Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine & Spirits
Bolgheri in a little black dress: This vintage of Scrio is a discreet and heady pleasure, a blast of crushed black peppercorn, Mediterranean spice and salt air, a mouthful of blueberries, tar and mushrooms, the wine’s intensity resolving into a lasting essence of fruit, smoke and spice. A powerful syrah that leaves an impression of finesse, this is the best release of Scrio I’ve tasted. Cinzia Merli of Le Macchiole mentioned that the 2010 includes fruit from a new source at the estate, a high-density syrah planting (from 2002), on soil that’s sandier than the original vineyard.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
A pure expression of Syrah, the 2010 Scrio offers a finely woven and complete portrait of the grape with thick toasted oak notes at the back. Cured meat, black pepper and chewy fruit are supported by barrel-driven tones of chocolate and fresh cinnamon. The gorgeous wine is a few years off from full oak integration. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2025.
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Wine Enthusiast
Made entirely with Syrah, this concentrated wine delivers plum, black pepper, cocoa, coffee, fleshy black cherry and notes of bay leaf. It's plush, soft and savory but it also seems shy on vibrancy and essential energy.
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Wine Spectator
This powerful, nicely oaky red offers bacon fat notes on the nose, followed by dark fruit flavors of blackberry, black cherry and spice. Needs to shed some tannins to find balance, but the finish is long, sporting licorice and spice nuances. Syrah. Best from 2016 through 2023.
Long before it was fashionable, Eugenio Campolmi saw the potential of his homeland, buying his first vineyard in Bolgheri in 1975 baptised "Le Macchiole". In 1987, he hired famed oenologist Vittorio Fiore as a consultant before the later was joined by Luca d'Attoma for years later. In contrast to his renowned neighbors who focused on Bordeaux blends, Campolmi focused on achieving the purest expression of individual varieties, crafting distinct wines of unprecedented quality. Soon Le Macchiole joined Sassicaia, Ornellaia, and Guado al Tasso as one of the most prestigious estates in Bolgheri. Following Eugenio's death in 2002, his wife Cinzia Merli, who shares her husband's passion, took over at the estate. Working with Luca D'Attoma, she has carried on her husband's legacy by continuing to make great Tuscan wines.
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.