowers and Mediterranean herbs with youthful, bright blackberries and forest floor notes. A problem with the 2017 vintage was that the nights were hot as well as the days so it was challenging to accumulate aromatics and achieve full phenolic ripeness. Paoli and his team had to harvest early and shorten maceration times. In any case they have done an excellent job. It has lovely concentration and power on the palate yet it still retains the classic Sassicaia signature of vibrant acidity and harmony and flow across the palate.

Wine Advocate (97+)

This is a classic vintage of an Italian icon now celebrating its 50th vintage. The Tenuta San Guido 2018 Bolgheri Sassicaia lays out a familiar blueprint that borrows from the proven track record of this landmark estate that extends into the hills just beyond the Tyrrhenian shores of Tuscany. This vintage is crystalline and pure in its delivery, and if you are familiar with previous editions, it is impossible to mistake this wine for anything but Sassicaia. The growing season started off cool and wet but turned to warm and dry conditions comfortably before the harvest. Cabernet Sauvignon with Cabernet Franc in a supporting role deliver a graceful mid-weight texture that holds back style-wise in terms of phenolic density. The wine's careful balance is achieved thanks to the nuanced character of the fruit, the present acidity, the well-managed structure and the contained alcohol. The palate is lifted and bright, the finish is polished and long, and the wine skips over any heaviness on the mid-palate. The bouquet is especially intriguing with a very lively plummy fruit element that is enhanced by baker's chocolate, pepper spice, iron ore, caramel and pie crust. There is also a green character that adds positively to the bouquet with aniseed, tea leaf, soya, menthol rub and black olive. The fruit maturity is spot-on with no elements that feel over or underripe. Overall, the 2018 Sassicaia weighs in with a svelte frame and long persistence. Moreover, it is distinguished by the archetypal elegance and pedigree of the classic vintages of the past. This new release gives you much pleasure to await.

Wine Advocate (97+)

This is a classic vintage of an Italian icon now celebrating its 50th vintage. The Tenuta San Guido 2018 Bolgheri Sassicaia lays out a familiar blueprint that borrows from the proven track record of this landmark estate that extends into the hills just beyond the Tyrrhenian shores of Tuscany. This vintage is crystalline and pure in its delivery, and if you are familiar with previous editions, it is impossible to mistake this wine for anything but Sassicaia. The growing season started off cool and wet but turned to warm and dry conditions comfortably before the harvest. Cabernet Sauvignon with Cabernet Franc in a supporting role deliver a graceful mid-weight texture that holds back style-wise in terms of phenolic density. The wine's careful balance is achieved thanks to the nuanced character of the fruit, the present acidity, the well-managed structure and the contained alcohol. The palate is lifted and bright, the finish is polished and long, and the wine skips over any heaviness on the mid-palate. The bouquet is especially intriguing with a very lively plummy fruit element that is enhanced by baker's chocolate, pepper spice, iron ore, caramel and pie crust. There is also a green character that adds positively to the bouquet with aniseed, tea leaf, soya, menthol rub and black olive. The fruit maturity is spot-on with no elements that feel over or underripe. Overall, the 2018 Sassicaia weighs in with a svelte frame and long persistence. Moreover, it is distinguished by the archetypal elegance and pedigree of the classic vintages of the past. This new release gives you much pleasure to await.

The Wine Independent (100)

This 2019 Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia is really very special. A subtle change has occurred and the typically aristocratic and elegant finesse of Sassicaia now has a little more joie de vivre. It is intense and deeply concentrated without being heavy and with very fine, beautifully integrated tannins that harmonize with the body of the wine. Carlo Paoli, MD and head of winemaking, views 2019 as “one of the great vintages of the last decades. Although it was not generous in quantity (about 15% less than in 2016), for the quality of the grapes… it is to be considered exceptional.” The winemaking team are at their peak in terms of understanding and managing the vineyards and the more extreme vintage variations they face due to climate change. There were 280,000 bottles made this year but in response to climate change, Paoli plans to reduce the quantity. The 2019 reminds me a lot of the sublime 2016 but somehow it is bolder with even more energy, vivacity, and exuberance. Drink from 2024-2050.