Wine Advocate (97)

The 2016 Bolgheri Superiore Argentiera is 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc, and the Cabernet Sauvignon logically feels and tastes most prominent. This is a dark and penetrating Tuscan red that is beautifully elevated, thanks to the extremely elegant and buoyant quality of the aromas. They lift gracefully from the glass with light-footed, almost fleeting character. However, don't underestimate the power and the concentration of the wine, because this vintage delivers both with abundance. I've had my eye on this estate since the vineyards were first planted some 20 years ago, and there is no doubt that this vintage brings Tenuta Argentiera into a new era as a Bolgheri protagonist. Some 80,000 bottles were made.

Wine Advocate (97)

What a beauty and what an incredible leap forward to excellence. The Tenuta Argentiera 2019 Bolgheri Superiore Argentiera shows depth and wide shoulders with soft plushness and impeccable fruit. The full-bodied wine is dialed up on all levels from perfumes, intensity, mouthfeel, texture and freshness. This bottle should hold past the 20-year mark.

James Suckling (97)

So much blue fruit such as blueberries and blackberries; the purity of the fruit is incredible. Essence of cabernet sauvignon. Full-bodied yet with focused and fine tannins. Forceful but focused and polished. Needs two or three years to come around. And then enjoy for years afterwards.

Wine Advocate (97)

From a warm and sunny vintage that produced darkly concentrated fruit, the Tenuta Guado al Tasso 2017 Bolgheri Superiore Guado al Tasso is a teaser and a super pleaser. This is one flashy wine. This carefully calculated blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Cabernet Franc and 15% Merlot pours from the bottle with a beautifully saturated and rich color. I double-decanted my sample before writing this review, and the wine's aromas showed immediate harmony and intensity. The wine seduces and flirts with all your senses. This vintage caps many years of study regarding blending: The Merlot is slightly decreased here, and the Cabernet Franc is slowly taking on a more important supporting role. The Petit Verdot that was used as a peppery accent two years ago has now been removed altogether. The results are pliant, seamless and fluid, and that's the big takeaway here. The wine is bountiful, round, supple and full-bodied. Unless you are decidedly not a fan of this style, there's nothing not to love. I had anticipated more tightness in terms of possible hot-vintage tannins, but I am very pleased by the general integration of the mouthfeel. The Guado al Tasso vineyards are located not too far from the sea, at a low elevation of about 60 meters above sea level. The soils are alluvial with a unique mix of limestone clay and sand, with pockets of rocks and are generally known as the Bolgheri Agglomerate. Some 120,000 bottles of this vintage hit the market in February 2020.

Jeb Dunnuck (97)

The ample richness of the 2019 Guado al Tasso is balanced with great energy that drives through the core of this wine. Polished, with aromas of black plum, graphite, cedar, and leather, it is ripe and full-bodied, with good tannins and a linear drive but a long finish. This remarkable wine will benefit from cellaring. Drink 2025-2045.

Wine Advocate (96)

The Marchesi Antinori 2020 Bolgheri Superiore Guado al Tasso sees Cabernet Franc at over 30% of the blend in this vintage, with the rest going to Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% to 20% to Merlot. Matarocchio was not produced this year, and this wine benefits from the extra Cabernet Franc as a result. The 2019 and 2021 vintages of Guado al Tasso are quite concentrated and rich, whereas 2020 is leaner in texture, along the lines of the edition we saw made in 2010. There was rain in September. Managing Director Renzo Cotarella says he would not describe 2020 as a hot vintage because the rain did pose challenges at the end of the growing season. In Bolgheri on the Tuscan coast, budbreak is earlier than in other appellations, and the growing season is longer as a result. This is a benefit to the international varieties used here. The wine shows nice richness and intensity. The Cabernet Franc definitely comes through and adds the characteristic vertical lift and linearity that the grape is known for. You get black fruit, spice, white pepper and no signs of bitter stems or bramble. Sweet, almost milky tannins are interlocked with fresh acidity to give this wine good cellaring potential. The new oak was dialed back a bit in this vintage.

Showcasing the exquisite craftsmanship of winemaker Luigi Scavino, the Azienda Agricola LaLu Langhe Nebbiolo 2019 is a true testament to Piedmontese viticulture. Famed for producing world-class Italian wines, Scavino meticulously crafts this Nebbiolo from vines grown on the steep hills of Langhe region. The 2019 vintage boldly radiates the vineyard's unique terroir through its ruby tint and elegant tannins.

Grapes are harvested by hand, ensuring ripe, flawless berries. Fermentation and maturation occur in stainless steel vats to preserve Nebbiolo's natural aromas and flavours. Dancing on the palate are luscious notes of red cherries, plums, and floral hints, beautifully balanced by a mineral undertone. With its moderate alcohol content, it pairs brilliantly with robust, savoury dishes.

The Azienda Agricola LaLu Langhe Nebbiolo 2019 is an embodiment of Scavino's dedication and passion, offering an unforgettably opulent drinking experience that lingers in both memory and palate.

Step into the world of exquisite Italian viticulture with the Canonica Giovanni Langhe Nebbiolo 2018. Exclusive to Piedmont, Italy, this exemplary vintage was meticulously crafted by the venerated Canonica Giovanni, a winery renowned for its dedication to tradition whilst embracing innovative winemaking techniques. This bottle encapsulates the very essence of Piedmont's distinctive terroir.

The Langhe Nebbiolo is 100% Nebbiolo grapes, fermenting for 10 days in steel tanks and maturing in large Slovenian oak barrels for 15 months. Reflections of ripe cherry, currants, dried rose petals, and a subtle hint of tobacco define the heady bouquet of this harmonious wine. On the palate, its striking freshness is tempered with a well-rounded synergy of tannins, concluding with an elegantly long finish. Indeed, the Canonica Giovanni Langhe Nebbiolo 2018 exemplifies the finest Piedmont wines, offering an unforgettable sip of Italian heritage. Savour the authentic legacy of Piedmont, beautifully encapsulated in each bottle of Canonica Giovanni Langhe Nebbiolo 2018.

An exquisite blend of Barbera and Nebbiolo grapes, the Conterno Fantino Langhe Monpra 2007 hails from Italy's renowned Piedmont region. The vintners of Conterno Fantino, noted for their meticulous wine-making methods, have expertly balanced these varietals on the rolling Langhe hills, resulting in a striking wine that impresses with its deep ruby colour and lingering finish.

Indulge your senses with the Conterno Fantino Langhe Monpra 2007's evocative bouquet - an intoxicating mix of ripe red fruits, sultry spices, and rustic undernotes of sweet tobacco and leather. After an 18-month maturation process in French oak barrels, it seamlessly merges vivacity and elegance, encapsulating a multidimensional flavour profile that is characteristically Conterno Fantino.

Tease your palate with this full-bodied and tannic vintage, a testament to Conterno Fantino's dedication to crafting world-class Italian wines. Experience for yourself why connoisseurs deem the Conterno Fantino Langhe Monpra 2007 a paramount expression of the Langhe terroir.

Decanter (95)

Fabio Motta is one of the best performers in Bolgheri among the small producers of the next generation. Almost ready with his new winery, it represents a kind of garagiste in the appellation. He ferments all the wines with natural yeast and manages careful extraction and maceration. His original blend for Le Gonnare sees an addition of Syrah to complete the 85% of Merlot and is aged in 1/3 new French oak barriques. Intense and perfumed it shows kiwi peel and cedar wood aromas, loaded with restrained cassis and bitter orange flavour. The attack is dense and ripe with elegant texture and chewy tension on the finish.

Indulge your palate with the exquisite Fontanabianca Langhe Nebbiolo 2019. Hailing from the heart of Piemonte, Italy, this fine wine is produced by the esteemed Fontanabianca winery, renowned for preserving authentic traditions in winemaking. Grown on south-east facing vineyards situated on mountainous terrains, the Nebbiolo grapes yield complex, powerful, yet delicately balanced wines.

Fontanabianca Langhe Nebbiolo 2019 undergoes alcoholic fermentation for 11 days in stainless steel tanks, followed by malolactic fermentation in barrels, accentuating its luscious character and depth. Displaying a vibrant ruby-red hue, it entices with rich aromas of dried fruits, spices, and subtle floral notes of rose. On the palate, the wine lavishes you with intense, harmonious flavours, paired with well-integrated tannins and a pleasingly persistent finish.

Trust Fontanabianca's commitment to producing wines of unparalleled quality to offer you the noble essence of the Langhe terroir condensed into a bottle of their splendid 2019 Nebbiolo.

Wine Advocate (97)

This is another beautiful creation from the Gaja family. The 2016 Bolgheri Rosso Camarcanda (Cabernets Sauvignon and Franc) is infinitely smooth and finely textured down to the very last pixel in what is a high-resolution panoramic photograph. The core of the wine is packed tight with an explosion of flavor and concentration with so much dark fruit, spice, tobacco and sweet tobacco that unfurls from deep inside. This wine will have a long and, I am quite sure, very happy aging future ahead. It shows utmost precision and balance, with long persistence and a beautifully polished texture. Some 22,000 bottles were made.

Wine Advocate (97)

This is a gorgeous vintage that continues to flesh out beautifully. I added an extra point to my score since the last time I tasted the 2019 Bolgheri Rosso Camarcanda in order to underline the great potential of this vintage. This wine could legally be a Bolgheri Superiore, but Angelo Gaja prefers not to use qualifying wine terms such as Superiore, Classico or Riserva in his various wine projects spanning from Piedmont to Tuscany to Etna. Semantics aside, this is a gorgeous wine—one of the best made at Ca' Marcanda for sure—with impressive intensity and balance. Dark fruit and blackberry are contrasted against spice, tobacco, grilled rosemary and Mediterranean bramble. The 2019 vintage saw favorable weather conditions and "just the right amount of rain," Gaja says.

Vinous (94+)

The 2016 Langhe Freisa Kyé is a gorgeous wine, but it is going to need at least a few years in bottle to be at its very best. Scorched earth, smoke, tobacco, grilled herbs and black pepper give the Kyé its distinctive brooding personality. As always, the Kyé is a powerful, deep wine, but, as in recent years, the style is a bit more restrained than the more explosive wines in the past. The Kyé emerges from a parcel in the Vajra family's Bricco delle Viole home vineyard.

Vinous (89)

Vajra's 2019 Langhe Nebbiolo is a jewel of a wine. Crushed red berry fruit, rose petal and spice lend complexity, but it is the wine's balance and sheer deliciousness that stands out most. This is beautifully done.

Wine Advocate (97)

The 2015 Bolgheri Superiore Grattamacco is big, bold and absolutely stunning. This blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot and 15% Sangiovese is dark and luscious, with overlapping melodies of tobacco, spice, dark fruit and grilled herb. There is so much depth and power. This vintage is a gem for your cellar, and the wine should award a long aging trajectory for those who have the patience to wait. Some 50,000 bottles were made.

Decanter (97)

Grattamacco is one of the highest estates in Bolgheri, located just beneath the village of Castagneto Carducci. It has a distinctive contribution of 15% Sangiovese to the blend, along with the Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. This indigenous grape gives the wine a particular freshness and drinkability, rejuvenating the tension of the classic Bordeaux varieties. In 2016, Grattamacco has exceeded itself, with aromas of elegant, youthful red currant fruits integrated with citrus notes and cedar wood. On the palate the wine is perfectly balanced, and more immediately drinkable than some of the other top samples. It has delicious tension and ripeness, with a mediterranean character and a hint of kiwi on the finish.

Vinous (96)

The 2018 Grattamacco is the most elegant, refined and satisfying wine I have ever tasted from Grattamacco. There is a level of finesse here that is simply unreal. Bright and translucent, with tons of detail, the 2018 oozes with pedigree. Lavender, spice, mint, tobacco and dried flowers add an attractive upper register.