Winemaker Notes
Located just a few miles from the Mediterranean coastline, Brancaia in Maremma is rugged with a west-southwest exposure and mostly sandy clay soil at the foothills of the nearby Uccellina Mountains.
Blend: 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Petit Verdot, 20% Cabernet Franc
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Wow. The 2013 Ilatraia jumps right out at you. This is a tremendous effort - I tasted this wine three times blind and it always came out on top. Cabernet Sauvignon (40%) is blended with Petit Verdot (40%) and Cabernet Franc (20%). The complexity and the ever-changing nature of the bouquet is mind-bending. Ilatraia shows enormous depth and sophistication, and it leaves a profound impact. The wine sports deep color saturation with brilliant flashes of dark ruby. The texture is immensely soft, yielding and seamless in its integration. Dark fruit and blackberry is followed by light notes of tobacco, toasted nut and scorched earth. I am in awe of its complexity.
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James Suckling
Aromas of licorice with blackberries and hints of graphite. Full and juicy with chewy tannins. Very polished. Needs at least three years to open. A wine with classy structure.
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Wine Enthusiast
Made with 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Petit Verdot and 20% Cabernet Franc, this opens with aromas of mature black-skinned fruit, sunbaked earth and a whiff of cedar. The concentrated, polished palate delivers juicy black cherry, grilled herb, clove and tobacco. Firm velvety tannins provide support.
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Wine Spectator
This bright version combines black cherry, plum, spice, iron and tobacco flavors. The stiff, dusty tannins gain the upper hand for now, but this should develop nicely. Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2019 through 2028.
Legendary in Italy for its Renaissance art and striking landscape, Tuscany is also home to many of the country’s best red wines. Sangiovese reigns supreme here, as either the single varietal, or a dominant player, in almost all of Tuscany’s best.
A remarkable Chianti, named for its region of origin, will have a bright acidity, supple tannins and plenty of cherry fruit character. From the hills and valleys surrounding the medieval village of Montalcino, come the distinguished and age-worthy wines based on Brunello (Sangiovese). Earning global acclaim since the 1970s, the Tuscan Blends are composed solely of international grape varieties or a mix of international and Sangiovese. The wine called Vine Nobile di Montepulciano, composed of Prognolo Gentile (Sangiovese) and is recognized both for finesse and power.