The purity of fruit in this wine really strikes you with black cherries, combined with sage, lavender and rosemary. Extremely aromatic. Full-bodied, yet so tight and polished with incredible tannin structure that gives the wine an endless mouth feel of caressing tannins, acidity and fruit. There’s a fabulous saltiness and oyster-shell undertone to the fruit. Unique. Drinkable already, but this year there’s the structure to last decades. Top 100 #48

10 STELLAR PIEMONT REDS AT 90+ POINTS  

High-toned black currant, black cherry and violet aromas and flavors are accented by vanilla and toast notes in this suave red. Supple and intense, with a lingering aftertaste of dark fruit, licorice and spice. Drink now through 2024. 6,000 cases made, 3,000 cases imported. ~ Bruce Sanderson    

VV stands for Vieilles Vignes ('old vines'), denoting that this wine is made from a plot of vines planted back in 1961. The soils are rich in rocks, formed mainly by volcanic sand with basalt and pumice. The wine is fermented in stainless steel and aged for 12 months in 25hl Slavonian oak barrels. There is seamless elegance on display here, with incredible balance, and great concentration and energy. The structured, spicy red fruits with a deep mineral core have wonderful finesse and length. Great aging potential. Drinking Window 2019 – 2030

The daring nose here beckons you in, captivating with its wide range of dried oregano, rosemary, thyme, dried cranberries, tamarind and lemon drizzle cake. Then it seduces you with its athletic build, casting a steely net of crafty tannins over soft fruit, like chain mail over supple skin. A spattering of acidity rises from the midst, electrifying the whole palate and turning any remnants of dried fruit into raindrops of mineral citrus. Not a hugely powerful wine, but an essay in structure and elegance. Drink from 2024.    

WINE SPECTATOR 2019 TOP 100 #54 

Bright black cherry, plum, earth, vanilla and toasty oak flavors are the hallmarks of this well-crafted red. Balanced, this needs a year or two to integrate more fully and extend the finish. Firm grip. Sangiovese, Colorino, Canaiolo and Merlot. Best from 2021 through 2033. 16,000 cases made, 2,600 cases imported.  

Aromas of blueberries, sliced strawberries and peaches. Full body and firm, chewy tannins that are polished and velvety in a refined way. Better after 2022

Pianodario is the coolest and highest of the three vineyards, at 800m above sea level. Terraced with dry stone walls to enable farming on the steeply sloping terrain, the soils are shallower here and rich in minerals consisting of volcanic sands, small- to medium-sized rocks, and pumice. The average temperature is 3˚C lower than in the Rampante vineyard, and the wine is marked by higher acidity and tannins – a marked austerity. Vinified in the same way as Rampante, with 12 months in Slavonian oak, this is fresh, cool, aromatic and tightly mineral, displaying characteristics of rose petal and redcurrant. Fantastic length and power.

This is a decadent but polished Montepulciano, offering dried plums, chocolate-coated dark cherries, coffee beans and mocha. Full-bodied and structured, the tannins taking on a muscular, lean shape, while the ripe fruit peppers the palate. Long and chewy on the finish. Drink from 2023