Vinous (93)

Bright red. Highly perfumed nose offers red cherry, rose petal, violet, tobacco and earth tones, with blood orange nuances providing added lift. Juicy, spicy and sweet, with very concentrated, multifaceted flavours of sour cherry, liquid stones, and candied violet. Harmonious, vibrant acidity lifts and extends the flavors on the supple yet firm finish. Approachable now but structured to age, this exceptionally well-balanced, pure, concentrated wine may well be the best Rosso di Montalcino of the vintage.

Jeb Dunnuck (98-100)

The same 60/40 split of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, brought up in new oak, the 2018 Tench Vineyard EE Red Wine is another incredibly pure, complex, yet powerful 2018. Rocking levels of crème de cassis, spring flowers, chocolate, and graphite give way to a full-bodied, pure, and seamless wine that has incredible potential.

Wine Advocate (97-99+)

A barrel sample, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Tench Vineyard is deep garnet-purple colored and skips out of the glass with bright, cheery blackberries, crushed blackcurrants and plum preserves scents with hints of menthol, bay leaves and candied violets. Full-bodied, the palate is bombastic and juicy with plush tannins and lively acid, finishing long.

Vinous (92)

The 2019 Rosso di Montalcino keeps me coming back to the glass to take in its dusty mix of dried strawberries and currants offset by lifting nuances of shaved pine and mint. Soft and round in expression, the 2019 impresses on its lush textures and vivid wild berry fruit. Through it all, a core of saline tension builds, mingling minerals with gentle tannins, as the 2019 finishes with a staining of concentration, yet maintains a lovely freshness.

Incredible purity of bouquet; wild cherry, red licorice, dried herbs and soft earth tones – it is both fine and intense. Sweet and ripe on the attack, crisp acidity then kicking in to balance the generous fruit. Tannins are fresh, defined and well - integrated. Although suave, it is authentic and offers plenty of nuances. The finish is long and polished - it has longevity that other Rossos only dream of, but also delights immediately.

Vinous (92)

Dark wood tones, underbrush and crushed black cherries can all be found as the 2019 Rosso di Montalcino Rossofonte grumbles up from the glass. It’s silky, nearly creamy on the palate, with polished red and black fruits that give way to exotic spice in a display of total elegance. While structured, its tannins are sweet and round, providing youthful grip without hindering the resonance of wild berries and licorice that lingers on and on. This is an impressive showing for the 2019 Rossofonte, but some cellaring will be required before it comes fully into focus.

Vinous (92)

The 2018 Rosso di Montalcino is very pretty, showing musky, bright cherry, dried roses and savory spice. There’s remarkable purity here, with soft textures giving way to tart wild berry fruit complemented by zesty acids. It’s dry and lightly structured throughout the finale with lasting inner florals and a twang of sour citrus. This is far from your typical Rosso. The Costanti Rosso is a barrel selection that matures for one year in a combination of 60% tonneaux and 40% new 35-40 hectoliter barrels.

Vinous (94)

The 2019 Rosso di Montalcino Vermiglio is a bombshell beauty, with a bright bouquet of dried strawberries, crushed rose petals, shaved cedar, cinnamon spice and sweet smoke. It’s deeply textural, almost fleshy in feel, yet kept in line by vibrant acidity, as masses of black cherry and raspberry fruit envelope the palate. This totally harmonious Rosso finishes with a classic tug of fine tannins, along with nuances of sour citrus, inner earth and lavender tones. It embodies, without a doubt, the term “Baby Brunello.” The Vermiglio hasn’t been produced since 2013, it’s a barrel selection of Rosso that Costanti matures for two years, instead of one, in cask. Only 4,000 bottles were produced.

James Suckling (99)

This is luxurious red for the vintage with velvety tannins that give it superb depth and richness. Lots of tile, dry earth, clay and chocolate. Full-bodied, but almost weightless in the sensibility of the wine. It goes on for minutes. Lovely dried oranges and savory, fruity and forest-floor character at the end. 80% cabernet sauvignon, 14% cabernet franc, 4% petit verdot and 2% merlot. Unfined and unfiltered. Drink in 2025.

Vinous (92)

The 2020 Rosso di Montalcino is dark and youthfully inward, as nuances of black currant and licorice are offset by crushed ashen stone. It’s silky and enveloping, yet with a saline-core of minerality and bright acids that create a more tactile feel, as a saturation of tart red berries form toward the close. This tapers off long and lightly structured, yet still quite fresh, begging for a short stay in the cellar before revealing all of its charms. Wow. The 2020 from Il Poggione mixes the warmth of the vintage with the house style to create a truly captivating Rosso.

Vinous (91)

The 2019 Rosso di Montalcino wafts up with a pretty display of dusty dried florals, hints of oregano, wild strawberries and crushed stone. This fills the palate with silky textures and ripe raspberry fruits, energized by brilliant acidity; and it becomes quite spicy toward the close, coating the senses in primary concentrations. Juicy and fun, this highly enjoyable Rosso is for earlier consumption and is showing beautifully.

Vinous (92)

The 2017 Poggio di Sotto Rosso di Montalcino will need some time to fully open up. The nose is reticent, requiring quite a bit of coaxing, before a bouquet of fresh sweet strawberry, cherry, Tuscan spice box, dusty florals and hints of mint lift from the glass. On the palate, soft textures flood the senses, offset by tart red fruits, minerals and spice, as the 2018 seems to hover - well poised, almost weightless, yet still fully satisfying. The finish is long and very pretty, as fresh red fruits resonate above a tactile mix of acid, minerals and light tannin, giving way to a singular red floral note that seems to go on for minutes.

Wine Advocate (95)

This wine has more in common with a Brunello than it does a Rosso. Made with certified-organic fruit, Poggio di Sotto's 2018 Rosso di Montalcino is a very fine and smooth expression that caresses the senses. The bouquet is enlivened by forest berry, peat moss, lilac and wildflowers. The 2018 vintage is usually understated in personality, but this wine speaks of elegance and nuance. It's just stunning.

Vinous (95)

Shavings of cedar, blood orange, crushed cherries, dried flowers and stone dust form a mesmerizing bouquet as the 2019 Rosso di Montalcino slowly opens in the glass. There are depths of ripe textural fruits here, offset by zesty spices and bright acidity that sweeten the expression while energizing it as well. A web of fine tannins coats the palate through the finish, coupled with a core of primary concentration and sweet inner florals that seem to never truly fade. What a glorious achievement from Poggio di Sotto. The 2019 spent a whopping 43 days macerating on the skins, followed by 29 months of refinement in cask. It’s undoubtedly a baby Brunello.

Wine Advocate (98+)

A blend of 94% Cabernet Sauvignon and 6% Cabernet Franc, the 2018 Oakville Estate Proprietary Red Wine was aged for 22 months in French oak barrels, 55% new. Deep garnet-purple colored, it sashays out of the glass with flamboyant scents of candied violets, red roses, black raspberries and fragrant earth over a core of cassis, wild blueberries and Morello cherries with a waft of pencil lead. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is an exercise in poise, featuring beautifully balanced velvety tannins and seamless freshness framing the opulent black and red berry layers, finishing very long and perfumed. 670 cases were made.

Vinous (88)

The 2014 Rosso di Montalcino is the only wine Salvioni will release in a year marked by everything except good weather. Rain and poor overall conditions during the critical summer months plus an attack of the Suzukii fruit fly during harvest and high disease pressure proved to be too much to overcome. The 2014 Rosso is an attractive wine made from the best fruit Salvioni was able to salvage. Hints of dried cherry, tobacco, spice and dried herbs add modest complexity to a mid-weight wine that is best enjoyed sooner rather than later, before the forward flavors mature too much further. For the year, there is good depth and delineation, but even the Salvionis aren't miracle workers. Production is 10,000 bottles, down sharply from the 16-17,000 that are more of the norm here. Today, it looks like there will be no Rosso in 2012, 2013 or 2015.

Vinous (93)

The 2016 Rosso di Montalcino is a gorgeous wine for readers who want to get a good sense of the Salvioni house style. Powerful and virile, with tons of personality, the 2016 is terrific. Grilled herbs, smoke, tobacco, licorice and menthol wrap around a core of dark Sangiovese fruit in this brooding, intense Rosso from the Salvioni family. The savory qualities of Sangiovese come through beautifully here. This is such a gorgeous Rosso.

Vinous (89)

The 2017 Rosso di Montalcino is an intense, racy wine. Readers will find a rich, textured Rosso that captures all the power of the year. The volatile acidity is on the higher side, which is not unusual for traditionally made wines, but it is something readers who are especially sensitive should be aware of. There is no shortage of personality or character, though, that much is clear, but a full appreciation of the Salvioni 2017 Rosso requires a forgiving palate. Both bottles I tasted showed similarly.

Vinous (93+)

The darkly alluring 2019 Rosso di Montalcino captivates, as crushed ashen stone and balsam herbs give way to plum sauce and a hint of sweet mint. Its textures are like velvet yet lifted, with a tactile mix of sour cherries and ripe strawberries over a salty core of stimulating acids and minerals. The 2019 finishes structured, impossibly long and spicy, leaving a staining of primary concentration under an air of purple-toned inner florals. This is just an infant today with the potential for greatness. Frankly speaking, many producers would be lucky to be bottling a Brunello of this Rosso’s caliber.

Wine Spectator (94)

'#1 in Wine Spectator Top 100 2022' - Packs in generous steeped plum, boysenberry and mulberry flavors backed by a broad swath of roasted alder and bittersweet cocoa. Brimming with dense fruit, and is squarely in the not-shy style. The long finish has a serious loamy tug, too. Best from 2023 through 2035. 10,000 cases made.

Jeb Dunnuck (100)

The 2015 Screaming Eagle is another monumental wine from this address, and it's one of those cases where if you afford it, you should buy it. A blend of 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc, this magical elixir boasts a deep purple color as well as a blockbuster bouquet of blueberries, creme de cassis, violets, incense, and cedarwood. Reminding me of the 2015 Château Margaux with its off the charts class and purity, it’s full-bodied, thrillingly textured, and has a finish that just won't quit. This legendary wine is going to keep for 30-40 years.

Wine Advocate (97+)

Beautiful floral notes intermixed with creme de cassis, licorice and charcoal jump from the glass of this dense purple-colored 2002. Opulent, broad, full-bodied and more mature than I expected given how this wine showed in its youth, this deep, rich Cabernet Sauvignon is exceptional. However, in this vintage it has to take a back seat to a number of other cuvees. The final blend was 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc.

James Suckling (100)

The subtle and nuanced aromas to this are so enticing with perfumed, floral, blackcurrant and blackberry character. Roses, too. Some lavender. Full-bodied yet so refined and polished with the most transparent and polished texture. Firm and seamless. So beautiful now. Give it three or four years to come around, but this already sings.

Wine Advocate (100)

Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, the 2018 Screaming Eagle soars out of the glass with vibrant notions of ripe blackberries, black cherries and fresh red and black currants plus wafts of licorice, candied violets, cedar chest and clove oil with a beguiling touch of sea spray. Medium-bodied with jaw-dropping elegance, the palate is finely textured and yet built like a brick house with a super taut backbone and exquisitely knit acidity. The intense black and red fruit flavors are accented by layers of mineral and floral notions, finishing with incredible length and depth. Undeniably stunning. “I loved it!” winemaker Nick Gislason told me when I asked him for his thoughts on the 2018 vintage. “Everything is just really perfumey with a lot of verve and a lot of freshness. It’s a wholesome vintage, if that makes sense? The canopies were big and healthy; there was a lot of life in the vineyard. After 2017, it felt like the bloom that comes afterward.” He went on to say, "We made a little 2017 red. Only four barrels of the Cab! Ten barrels of The Flight. Only from grapes that came in before the fires—mainly Merlot and a couple of blocks of Cabernet." Whereas Screaming Eagle is mainly sourced from Cabernet Sauvignon grown on the western side of the estate, there is one plot of old Merlot (1980s plantings) on the eastern side of the vineyard that continually makes the backbone of this Second Flight/The Flight. This is planted on very gravelly, well-drained soils. Gislason explained, “The Cabernet Sauvignon for The Flight is always about being fresh, light and perfumey, without the firmer tannins that Cabernet can sometimes give. There is a ‘fresh’ end of the property that this tends to come from. There is some other Merlot on the other side of the property that doesn’t have the acidity, perfume or brightness we’re looking for. We don’t use this in The Flight.”

Wine Advocate (98)

The 2017 Sauvignon Blanc is 100% Sauvignon Blanc, coming from a small section of estate vines closer to the Napa river. It is entirely fermented in French oak, but only about 5% is new. The grapes are pressed straight to barrels and kept on their gross lees. The wine is fermented using native yeasts. This vintage, the nose is not at all shy—it comes bounding out of the glass with exuberant scents of ripe peaches, passion fruit and musk perfume plus wafts of honeycomb, elderflower, ripe gooseberries and lemongrass with a waft of Bosc pears. The palate is super intense and yet ethereally weighted, light-bodied and oh-so-fine, elegant and refreshing, featuring a whole array of chalk and sea spray sparks, creating a shimmer to all the many citrus and stone fruit layers, finishing with great length and energy. There is a truly interesting phenolic texture to the palate that reminds me of some Chardonnays, particularly Burgundian examples. Winemaker Nick Gislason commented that the gross lees contain a lot of phenolic content, which is where the wine picks up that textural component. Love it!

Vinous (98)

The 2016 The Flight is gorgeous. Dark, brooding and closed in on itself, the 2016 is going to need a number of years to be at its very best, but it is incredibly beguiling today. Plum, black cherry, lavender, blood orange menthol, and a host of more mineral-driven notes punctuate this super-expressive wine. This is a decidedly tannic and powerful edition of The Flight. I can't wait to see how it ages. Bottled just six weeks before this tasting, the 2016 appears to have a very bright future. Time in the glass brings out some of the softer edges that will almost surely emerge with cellaring. The Flight is built on a core of older Merlot vines from the southeast corner of the estate. It is an absolutely riveting wine from Screaming Eagle.

James Suckling (100)

This is an incredible wine with such depth and energy and ethereal, mind-blowing sensibility. It sent shivers down my spine tasting it. It just shines on the nose, like bright sunlight breaking through a dark sky. Aromas of raspberries, citrus, violets and dark earth. Full-bodied with extremely fine tannins that go vertical and endless, from top to bottom. A monument for merlot-based wines. Drinkable now, but needs six to eight years to come around.

James Suckling (99)

Extremely floral and aromatic with violets and lavender throughout. Black olives, too. It’s medium-to full-bodied with firm, very fine-grained tannins that run the length of the wine. Goes on for minutes. A greenish undertone comes out at the end with some spearmint, green tea and green olive. About two-thirds merlot. Best after 2028, but already stunning.