Tuscany

94 Points! A blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot and 15% Petit Verdot, the organic Podere Sapaio 2023 Bolgheri Volpolo di Sapaio is a charming wine with generous layers of fruit, offering precise notes of blackcurrant and sweet plum. Oak is gently interwoven into the elegantly rich mouthfeel, adding polish without overshadowing the fruit. Fermented in stainless steel and moved into barrique for 14 months of élevage, the 2023 combines freshness and vitality. - 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

97 Points! The 2021 Carmignano Riserva Piaggia takes its time in the glass, tempting the imagination with dried violets and flowery underbrush that evolve into peppery wild berries, autumnal spices and a dusting of cocoa. Elegant and velvety in feel, this sweeps across the palate, gaining contrast through a core of mineral-inflected yet pleasantly ripe red and black fruits. Tantalizing acidity guides the experience. The 2021 finishes with dramatic length and concentration, leaving a bitter blackberry resonance to mingle with edgy tannins, while a hint of blood orange forces the mouth to water for more. The contrasting nature and sheer depth of the 2021 leave me in awe. Bury this deep in the cellar.

The Piaggia vineyard was planted in 1972. The only changes this wine has seen since then, other than the age of the vines, took place in 2004 when the winery switched from using 100% new Garbellotto barrels to a mix of 50% new and 50% second-pass oak. This was a fantastic tasting that showed the prestige of this location and demonstrated the remarkable value of the Piaggia Riserva. It’s a blue chip in the cellar. - Eric Guido, Vinous Media

95 Points! Monteraponi follows a Burgundy-adjacent farming philosophy that seeks to carve out distinct identities for strong red and white wines. The top-shelf red from the estate is the organic 2018 Baron'Ugo, a blend of 90% Sangiovese with smaller parts Canaiolo and Colorino for more color and vibrant fruit flavors. This vintage delivers a very clean and polished execution, and there is plenty of freshness, thanks to vineyard positioning at a cool and breezy 560 meters in elevation on limestone alberese soils. The oak is woven in a delicate manner in this wine. Production is 6,600 bottles. This is a little treasure from Tuscany. - Monica Larner, robertparker.com

94 Points! Like the 2019 vintage also reviewed here, the Sassotondo 2017 Maremma Toscana Ciliegiolo San Lorenzo boasts dark color saturation and concentrated fruit, but in the case of this wine, you get softer, more open-knit tannins. Ciliegiolo can famously live up to the hot vintages, especially when the variety is planted in cooler volcanic soils like the kind found in this vineyard cru. The slightly evolved bouquet shows cherry liqueur, almond paste, blue flower and crushed stone. There is a lively, almost nervous quality of the fruit that keeps things edgy and fresh. The mid-weight finish is silky and long. - Monica Larner, robertparker.com

97 Points! The 2017 Geremia is a revelation. It might be even better than the 2015 or 2016, which is saying a lot. Soaring aromatics make a strong first impression. In 2017, the fruit profile leans more into the red fruit end of the spectrum. The warm, dry year yielded a Geremia that is unusually open. I doubt too many of the estate's fans will have a problem with that given how long these wines usually take to open. Today, the 2017 Geremia is a total pleasure bomb. Don't miss it. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media