This is sleek and well-defined, offering black cherry, blackberry, tar, iron and tobacco flavors shaped by vivid acidity. The tannins are dense, yet overall this is balanced, lingering on the complex, spicy finish. Sangiovese, Colorino, Canaiolo and Merlot. Best from 2021 through 2036. 10,000 cases made, 2,500 cases imported.

The 2019 Prosecco Valdobbiadene Superiore Rive di Colbertaldo Asciutto Vigneto Giardino displays musky peaches and pears backed by dusty dried florals and lemon zests. It’s a round, pliant and jovial expression, balancing ripe orchard fruits and sweet spice against vibrant acids. Hints of candied ginger linger through the mouthwatering finale. With just a touch of residual sugar, the Vigneto Giardino comes across as wonderfully balanced and fully satisfying. This was bottled in September of 2020.

The NV Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore Bosco di Gica punches well above its price point, boasting an intensely smoky and mineral expression on the nose that pulls you close to the glass. Beneath, I’m finding notes of pear and sweet herbal tones. It’s soothing and creamy yet balanced by brisk acids, as ripe orchard fruits satiate the senses, leaving a salty twang that resonates through the finale. Wow. This is a pleasure to taste. This was bottled in September of 2020.

Made with organic fruit, the 2016 Carmignano Villa di Capezzana is an 80/20 blend of Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine is open and accessible, showing a graceful and pure quality of fruit with dark cherry, blackberry, spice, tar and tobacco. The mouthfeel is streamlined and compact, but what this wine lacks in power it makes up for in elegance. This sample from 2016 was sent along with a bottle from 2010 so that I could track its impressive bottle evolution. In fact, I widened my suggested drinking window after tasting that older bottle.

The NV Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore Dei Casel lifts up with poise and precision, displaying dusty dried flowers, young pear and hints of white smoke. It impresses with a lovely inner sweetness, balanced by zesty acids and hints of spice. Seamless is the word that comes to mind, as this travels across the palate with creamy textures; yet it then resolves into a classically dry expression through the finale. You’ll be hard-pressed to stop after just one glass. This was bottled in September of 2020.

The NV Prosecco Garbèl represents amazing value in its category. Sweet white flowers, young peach and hints of vanilla bean make up its seductive bouquet. It’s wonderfully balanced, with a soothing bead of bubbles that massage the palate, giving way to ripe orchard fruits. A hint of salty minerality frames the expression perfectly, as it tapers off, leaving a complete refreshed sensation. This was bottled in September of 2020.

There’s an alluring richness and smoky minerality to the 2019 Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore Col Credas Rive di Farra di Soligo that’s impossible to ignore. Yellow flowers, young peach and crushed stone create a remarkably pretty display. It’s silky and smooth; yet it has a weightless feel, as this takes on an almost-salty savoriness which is further amplified by brisk acids and hints of spice. Col Credas is packed full of character, yet it’s wonderfully clean, poised and refreshing. This was bottled in September of 2020.

This is one of my sweetheart wines from Montalcino. The Casanova di Neri 2016 Brunello di Montalcino Tenuta Nuova offers a long list of aromas on an ever-shifting and fluid bouquet. You get bright cherry, rose potpourri, black truffle, caramel, butterscotch, sandalwood, road pavement and chalky mineral. In fact, each time I come back to this wine, that mineral element seemed to grow in intensity and scope. The wine offers a grounded fruit side that is contrasted nicely against a grounded oak component. The mouthfeel is creamy and long, and the wine shows terrific tannic integration. When you come back hours later, you might find black olive, bresaola and licorice.