Barco Reale di Carmignano fits the Italian “rosso” category, as in Rosso di Montalcino, a fruit-forward rendition of a structured age-worthy wine. Capezzana, a leading producer in Carmignano, has fashioned a fragrant and refined one, filled with red cherries counterbalanced by earthy savory notes. Fine structure imparted by Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend is apparent and prevents overwhelming fruitiness.

Barco Reale allows you to gain an insight into the charms and stature of Carmignano. Capezzana, arguably Carmignano's best and most well- known producer, makes a consistently engaging Barco Reale. The mid-weight 2022 delivers lots of bright cherry-like flavors accented by savory notes, all supported by mild tannins and mouth-watering acidity. Enjoy it now while (hopefully) your bottle of their Carmignano ages in your cellar.

Spicy, intense and full of potential, the 2019 Carmignano Riserva Trefiano lifts from the glass with a burst of white smoke, peppery rose and crushed raspberries. This displays a radiant core of ripe red and black fruits, opening with a grippy sensation as fine-grained tannins saturate the palate. The 2019 finishes with dramatic length and tension, puckering the cheeks while a staining of primary concentration adds a youthful chewiness. While incredibly young, the balance here is otherworldly.

Opening like a veritable spice box, the 2020 Carmignano Villa di Capezzana entices with its autumnal blend of allspice, clove, and star anise before giving way to steeped plums and sage. It’s silky and refined, with supple textures and ripe red and blue fruits that swirl across a stream of vibrant acidity. It leaves a pleasantly chewy sensation while finishing with fine-grained tannins and a staining of primary concentration. Wait a full minute and hints of white pepper still linger. Wow. While richer than usual and easier to appreciate out of the gate, the 2020 is balanced for a long and steady evolution.

Mocha meets dried black cherries, plums and minty herbs as the 2020 Carmignano Riserva Trefiano slowly evolves in the glass. This is silky smooth and cool-toned in feel, with a sour citrus tinge elevating ripe wild berry fruits as hints of sage embellish the close. It finishes pleasantly bitter and incredibly long, leaving crystalline tannins to pierce the palate as echoes of licorice and minerals slowly taper off. This shows the warmth of the vintage, but does so with impeccable balance.

Wonderfully fresh from the first tilt of the glass, the 2020 Ghiaie della Furba opens with a blend of minty herbs, spiced orange peels and sour cherries. It’s silky and refined with a saturating core of red primary fruits. Hints of sour citrus and tactile mineral tones form toward the close. Edgy tannins tug at the senses as this tapers off long and staining, leaving a pleasant bitter sensation, nuances of cedary spice and a tart cranberry crunchiness. The 2020 is powerful and impossibly young at the moment. Five to six years of cellaring are highly recommended.

Complex and viscous, this dessert white exudes caramel, brown butter, molasses, dried fig, orange peel and bitter walnut aromas and flavors. Its intense sweetness is cut by balancing acidity, while the flavors ply the seemingly endless aftertaste. Trebbiano and San Colombano. Drink now through 2038. 255 cases made, 50 cases imported.

The 2019 Ugo Contini Bonacossi is a total pleasure to take in, with its striking bouquet of white pepper, rose petals, crushed raspberries and sweet lavender. This impresses further with its elegance, silken and supple with a core of brisk acidity to balance as ripe red and black fruits swirl throughout. It finishes structured and long yet remarkably fresh, leaving violet inner florals and a tart blackberry tinge over a bed of fine-grained tannins. This is simply stunning and full of potential. The Ugo Contini Bonacossi is a varietal Sangiovese that refined for 15 months in barrique, half new and half second-pass.