Wine Ratings

wines

The 2018 Balifico, Volpaia’s Sangiovese/ Cabernet Sauvignon blend, is fabulous. Rich and inky, the 2018 offers up a compelling mélange of dark berry fruit, dark spice, licorice and espresso. I especially admire the wine’s textural richness. I imagine the 2018 will drink well for many, many years to come. In this tasting it is a total knock-out.Antonio Galloni | 96 AGAlluring violet, black currant and black cherry fruit introduces this seductive red, with firm, pointed tannins and vivid acidity providing structure as this glides to a lingering, detailed finish. Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon. Drink now through 2037. 750 cases made, 200 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 95 WSA wine with depth and a center palate of pure, ripe fruit. Raspberries and blueberries galore. Ripe and polished tannins. Solid finish.James Suckling | 93-94 JS

The 2020 Chianti Classico Riserva pours a rich ruby with a saturated magenta hue. It’s a bit reserved initially but holds onto a sunny and pure profile offering layers of blackberry coulis and a touch of sunny blue fruit, along with sweet sage, rocky earth, and fresh lavender. Medium to full-bodied, it fills the palate with balanced richness and a weightless, rounded feel with sweet tannins and notes of pure black tea on the finish. It handles this warm vintage with a graceful feel, and although it might not be the longest-lived of these wines, I wouldn’t be surprised to find it showing beautifully in 15 or more years. Drink 2025-2040.Jeb Dunnuck | 94 JDThe estate’s 70 hectares of vineyards are characterized by two different soil types: marine sand versus Pietraforte. The Riserva is typically assembled from plots on the latter as the limestone-rich, rocky terrain yields more austere wines in need of age. Opening slowly, this reveals strawberry blossom, coriander and hints of tobacco. The palate is remarkably perfumed, with an undercurrent of rose and pepper running through the dark brambly berries. Firmly structured, ripe tannins wield an assertive grip, and the zesty acidity has a citrussy, blood orange ring that draws out the finish. Lots of life here.Decanter | 94 DECThis is complex and spiced with red and dark berries, dried orange peel, nut shell and toasted spices. Hints of walnut and crushed stones, too. Medium- to full-bodied with super polished tannins and juicy acidity. Delicious fruit character with a firm mineral backbone. Complete and focused. Better after 2025.James Suckling | 94 JSBing cherry and blood orange, potting soil, graphite and then wild herbs—especially sage—appear on the nose, before a whisper of vanilla and cedar. Juicy and fresh on the palate, with vanilla, chocolate and cherry, and then herbs emerging again on the back. A rare example of a wine with great sophistication that’s also an undeniable crowd-pleaser.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WETasted from barrel, the Castello di Monsanto 2020 Chianti Classico Riserva is 90% Sangiovese with 10% Canaiolo and Colorino that ages in various oak vessels for 18 months. This wine is poised to hit the market in January 2024, and 200,000 bottles will be shipped. It shows medium-dark concentration with typical aromas of wild cherry, peat moss, blue flower and light spice. This estate consistently offers well-made and compelling wines at a value price point.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPJust bottled, the 2020 Chianti Classico Riserva is stellar. It offers a beguiling mix of dense fruit supported by a core of vibrant acids. Striking aromatics, notable depth and exceptional balance make the Riserva a winner. This is a such a gorgeous and compelling wine.Vinous Media | 93+ VMA dense red, with well-defined aromas and flavors of black cherry and blackberry shaded by graphite, eucalyptus and cumin. Balanced, if still tightly wound, with a lingering fruity, savory and minerally finish. Sangiovese, Canaiolo and Colorino. Best from 2025 through 2038. 26,000 cases made, 17,000 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 92 WS

The 2020 Chianti Classico Riserva Rancia shows beautiful minerality with dusty notes of crushed limestone or flint. This is the wine’s special signature, and it shines through in a warm vintage such as this. Rancia also offers an upfront quality of red and purple fruit tones. The 2020 vintage displays pretty concentration and richness with wild cherry and plum, but ultimately the wine leaves you with that elegant mineral sendoff. Rancia will require extra bottle age.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPIntense, with complex flavors of cherry, blackberry, violet, mineral and leafy underbrush, this red is silky and verges on racy. Harmonious and persistent, with a long, resonant aftertaste that echoes red fruit, mineral and savory elements. Best from 2025 through 2045. 4,100 cases made, 1,800 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 95 WSA polished and very refined Rancia with sweet berries, cedar and hints of chocolate. Medium body. Fresh and focused. A little reserved at the end. It needs two or three years to come around. Best in 2025.James Suckling | 95 JSThe nose is a garden, with aromas of potting soil, herbs, roses and violet, but also has undertones of flint and pepper that provide an edge. Cherries and tart blackberries headline the palate, but a chalky, iron-rich earthiness carries over from the nose and dominates the finish.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WEMade since 1983, Fèlsina’s historic Riserva is a selection from the estate’s sunbathed six-hectare Rancia site. As always, it matures in barriques, 50% of which are new. The just released 2020 is particularly oak-driven: cedar and vanilla mingle with sage and grilled thyme. There’s ample fruit depth and concentration to flesh out the wood frame; tangy cherries are accented with baked earth and smoke. Grainy tannins start firm yet smooth, though they dry out on the finish.Decanter | 90 DEC