Italy

94 Points! The 2020 Uvaggio is a fabulous introduction to this range. Pliant, layered, and wonderfully silky, the 2020 is all charm. Soft contours wrap around red/purplish fruit, dried herbs, rose petals, blood orange, mint and white pepper. This is an especially generous style, but it all works so well. Bright mineral notes extend the effortless, vibrant finish. Dollops of Vespolina and Croatina play off Nebbiolo so well, - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

93 Points! An elegant nose here with earthy strawberries and violet candies enhanced by smoky depth. Very polished. Light-bodied, this has silky tannins, polite extraction, chewy acidity and good length. Simple but precise, elegant and easy to drink. - JamesSuckling.com

94 Points! The 2021 Poggio de Colli, 100% Cabernet Franc, is stunning. It’s peppery and floral throughout, with masses of crushed strawberry and raspberry spiced up by tangerine zest. This impresses further with its wiry textures offset by tantalizing acidity. A core of tart wild berry fruit cascades across the palate, underscored by saline minerals and hints of citrus. Fine-grained tannins emerge through the finish as the 2021 tapers off spicy yet fresh, leaving the mouth watering despite its structure and intensity. This is a ripe vintage for Poggio de Colli, yet it is still a glorious Cabernet Franc that will pay dividends in the cellar. - Eric Guido, Vinous Media

95 points Luca Maroni! 90 points James Suckling! Roasted cherry, licorice and walnut on the nose, with a touch of muscovado sugar. It’s full-bodied, rich and flavorful with ripe, broad tannins. Drink now.

Sourced from Barbera grapes that have been lightly dried for a short period of time (not as long as Amarone) to concentrate their flavor and intensity.

93 Points! The 2021 Chianti Classico is a powerful wine. Dark, layered and beguiling, the 2021 has so much to offer. Macerated black cherry, licorice, new leather, cloves, incense and blood orange build as the 2021 opens in the glass. This is a very serious, hugely overachieving Chianti Classico from proprietor Paolo Cianteroni. 

Proprietor Paolo Cianferoni releases his wines a bit later than most. The 2021s are worth the wait. Readers will find Chianti Classicos of uncommon depth and character, starting with the Annata, which is ridiculously good. Caparsa remains one of the Chianti Classicos under-the- radar gems, a small estate known only to relatively small subset of wine lovers. These new releases are nothing short of captivating. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

For us, Matelica is THE spot for Verdicchio. And this is one of the most exciting new wineries in this area, having been founded in 2004. The vines are planted around the winery on a hillside above the valley of Matelica with sight line to the mountains of the Faggi Secolari di Canfaito national forest. The plots were replanted with mix clones in 2007, covering approximately 9 hectares over calcareous clay soils with substantial slope.

96 Points! This rich, pure red is generous in its flavors of black cherry, blackberry, plum, fruitcake, earth and spices. The tannins are well-integrated and overall this is harmonious and long, echoing the lush fruit and spice elements. This is all about elegance and finesse, making it approachable now. Merlot. Drink now through 2038. - Wine Spectator

Sangiovese 60%, Cabernet sauvignon 25%, Merlot 15%. After racking, all three grapes are fermented in steel tanks for two weeks. Ageing takes place over 8-9 months in tonneaux of second and third passage. 

A blend of mostly Sangiovese with smaller components of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, the Barone Ricasoli 2022 Antico Feudo is an immediately accessible and charming Tuscan red. This bottle offers great versatility (at a great price point) to match ragù and pasta or even a simple burger and fries. It offers plenty of bright fruit over a generous mid-weight texture and the easy freshness required to cut through those dishes. This is a definite Best Buy. - Monica larner, robertparker.com

94 Points! Expressive and expansive nose of fresh plums, cherries, cloves, nutmeg, flowers and sandalwood. It’s so transparent and vibrant, with a medium to full body and fine, tight tannins. Gorgeous fruit. From organically grown grapes. Try from 2024. - JamesSuckling.com

93 Points! The San Polo 2018 Brunello di Montalcino Podernovi shows a very earthy side that evokes savory spice, smoke and gamey aromas. The core of this organic wine is colored by black fruit and baked plum, but the wine is primarily driven by the aromas it has picked up during oak and bottle aging. This adds a medium-heavy constitution and a good amount of warm-vintage fruit weight for a Sangiovese. The wine also has an accessible character that makes it best to drink over the next 10 years. The fruit represents a selection from over two hectares. - Monica Larner robertparker.com

98 Points! The 2021 Barolo Villero soars from the glass with intensely spiced, balsamic-tinged aromatics. Deceptively medium in body, with superb persistence and class, the 2021 is simply magnificent. Beams of tannin shape the unforgettable, persistent finish. This is another wine that demands patience. The Villero is not an easy wine, rather it is a Barolo that offers a more inward, at times intellectual, expression of Nebbiolo. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

97+ Points! The Oddero 2021 Barolo Rocche di Castiglione shows that etched minerality and soaring verticality that you can expect of this celebrated MGA site. This (and the 2021 Barolo Brunate) are my favorites in this group of single-vineyard releases. I love the sharpness, the focus, the tension and those taut tannins that stitch it together. This wine reveals a note of candied cherry, raspberry and terrific fruit purity. It ages in botte grande for 24 months, and 3,000 bottles were created. - Monica Larner, robertparker.com

92 Points! His 2021 Barolo sees fruit from vineyards in La Morra, Verduno and Serralunga d'Alba. There is a pretty chalky quality to the wine that you perceive across the senses, especially the bouquet. To that, I would add cocktail cherry and cassis. I am reminded of the Jolly Rancher candies we had as kids. The wine is informal, bright and accessible. - Monica Larner, robertparker.com

A blend of 90% Sangiovese with 10% Canaiolo, Ciliegiolo, and Colorino, Piemaggio’s flagship Chianti Classico ferments spontaneously in stainless steel during a 3 ½ week maceration, and spends two years aging in a combination of concrete tanks and previously used wooden casks—mainly 25-hectoliter Slavonian oak, with some 500-liter French oak employed as well. Utterly textbook in character, it combines earth, bright fruit, and tangy acidity, with notable yet unforced concentration; it is a wine of balance and egoless drinkability.

This is the type of wine that reminds us why we got into the wine business in the first place. So much nuance! So much character! Deep, dark, fresh vibrant ruby, the Barbera here delivers oodles of powerful yet refined black cherry and blackberry fruit with hints of baking spice, underbrush, a touch of cracked pepper and the richness combined with tension that we see from the finest limestone-based reds, be they in Burgundy or Bordeaux. The old vines here provide outstanding concentration, this is powerful stuff, but the bottle age and quality of the vintage amplify that richness and power, taking this wine to another ‘umami’ level.

Generally 95% Barbera and 5% Nebbiolo, this ranks among the greatest expressions of Barbera we have experienced.  Nicoletta treats the wine with a high degree of respect, allowing it to evolve through 3 years of élevage in large, neutral oak, followed by another 3 to 4 years in bottle.