Winemaker Notes
Ideal with long-cooked meat dish, barbecues. Delicious with aged cheeses.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
This wine is intended to challenge, and perhaps provoke, Merlot king Masseto. The Rocca di Frassinello 2013 Maremma Toscana Baffonero hails from a three-hectare single vineyard on the Tuscan Coast. Fermentation and malolactic fermentation is executed in concrete eggs and the wine is aged in 100% new French oak. The first vintage made was 2007 and bottle production tops 3,000 today. This current edition of the wine clocks in at a whopping 39.4 grams per liter of dry extract and all that density definitely makes a bold statement. This wine is thick and vinous with rich primary aromas of blackberry and cherry liqueur. Indian spice and cured tobacco are presented with lavish abandon. This is the ultimate statement wine, for sure, but I'm not sure it has Masseto trembling in its boots just yet.
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James Suckling
A firm and silky wine with blueberry, walnut and coffee character. Full-bodied, bright and fruity. Delicious red. Wonderful pure merlot with so much fruit and style. Drink or hold.
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Wine Spectator
A dense, extracted red, with earth, blackberry and plum flavors, featuring solid tannins and a piquant, spicy feel. A bit burly on the finish, yet richly textured, featuring sweet fruit for balance. The tannins become more integrated with air, so decant now or age. Merlot. Best from 2017 through 2024. 250 cases made.
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.