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.

A dense, solid red, with concentrated black cherry, currant, earth and tobacco flavors. The tannins are assertive, but all the elements come together on the muscular finish. Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and Canaiolo. Best from 2019 through 2029. 839 cases made.

The library-release 2012 Carmignano Villa di Capezzana 10 Anni is dark and earthy in character. Crushed fall leaves and undergrowth nuances blow off to reveal mentholated black currants. This is rich and fleshy in feel, with saline-tinged acids motivating its tart wild berry fruits. It finishes with rounded tannins and wonderful length, along with a bitter twang and hints of balsam that linger. The late-release 2012 displays a beautiful evolution that’s taken place in bottle.

The 2018 Ghiaie della Furba is darkly floral and dusty in character with musky plum skins, dried violets and camphor hints. It gains in both volume and depth with each moment that passes. The textures are cool-toned and silky with a pure mix of red fruits and inner herbal tones, stepping lightly yet leaving a lasting impression. Grippy tannins linger through the finish and add a pleasantly poised and dry sensation while maintaining great freshness. That said, the 2018 doesn’t have the bones for long-term aging. The Ghiaie Della Furba is a blend of 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 30% Syrah.

Developed ruby with a brownish tinge. Rich, dark fruit on the nose. Peppery and deep with hints of tobacco and orange. This has clearly some age to it, but it is just beginning to reach its peak. Suave, deep, supple fruit with Sangiovese tanginess, while the Cabernet component has a savoury blackcurrant quality to it but poised, rather than upfront. Peppery dark-fruit finish with sandpapery tannins. Not just another Cabernet blend, this has class as well as a personality all of its own and age has resulted in a superb balance between fruit, tannins and acidity and complexity. This will continue to develop for quite a few years.

A slightly brooding red, with firm tannins underlying plum, cherry and earth flavors, while accents of iron and tobacco emerge on the solid finish. Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon. Drink now through 2027. 5,916 cases made, 1,200 cases imported.  

The 2017 Ghiaie della Furba opens to a bouquet of minty herbs, camphor and smoke before deepening further to display dusty red currant and spice box. This is velvety and fleshy in feel, with stimulating acidity that enlivens its spicy black fruit and building mineral tones. It tapers off with persistence, power and grippy tannin, the perfect mix for a long evolution. The Ghiaie della Furba is a blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Syrah and 20% Merlot that refines in barrique, half new and half second pass. It's important to note that production was down by 40% in 2017 due to frost.

The 2014 Vinsanto Riserva is a dark amber color in the glass. Spiced orange peels, dusty dried flowers, cloves and baked pears follow a mesmerizing mix of shaved cedar and pine. Frankly, there’s something new each time I return to the glass. This floods the palate with ample weight while showing a sweet and sour mix of vanilla custards, toffee, candied citrus and salted almond, which adds amazing contrasts. This lingers impossibly long yet incredibly fresh, repleting its aromatics throughout as hints of hazelnut and cocoa fade. The 2014 Vinsanto Riserva makes for a fantastic wine experience that should not be missed.