Italy

James Suckling 92 points. "Very pleasant notes of lightly spiced aronia berries and a hint of sous bois, following through to a medium body with lightly firm, well-integrated tannins and a long, bright finish, leaving an aftertaste of cherry dark chocolate. Serious Valpo and delicious. Drink now. (June 2021)." WINERY NOTE: Wine obtained from red grape varieties grown on the morainic hills of Valpolicella. The production method of this Valpolicella uses a traditional Veronese technique: the drying of the grapes. In reality it is a slight dehydration: the grapes, placed in crates for about a month, lose about 8-10% of their weight,...

Veronelli 91 points. WINERY NOTE: The wine is produced with typical grapes selected in the Venetian area: Corvina comes from the morainic hills of Valpolicella, Raboso comes from Oderzo (Treviso), and Refosco is selected in the Aquileia area. This wine is produced with a traditional Veronese technique: the drying of the grapes. In reality it is a partial drying: the grapes placed in the loft for about a month lose about 8-10% of their initial weight. In this way they are enriched in sugars, increase the dry extract, the ashes and the color of the wine. Wine with good tannic structure, in balance with alcohol, which gives it roundness: the...

From the makers of Sassicaia. "Made with 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Sangiovese, this offers aromas of blackberry, charred earth, blue flower and a whiffs of oak-driven spice. The linear, elegant palate offers dried black cherry, black currant and licorice alongside taut polished tannins. Kerin O’Keefe" -  90/100, Wine Enthusiast.   "The 2017 Le Difese is plump, juicy and inviting, with lovely textural richness and volume. Sweet red cherry, spice, leather, tobacco and menthol are amped up by the natural richness and radiance of the year. This is an especially supple, lush Difese. I would prefer to drink...

James Suckling 97 points. A red with a layered, velvety texture, showing blackberry and black-olive character, together with some iodine and graphite. Full-bodied and rich with lots of fruit and chewy tannins. Savory. 50% merlot, 40% cabernet sauvignon and 10% petit verdot. Needs two or three years to soften. Wine Spectator 95 points. This is lush, yet dense and lively, offering black cherry, blackberry and black currant fruit, shaded by mineral, cedar and spice elements. Firms up by the finish, echoing fruit, mineral and spice accents, with fine length. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot. Best from 2024. #NEWITALY

James Suckling 97 points. 50% merlot, 30% Cabernet sauvignon, 20% cabernet franc. This is a tight and powerful Orma with solid tannins that beautifully frame the fruit in the wine. Full-bodied and focused with intense structure and fruit character. Perhaps the best Orma ever. Give this four or five years to open. Try after 2025. #NEWITALY

Tobacco, sage and rosemary come through nicely, together with redcurrants and cassis. Full-bodied, yet polished, with a solid and dense center-palate. Tight at the end now, but will open nicely. Needs two or three years to develop. 50% merlot, 30% cabernet sauvignon and 20% cabernet franc. Try after 2025 - James Suckling 97 points. Fragrant and expressive on the nose, the floral / dried herbal scents mingle on the nose putting you squarely in Tuscany. Lifted and beautiful, a sensational vibrant, lively, pure and pristine wine. So carefully delivered in terms of texture with a joyous quality to the fruit flavours and mineral aspects - a...

James Suckling 98 points. Utterly seduced by this wine, even at this youthful stage, the veteran critic, who many believe coined the phrase “Super Tuscan” in the 1980s, hailed the “beauty and balance” of Orma 2018. Noting the 50% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon blend’s gorgeously polished structure, Suckling suggests that drinkers will not have to wait an age before popping corks, with a drinking window beginning 2022.  

Falstaff 92 points. "Rich ruby red with a delicate brightening on the rim. Spicy nose of white pepper and dried rose petals, then nuances of leather and dark chocolate. On the palate fine fruit, well balanced, with soft tannin, juicy, long on the finish." - 92/100, Falstaff. Passi di Orma  comes from vineyards located in the Livorno municipality of Castagneto Carducci, in the heart of the Bolgheri DOC. It is produced from Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc grapes, fermented for 18 days in steel, with maceration on the skins, at a controlled temperature of 28-30 ° C. The wine ages for 6 months in French oak...

Wine Advocate 94 points. The Uccelliera 2017 Brunello di Montalcino does a great job showcasing that extra power and brawn of the vintage and the richer textural structure of the southern side of the appellation. The bouquet is up front and beautifully measured with lots of red and purple fruit definition followed by spice, tar and earthiness. What sets this wine apart in this hot and dry vintage is the mouthfeel. It delivers fiber, flesh and soft tannins. ML Feb 2022.   #ANDREA

Wine Advocate 97+. The Uccelliera 2015 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva (with 9,600 bottles made) is a great achievement and is among my top favorite wines from Andrea Cortonesi tasted in the 20 or so years I have followed this estate. There is a lot of power here, thanks to that golden Castelnuovo dell'Abate sunshine, so I cannot liken this wine to some of the more ethereal and delicate expressions that I also love. Instead, this Riserva delivers brawn, dark fruit and muscle, but it does so with sincerity and honesty. You can't help but appreciate the complexity on offer. The wine offers plenty of dark fruit, but you also get...

Wine Advocate 96 points. The 2016 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva is a terrific wine: bold, well-defined, powerful and balanced. There are many good things to relate, but the high alcohol content (measured at 15.5%) is the only distraction. This is a trend in the Riserva category in the 2016 vintage. The bouquet shows black cherry, cassis, earth, leather and dried roses. The palate offers soft fruit flavors supported by firm oak tannins. Coming back to the bottle 24 hours later, I found impressive integration and smoothness that took away from that alcohol heat. Production is 9,600 bottles. ML Feb 2022.   #ANDREA

Wine Advocate 92 points. As the fame and fortune of Antonio`s Brunelli have developed, so too as his Rapace. A dominant blend of Merlot, then Cabernet in the true Super Tuscan style, this wine has carved out a place for itself, aside from its more famous siblings. Unctuously rich merlot is backed up with regal cabernet in a duet that is seamless, balanced and more than a little exciting... Inspired by the famous Super Tuscan, this Rapace is a good example of this, the ultimate marriage between the grapes Sangiovese (70%), Merlot (20%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (10%). The use of Merlot gives a lot of juiciness, sultry and ripe fruit. A wine with...

Wine Advocate 94 points. Here's a confident and genuine expression of Sangiovese that manages to be both accessible and complicated at the same time. Brunello is one of the few Italian wines to bridge the gap between those two extremes. The Voliero 2015 Brunello di Montalcino offers a steady stream of small berry fruit and cherry aromas. But there is width to this bouquet and deeper layers of spice, tar and licorice also play important roles. This Brunello ages in oak for 36 months in order to find harmony and balance. Some 7,866 bottles were made. ML Feb 2020. Volièro is made by the masterful hands of Andrea Cortonesi. #ANDREA

Wine Advocate 92 points. The Voliero 2017 Brunello di Montalcino is a robust expression with dark fruit, earth and oak spice. The wine shows thick concentration with black cherry and plum. It has the proverbial shoulders (the tannins and the acidity) to support it all. Leather and tobacco play supporting roles, and the wine is also characterized by dry clay and crushed stone. Some 7,600 bottles (and 133 magnums) were filled, and you can drink this bottle straight out of the gate.ML Feb 2022.   #ANDREA

100% Sangiovese Organic 15-25-year-old vines Clay soil Fermentation in steel with temperature control for 18/20 days Aged in large Slavonian and French oak casks (20/50 hectolitres) for 10 months   #ANDREA