Wines

90 Points! Showing a darkish ruby hue, the Campogiovanni 2021 Rosso di Montalcino has bold fruit flavors and lots of dark cherry on immediate offer. This is a nicely saturated Sangiovese with enough texture on the mid-palate to match a hearty bean soup or roast pork. Fresh acidity seals the deal. This is a good value offer, with 9,000 bottles released. - Monica Larner, robertparker.com

93 Points! Bright and fruity, offering cherry, strawberry, rose and Mediterranean scrub flavors. Shows no shortage of structure, remaining balanced and long. Reveals tobacco and mineral elements on the finish. - Wine Spectator

92 Points! Reverting to a spicy and savory taste profile, the 2020 Chianti Classico Riserva Il Grigio shows a dark, mid-weight texture with extra heft that comes in the form of baked plum, candied cherry and spice. This is another good value wine from one of the most beautiful properties (and luxury hotels) in Italy. - Monica Larner, robertparker.com

Don't look for scores, much like other icon producers like Cappellano in Barolo, Cerbaiona does not send their wine out for reviews, preferring to let the juice speak. The Brunello is produced only in the best vintages... From the importer: There are now over 200 bottling producers of Brunello but when people speak of the top tier we are talking about an interchangeable 10 names depending one’s preference stylistically. Soldera, Biondi Santi, Salvioni, and Cerbaiona would be most people’s pick for top 5 Brunello producers (not necessarily in that order). What makes the Cerbaiona Brunello so unique is the conscious coupling of great terroir and minimalist intervention. What arrives is a clear representation of one of the greatest Brunello vineyards bottling wine today.

97 Points! Aromas of bark, dark cherries and flowers, too. It’s medium- to full-bodied with purity of fruit that runs the length of the wine. It goes on for minutes. Very fine tannins. From organically grown grapes. Needs three or four years to completely come together, but gorgeous. Drink after 2026. - JamesSuckling.com

95 Points! There's a fruity side to this red as well as a spicy side, with cherry, strawberry and black pepper flavors throughout. Floral, iron and underbrush accents add depth, yet it's the beam of pure cherry that prevails. Shows prodigious length on the finish. - Wine Spectator

From the winery: Our 2021 Pickberry Merlot comes from the firm, clay-based soils, about 600' up the northern slopes of Sonoma Mountain. Mother Nature pushed ripeness faster on us than in previous years, trading out lighter herbaceous notes of previous vintages for a focused fruit profile. The wines massive structure coupled with Pickberry's signature blue fruit and intense menthol notes is just right on.

96 Points! This latest vintage of one of Italy's most important wines has an almost choreographed delivery with dramatic pause and high crescendos as it unfolds over the palate. The Montevertine 2020 Le Pergole Torte feels initially shy, but that is a fleeting impression because its all-around intensity builds beautifully upon dark cherry, blackcurrant, spice, iris root and warm earth. Those notes are followed by a delicate floral interlude, and the wine builds upward again with a very bright and lively mouthfeel fueled by fine tannins and lovely freshness. It is fleshy and rich. This is one of the best wines from this vintage in the region for sure. - Monica Larner, robertparker.com

96 Points! This latest vintage of one of Italy's most important wines has an almost choreographed delivery with dramatic pause and high crescendos as it unfolds over the palate. The Montevertine 2020 Le Pergole Torte feels initially shy, but that is a fleeting impression because its all-around intensity builds beautifully upon dark cherry, blackcurrant, spice, iris root and warm earth. Those notes are followed by a delicate floral interlude, and the wine builds upward again with a very bright and lively mouthfeel fueled by fine tannins and lovely freshness. It is fleshy and rich. This is one of the best wines from this vintage in the region for sure. - Monica Larner, robertparker.com

91 Points! A full-bodied, juicy and chewy merlot. Tasty layers of chocolate, cherries, hazelnuts and olives wrapped up in ripe, broad tannins. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

94 Points! A full-bodied red with plum and walnut aromas and flavors. Some meat and spice, too. Firm and silky. Flavorful. Real Chianti Classico. Drink now. - JamesSuckling.com

98 Points! The 2019 straight Brunello from Ciacci Piccolomini d’Aragona is a beauty, starting with its heady scents of red berry, dog rose, spice and Mediterranean scrub. Full-bodied and loaded with finesse, the smooth palate delivers juicy red cherry, cracked peppercorn and licorice alongside tightly-woven, refined tannins. Juicy acidity keeps it balanced and fresh. - Kerin O' Keefe

93 Points! Pure and focused, offering violet, cherry, raspberry and mineral aromas and flavors. Shaped by vibrant acidity, this red persists with a lingering, resonant aftertaste. - Wine Spectator

97 Points! Alessandro Mori's wines are easy to spot in a blind tasting thanks to the soaring intensity and vibrant Sangiovese aromas they display. They are truly one of a kind. A wine that sees a relatively short and hot fermentation the Il Marroneto 2019 Brunello di Montalcino respects local winemaking tradition and remains true in spirit. The steep verticality of the bouquet evokes almost-carbonic or lifted aromas of bright cherry strawberry shortcake lilac and heritage rose. You get straight to the heart of Sangiovese. The tannins are extremely fine and powdery and the freshness of the fruit is beautifully intact. This wine really pops in 2019. - Monica Larner, robertparker.com

From the importer: Giuseppe Gorelli’s first Brunello vintage was in 1987 under his grandfather’s label, Due Portine-Gorelli. A decade later, his family sold the estate to Il Palazzone so that Giuseppe could start his own estate with his wife, Gigliola Gianetti, who left Biondi Santi so they could create Tenuta Le Potazzine, which over the following decades collected some of the highest praise awarded to any-classically-styled grower of Brunello di Montalcino.

Gianetti and Gorelli split a few years ago, with their daughters taking over the reins at Le Potazzine, and Giuseppe keeping 6 hectares of their old vines (5ha on the north side of the city of Montalcino, plus one south-facing hectare in Sant’Angelo in Colle) to continue farming himself. His unique situation on the North side of the hill of Montalcino, combined with an immacultate dedication to organic farming, gives a freshness and fine aromas to his wines. The new cellar he built for this final act is simple but spotless, and likewise, his style of winemaking is one of restraint and precision.