A round and juicy red with berry, cherry, mushroom and wet-earth character on both the nose and palate. It’s full-bodied with integrated tannins that are soft and luscious. Long, flavorful finish. Drinkable now, but better in two or three years.

From a celebrated vineyard site in Castiglione di Sicilia, the Tenuta Tascante 2020 Etna Rosso Contrada Rampante has a specific quality that starts off with wild cherry and then peels back to embrace crushed stone and fragrant rose. This wine offers firm depth and good length delivered with extra sharpness. This release of 5,500 bottles matures in large oak casks for 12 months. The vines in Contrada Rampante date back to 2000 and are perched at a cool and breezy 740 meters in elevation. The vineyards of Etna are all distinguished by different soil types that vary according to the date of the volcanic eruption (or layered eruptions) that created them. This site is located on a lava flow created 15,000 to 4,000 years ago. You can expect a certain amount of erosion and sand as a result of that long time frame. These soils contribute to the wine's focus, complexity and those salty flavors.

Protective and precise style here. Blood-orange and floral bouquet, restrained if not reductive, with cherry candy and chocolatey depth. Smooth attack to the palate with medium body, assertive acidity and refined tannins that turn dustier on the finish. Overall juicy and fresh, yet slightly stern. Try after 2027.

The 2019 Badia a Coltibuono Chianti Classico Riserva is a stunner. A blend of 90% Sangiovese with the rest made up of Ciliegiolo, Canaiolo and Colorino, all organically farmed and fermented with wild yeasts, it’s elegant and delicious, with great red berry fruit underpinned by layers of star anise, botanical herb, blood orange, violet and hay sensations. A hint of bitter almond lingers on the finish. Showing great energy and intensity, this promises years of fine sipping. Drink 2025–2034.

This is a new submission from Tenuta Tascante. The 2022 Etna Bianco Contrada Sciaranuova reveals a tonic and fresh personality with a citrusy note that follows in step with bitter almond, crushed stone and dried ginger. These vineyards were planted in 2017 at 730 meters in elevation with northern and southern exposures on volcanic soils. The wine is fermented in Slavonian casks (with no malolactic fermentation) and aged in oak for 12 months.

Limpid and transparent, the 2021 allies vivacity with rigour. Hints of pepper lift red currant blossom and raspberry aromas. Sapid minerals tantalise the palate, which is awash with tangy sumac and succulent blood orange. The cool alpine air is palpable in the racy acidity and linear, chiselled tannins. Structure is still very much in control here but gracious enough to disclose future rewards. Vineyards in Ravera were purchased in 1995, when it was still considered too cold to reliably ripen Nebbiolo, but now this is consistently one of Vietti’s top bottlings.

Showing an especially bold bouquet and rich concentration, the Siro Pacenti 2020 Brunello di Montalcino Pelagrilli is a big expression of Sangiovese by all means, but the wine is also balanced. The intensity is played up with aromas of baked fruit, toasted spice, sweet herb and grilled rosemary, and there is a hint of redwood and cedar or barbecue smoke. To the palate, the wine is very round and fleshed out. It covers all corners of the mouth. This is a big-boned wine with powdery young tannins and a velvety finish. Aging takes place in French barrique, which has always been the stylistic choice favored by this estate. Production is 26,000 bottles.  

Smoky and slightly reduced, this shows licorice, strawberries and cherries. The fruit character is brilliant on the palate with juicy acidity and firm yet ripe tannins, medium body and a good, tight finish. Drink now.