Winemaker Notes
A brilliant ruby red in color; this immediately strikes one with the elegance and complexity of its broad aromas of cherries and cloves, which give way to balm-like tones.
Blend: 70% Sangiovese, 15% Sagrantino, 15% Cabernet & Merlot
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
The aromas speak of warmed cherries with clove and cinnamon, dried herbs and roasted earth. Structured and firm, yet with a core of perfectly ripe fruits, the palate finishes with vibrant acidity and an earthy minerality. Drink now–2035.
Best Buy -
Wine Spectator
Ripe plum and mulberry fruit is sweet and juicy in this fresh, medium-bodied red, with accents of graphite, smoke, warm spices, dried thyme and lavender. Light, fine tannins firm the finish. Drink now through 2029. 7,900 cases made, 790 cases imported.
Italian Red Wine
While picturesque hillsides, endless coastlines and a favorable climate serve to unify the grape-growing culture of this country. The apparent never-ending world of indigenous grape varieties gives Italy an unexampled charm and allure for its red wines. From the steep inclines of the Alps to the sprawling, warm, coastal plains of the south, red grape varieties thrive throughout.
The kings of Italy, wines like Barolo and Barbaresco (made of Nebbiolo), and Chianti and Brunello di Montalcino (made of Sangiovese), as well as Amarone (mostly Corvina), play center stage for the most lauded, collected and cellar-worthy reds. Less popular but entirely deserving of as much praise are the wines made from Aglianico, Sagrantino and Nerello Mascalese.
For those accustomed to drinking New World reds, the south is the place to start. Grapes like Negroamaro or Primitvo from Puglia and Nero d’Avola from Sicily make soft, ammicable, full-bodied, fruit-dominant wines. Curious palates should be on the lookout for Cannonau (Grenache), Lagrein, Teroldego, Ruché, Freisa, Cesanese, Schiopettino, Rossese and Gaglioppo to name a few.