Wine Advocate (98)

This is a classic beauty. The 2019 d'Alceo, made with 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Petit Verdot, is dark and enriched, but magically, it is never heavy or bulky. It carries its weight with feather-like grace backed by dry tannins and lovely fruit layering. There is blackcurrant, kirsch, blackberry liqueur, exotic spice, black rose and crushed stone. That mineral note stands out like a filigree of shiny silver stitched through the wine's rich, velvety texture. Production is 13,749 bottles and 200 magnums.

Wine Advocate (96)

A blend of (organic and biodynamic) Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Sangiovese, the 2019 Sammarco is more austere and even robust compared to the punchier style prized throughout this portfolio. This is a firmly grounded wine, with a bigger baseline of aromas, spanning black fruit, baked plum, spice, tobacco and crushed limestone. You feel the natural concentration of the 2019 vintage and beautifully managed tannins in this wine. This is a release of 25,837 bottles and 292 magnums.

The case contains:

100 VN | Castello Di Ama Chanti Classico Gran Selezione Casuccia 2019 (1x75cl) - 2 bottles
98 VN | Castello Di Ama L'Apparita 2019 (1x75cl) - 2 bottles
97+ VN | Castello Di Ama Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Bellavista 2019 (1x75cl) - 2 bottles

Vinous (100)

The 2019 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Vigneto La Casuccia is stunning. What a wine! In this vintage, the aromatics are huge and expansive, a theme that comes through on the palate as well. Cedar, tobacco, dried leaves, incense and blood orange all race out of the glass. The 2019 is mind-blowing in its intensity, pedigree and overall balance. It's the wine of the vintage in Chianti Classico.

Vinous (97+)

The 2019 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Vigneto Bellavista soars out of the glass with breathtaking intensity in all of its dimensions. The aromatics alone are striking, but that's just the beginning. Rich and sumptuous on the palate, the 2019 is the most refined Bellavista I have ever tasted, and I have tasted them all. A healthy dollop of Malvasia Nera adds savory notes and a good deal of grip, while clean mineral nuances extend the finish. The tannins are especially polished, which they rarely are in a young Bellavista.

Vinous (98+)

The 2019 L'Apparita is incredibly powerful in this vintage. Huge searing tannins wrap around a core of dark-fleshed fruit. Incense, tobacco, chocolate, mocha, lavender and spice open, but only reluctantly. Whereas most 2019s in the Ama range are quite inviting at this stage, L'Apparita is a wine for the cellar. In other words, the 2019 is a tight, backward Apparita that demands patience.

Decanter (97)

One of the nicest observations you might wish to hear as a wine producer in the Chianti Classico DOCG region of Tuscany is that the contents in the bottle are described as “very Radda’, This signifies a Chianti Classico with obvious refinement, which in this case derives in no small part from the high altitude of the prized Radda zone. This area’s cool conditions are easy to sense in this wine’s smooth, palpable crunchiness, a Chianti Classico hallmark. Picking at optimum ripeness is vital for Sangiovese to show its brisk silkiness and finesse. The grapes ferment in a newly constructed, low-energy winery built into the rock. Small amounts of Colorino and Canaiolo grapes add colour and spice to the Sangiovese. The compact clay and limestone (’alberese”) soils here give mouth-watering wines with vibrant sour cherry fruit, really crisp and with well-shaped tannins. Very Radda. Drink now to 2030. Alc 14%

Wine Advocate (98)

The 2019 Valtuille Cepas Centenarias comes from a single plot of ancient vines that could qualify as Vino de Paraje and in the future as Vino de Viña, but they are never going to do it because it's their traditional name and label and one of the most consistent wines from the winery. It is made with field blend with lots of different grapes on clay and sand soils. It fermented with full clusters and indigenous yeasts with a long 60-day maceration and matured in 225- and 500-liter oak barrels (but, in the future, they might move to oval oak foudres) for one year. It has the violets and the perfume from the 2018 vintage but with more dimension, more layers and depth. A stellar performance in 2019 (again!). 3,500 bottles produced, what the plot delivered. It was bottled in June 2021.

Wine Advocate (96)

The 2019 Valtuille El Rapolao, now a Vino de Paraje, fermented with 100% full clusters with a long maceration and matured in well-seasoned, neutral 500-liter oak barrels (which might be eight years old now), the modus operandi for all of the single-vineyard reds. It's perfumed and heady, as it comes from a plot that also has some fruit trees, in a v-shape, planted along with some 8% Malvasía grapes that have been added since 2018 and have given it finesse. It's more exuberant on the nose, something that seems to define this wine that is quite unique and different from its siblings. It's medium-bodied with around 13% alcohol; winemaker César Márquez feels that when these wines are riper than 13.5% they are too rustic. 1,200 bottles produced. It was bottled in December 2020.

Wine Advocate (94)

The first vintage to have the new official category on the label is the 2019 Valtuille Vino de Villa, and it's a barrel selection of barrels from the centenary vines and Villegas, El Val and some La Rata, three zones they like. This is the new focus of the winery; it's a very serious red, with volume and depth. It fermented in oak vats with 40% full clusters with the field blend and matured in 225- and 500-liter oak barrels. It has the grainy mouthfeel from the stems. It has more structure and ripeness but with great balance and moderate alcohol, really representing the village and the year. 12,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in June 2021.

James Suckling (99)

Blackberries with some black tea and perfumes. Full-bodied with fine, dusty tannins and seamless texture. So long and consistent. 60% whole cluster fermentation with 14 months in oak casks. Glorious, tactile wine. Drinkable now, but better in three or four years.

Wine Advocate (98)

The 2020 Adrianna Vineyard Fortuna Terrae shows exceptionally well. It's still young and juicy with some baby fat that should get rendered with some more time in bottle. It's a little lighter, and the tannins gave it grip and a chalky limestone sensation. But the wine is very expressive, with purity, clean and precise and not showing any signs of coming from a warmer year like 2020. It finishes with the telltale violets from the great Malbec grape coated by chalky minerality. This plot behaves well in warmer years like this one. It was bottled in October 2021. 5,400 bottles produced.

James Suckling (98)

So bright and aromatic with flowers and blackberries, as well as some black olives. Full-bodied with lots of tannins, yet they are so fine and integrated and spread across the palate. This is all whole-cluster fermentation and 18 months in large oak casks. Needs about four or five years to come together.

James Suckling (99)

This is made from over 100-year-old vineyards and offers blackberries with blue fruit and dark chocolate. Shows bark and black truffle undertones, too. Tight and more focused than in past vintages. The quality of the tannins is more precise and fine. Blackberries and black truffles at the end. Drink or hold.

James Suckling (99)

This is made from over 100-year-old vineyards and offers blackberries with blue fruit and dark chocolate. Shows bark and black truffle undertones, too. Tight and more focused than in past vintages. The quality of the tannins is more precise and fine. Blackberries and black truffles at the end. Drink or hold.

James Suckling (99)

This is made from over 100-year-old vineyards and offers blackberries with blue fruit and dark chocolate. Shows bark and black truffle undertones, too. Tight and more focused than in past vintages. The quality of the tannins is more precise and fine. Blackberries and black truffles at the end. Drink or hold.

James Suckling (98)

This has a complex nose of baked blackberries, grilled plums, dried earth, moss, pine cones, sandalwood, charcoal and cloves. It’s medium-bodied with firm, tightly knit tannins. Wow. So much going on. Layered, seamless and silky. Incredible length. Keeps going. 42% cabernet sauvignon, 30% malbec and 28% cabernet franc. Try this from 2024.

James Suckling (98)

Honeysuckle, ripe pear and some dried apple. So perfumed. Full-bodied with incredible intensity and length. So much green-apple character and lots of flowers. Dried mango, too. The touch of flor growth in the barrel gives this unique character. Goes on for minutes on the finish. Endless, vibrant acidity. Minerally texture. Drink now or hold.

James Suckling (98)

Honeysuckle, ripe pear and some dried apple. So perfumed. Full-bodied with incredible intensity and length. So much green-apple character and lots of flowers. Dried mango, too. The touch of flor growth in the barrel gives this unique character. Goes on for minutes on the finish. Endless, vibrant acidity. Minerally texture. Drink now or hold.

Wine Advocate (99)

The nose of the 2020 White Bones Chardonnay is an explosion of thyme and rockrose, aromatic, open, expressive, outspoken, showy and exuberant. It also has notes of white flowers and citrus, pine needles and incense, continuously developing new layers, curry, something smoky, more and more aromatic herbs, nuanced, complex and with a magnetic attraction that makes you go back to the glass over and over again. This was harvested all at the same time, whereas it was sometimes harvested over four different moments in the past; so this is a bit different and an extraordinary year for this wine, transcending the conditions of the year, with lower alcohol and pH (12.5% and 3.1) than the 2021, despite coming from a warmer year. This is very tasty and long, stony (more than White Stones!) and very persistent. Amazing juice! 5,760 bottles produced.

Wine Advocate (99)

The amazing 2019 White Stones Chardonnay comes from a select group of 27 rows planted on lot I of the Adriana Vineyard, and the composition of those rows is soil with white oval stones covered by gravel. The Adriana Vineyard is planted at an altitude of almost 1,500 meters above sea level, in the district of Gualtallary in Tupungato. The stony soil prevents deep root growth, providing optimum drainage. This soil, which is very poor in organic matter, contributes to the vines' permanent stress conditions. The cool nights allow for very slow ripening, optimal acid retention and low yields. This is always a more austere wine than the White Bones, more mineral and restrained, less aromatic, with great balance, a little higher in alcohol and with very good acidity, rounder and more Meursault than Chablis but still with citrus freshness and pungent flavors and always some spice (curry) because of the aging in barrel with flor. This year, the two whites show a more marked personality, possibly aided by the style of the cooler year but also because the winery has a better understanding of the places. It's still very young and undeveloped; it's drinkable now, but with more time in bottle, it should develop greater complexity. Now the finish shows acidity and salt, which make it very vibrant. 6,600 bottles were filled in May 2020.

Vinous (97)

The 2020 Chardonnay Adrianna Vineyard White Stones from Gualtallary, Uco Valley, was barrel-aged for 16 months. Greenish-yellow in the glass. The intense, layered nose presents bold aromas of green apple, pear, hints of linden blossom and ginger with touches of lemon and herbs. In the mouth, it’s concentrated, rooted in a lively, heightened freshness while maintaining the variety’s expansive flow, which also delivers salinity and long-lasting flavor. A thrilling white that defines this nook of the Uco Valley.

From the renowned vineyards of Beaujolais, France comes the exquisite Cave de Fleurie Fleurie 2020. A true testament to expert winemaking, this seductive red blend is crafted from handpicked Gamay grapes meticulously grown in granite soils. Produced by Cave de Fleurie, a revered co-operative cellar that has been preserving traditional vinification methods since 1927, this wine emanates quality. The climate, resulting from the onshore Mediterranean breeze, imbues the 2020 vintage with a unique complexity enriched by an excellent growing season.

The Cave de Fleurie Fleurie 2020 dazzles the palate with ripe red berry accents, delicate floral undertones and a velvety finish. Its well-executed balance between acidity and tannins showcases a harmony of flavours perfect for any sophisticated palate. A carefully cellared bottle of this wine reveals the time-honoured excellence you've come to expect from Cave de Fleurie. Delight in every sip of this superb wine, a fine example of French viticulture at its absolute best.

Jeb Dunnuck (98)

Leading off the Syrahs and showing gorgeously, the 2019 Syrah Cailloux Vineyard offers a seamless, layered, multi-dimensional style in its sweet black raspberry, currant, leafy herb, charcoal, spring flower, and violet-laced aromas and flavors. More medium to full-bodied on the palate, it has flawless balance, ultra-fine tannins, a thrilling core of sweet fruit, and one hell of an impressive finish. Rocks Syrah doesn't get much better.

Vinous (92)

The 2019 Chardonnay Marena bristles with coastal energy and tension. Citrus peel, white flowers, chalk, white pepper and mint are finely sculpted in this gorgeous appellation-level Chardonnay from Ceritas. Aeration brings out gorgeous depth and resonance. All the elements are so well balanced. The Marena is a blend from a south-facing block at Zephyr planted with Clone 4 Chardonnay and the thin canopy sections at Heintz, where the fruit is more exposed, in other words all fruit that is a bit more forward and generous than what is used in the vineyard designate bottlings.

James Suckling (99)

The tension and density are so in balance, showing flint and matchstick notes. Full-bodied, creamy and very salty with a long, focused finish. Love the tight, subdued character here. A thoughtful, serious wine that needs contemplation. Drinkable now, but better in 2022 and onwards.

James Suckling (98)

Extremely perfumed and beautiful with ripe strawberries and citrus fruit, as well as aromatic flowers. Full-bodied with plenty of fruit and creamy, chewy tannins that are polished and very impressive. Long and linear. One of the best of this bottling. Drink after 2023, but already a gorgeous bottle.

James Suckling (98)

Red cherries, strawberries, spiced plums, violets, cloves, dried herbs, undergrowth and a touch of smoke on the nose. It’s medium-bodied with firm, tight-grained tannins. Firm, mineral and tea-like tannin quality. Very focused and structured. Needs time. Try after 2025. From biodynamically grown grapes.

Vinous (89-91)

The 2019 Savigny-lès-Beaune Les Lavières 1er Cru shows evident whole bunch on the nose that slightly occludes the terroir expression, yet it is fresh and transparent. The palate is medium-bodied with a crisp raspberry and blackberry opening. Leafy red fruit combines with a touch of graphite toward the finish. A nimble Savigny with a peppery finish. Should drink well over the next decade.