Wine Advocate (92)

This is a Tuscan white wine with a huge following, and deservedly so. The Fattoria le Pupille 2019 Poggio Argentato is a blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Petit Manseng, Traminer and Semillon. The wine broaches a mid-weight texture, showing some creamy density and waxiness, but it ultimately pulls back to a lean-bodied approach that is pushed forward by the wine's bright and snappy acidity. It delivers aromas of orchard fruit, tangerine skin, sweet almond and poached pear. It has the 360-degree latitude to pair with vegetarian dishes, fish or white meat.

Wine Advocate (91)

The Fattoria le Pupille 2020 Poggio Argentato is a blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Petit Manseng, Traminer and Semillon, and the percentage of Sauvignon Blanc in this vintage was raised from 60% of the blend to 70%. This slight adjustment makes a big impact on the wine's perfumes, especially in a hot vintage such as this. Cold temperatures during pressing and the use of stainless steel helps to lock in tropical aromas, minty apple and crushed limestone. The Petit Manseng helps to give more vertical lift to the bouquet. Average annual production for this wine is about 40,000 bottles, but this vintage came in about 8,000 bottles short.

Wine Advocate (95)

The 2013 Morellino di Scansano Riserva Poggio Valente is a breakthrough wine for Fattoria le Pupille and its talented winemaking team. This is a complete and balanced expression that shows its best side to all the senses: its appearance is richly saturated and bright; the bouquet is intense and complex; and the mouthfeel shows elegance and power. In all, this wine tastes and feels much younger than it really is and I have high hopes for its future aging ability. It shows a great sense of inner energy and liveliness that makes it a pleasure to drink in the near term as well. Soft flavors of black cherry, spice and grilled herb wrap thickly over the palate.

Wine Advocate (94)

Tasted from vat, the Fattoria le Pupille 2018 Poggio Valente is an elegant expression of Sangiovese with just a hint of the freewheeling wildness that characterizes the Maremma region of southern Tuscany. The wine delivers cherry, wild rose, forest fruit and blueberry. Beyond those primary tones are integrated notes of spice and mild tobacco. The wine is put together with careful precision, and all it needs now is more aging time in order to flesh out and build depth. Everything is set, just give it time.

Wine Advocate (95)

This wine always stands out in my mind, and it's worth dedicating a few words as to why. Poggio Valente offers us a rare opportunity to taste Sangiovese made according to the highest standards but from a territory—on the Tuscan Coast—that does not share a big legacy with monovarietal Sangiovese reds. The Fattoria le Pupille 2019 Poggio Valente was born in a happy vintage with a cool spring and a growing season that had plenty of underground water reserves to keep the vines hydrated well until the end of August. This is a full and generous wine with dark cherry and wild plum aromas that segue to tar, licorice and crushed slate. My sample (tasted a few weeks after bottling) was a little shy initially, but it quickly blossomed in the glass.

James Suckling (99)

I love the currant and rosemary character of this wine. Some sage, too. Complex aromas that draw you in. Full body, extremely tight and chewy with a long and intense finish. The tannins are fantastic – so polished. Focused and beautiful. Mineral undertone with ash and hot stone highlighting the dark fruits. It goes on for minutes. Needs three or four years to come together. But a serious red all the way.

James Suckling (99)

Incredible aromas of dark berries, lavender, rosemary, licorice and dried flowers. Spice. Full body and fantastic tannin texture with great length. Goes on for minutes. Muscular yet wonderfully formed and refined. A glorious Saffredi. Drink in 2022.

Wine Advocate (97)

Wow, there is a very impressive freshness here that defies the heat of this vintage. The 2017 Saffredi does not seem like a 2017 at all. Now celebrating its 30th birthday, Saffredi is 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 10% Petit Verdot. Thanks to the vineyard's proximity to the sea, leaving leaves on the vines and the sharp diurnal shifts of the area, the fruit was able to ripen in a balanced manner despite the hot and dry summer. The team at Fattoria le Pupille knew they would have to be ready to harvest early and lose some their yields, and they did. In the end, production was down 25%, but the result is a fresh, thick and beautiful red made with ripe fruit and dark concentration. This is a great effort from Fattoria le Pupille. This wine will be released in November.

James Suckling (97)

A fantastic nose to this with currant, sage, rosemary and rose-petal character. Sweet tobacco and spicy chocolate, too. Very complex. The palate shows lovely depth of fruit with blackberries, blackcurrants and fine tannins. It’s racy and refined with a direct, focused palate. Just a baby. A blend of cabernet sauvignon 60%, merlot 32% and petite verdot 8%. This needs at least two or three years to soften. Try in 2023.

James Suckling (97)

A fantastic nose to this with currant, sage, rosemary and rose-petal character. Sweet tobacco and spicy chocolate, too. Very complex. The palate shows lovely depth of fruit with blackberries, blackcurrants and fine tannins. It’s racy and refined with a direct, focused palate. Just a baby. A blend of cabernet sauvignon 60%, merlot 32% and petite verdot 8%. This needs at least two or three years to soften. Try in 2023.

James Suckling (99)

So much crushed stone, rosemary, lavender, mint and blackberry. Full-bodied and very structured with layers of powerful and polished tannins. It goes on for minutes. Ink, blackcurrants and blueberries. 60% cabernet sauvignon, 35% merlot and 5% petit verdot. Needs at least five or six years to open. Try after 2025.

James Suckling (99)

So much crushed stone, rosemary, lavender, mint and blackberry. Full-bodied and very structured with layers of powerful and polished tannins. It goes on for minutes. Ink, blackcurrants and blueberries. 60% cabernet sauvignon, 35% merlot and 5% petit verdot. Needs at least five or six years to open. Try after 2025.

James Suckling (98)

Impressive aromas of fresh herbs from the Tuscan coast, such as sage, mint, rosemary and thyme. Blackcurrants, too. Full-bodied with fine, chewy tannins that show beautiful length and consistency. Racy and beautiful, with lots of subtle and refined character. Slightly more cabernet sauvignon this year, which adds class to the wine. 80% cabernet sauvignon, 10% merlot and 10% petit verdot. Give this about three or four years of bottle age. Try after 2027.

James Suckling (99)

Mesmerizing aromas of sandalwood, lavender, sage and currants. Mint and spearmint. Lead pencil shavings. Light coffee bean too. Medium to full body with ultra-fine tannins. It goes on for minutes. 60% cabernet sauvignon, 30% merlot, and 10% petit verdot. So approachable already, but this will age beautifully. Best after 2026 and beyond.

James Suckling (96)

Fabulous complexity on the nose with crushed blackberries, chocolate, walnuts and tar. Lots of dried flowers. Full body. Layered and creamy with superb tannin texture and length. Hints of stone. Half made in amphora and half in casks. Aged one year in old casks. Drink or hold. 3,500 bottles made.

Wine Advocate (98+)

The Fèlsina 2016 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Colonia is true, elegant and bright. This wine is teaming with inner energy and beautiful fruit resonance that comes forward with forest berry, tilled earth, cassis and pressed violet. These aromas are held in tension, creating a crest or halo that radiates from deep inside. It remains mid-weight in approach, but don't underestimate the length and polished mouthfeel that drives a long and very elegant finish. I came back to my sample 24 hours later and appreciated the perfectly aligned and integrated character of the tannins. Give this wine plenty of time to evolve and flesh out in your cellar.

Wine Advocate (97)

I prefer this wine to Fèlsina's top-shelf Fontalloro. The 2018 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Colonia is irresistibly angular and tight, opening a profound view onto what makes Sangiovese so expressive and unique, especially when planted in the right territories. The bouquet is savory and almost sanguine with iron ore, rusty nail and baked clay. But there's plenty of fruit as well, in the form of wild berry and black cherry, that adds to the dimension and dynamic freshness of the mouthfeel. The 2018 vintage saw a few moments of heat during the summer, but the Colonia vineyard is protected by forests and cooler altitudes. Give this wine time to soften in the bottle.

Decanter (97)

The south-facing Rancia vineyard reaches altitudes of 420 metres, overlooking the lower-lying vineyards of Colli Senesi. It boasts complex soils of calcareous clay layered with the chalky white limestone-like alberese and schistose galestro. This 2016 vintage is simply stunning. It's stately yet gracious, with personality for days, leading with a sumptuous nose of smoke, exotic spice and iron-rich earth. Ripe fruit coats the mouth yet it remains buoyant and tangy as chalky tannins charge in to frame the palate. A seductive wine with an appetising, savoury edge and a long, long life ahead.

Vinous (97)

The 2018 Chianti Classico Riserva Rancia is an absolutely stunning wine. The archetype of Rancia in the past has been of a big, potent Chianti Classico but in 2018, Rancia is a wine of mind-blowing elegance and finesse. Silky, perfumed and indescribably finessed, the 2018 dazzles from start to finish. It's a magical wine in every way.

Wine Advocate (96)

Gorgeous and soft, the 2013 Fontalloro is another landmark wine from this classic vintage. There is enormous intensity here and the wine is only at the beginning of its long aging trajectory. I suggest you put off drinking it for five to ten more years. There is evident thickness and generosity here, especially in the way those bold fruit favors are woven between dark spice and leather. There are sour accents on the close that remind you of the wine's youth. The tannins are fine and well integrated.

Wine Advocate (97)

The 2015 Fontalloro is a landmark achievement. The bouquet strikes out with immediate complexity. It dangles aromas of black cherry, spice, tar, forest floor, wild rose and campfire ash in front of your nose with seductive allure. The unified presentation and delivery of all those aromas is profound and impressive. This edition of Fontalloro is exceptionally smooth and silky in texture and this is surely linked to the ripe, soft and finely textured fruit produced in this vintage. This is a pure expression of Sangiovese that is aged in barrique for up to 22 months. Some 30,000 bottles were produced.

Wine Advocate (98+)

The 2016 Fontalloro is the best vintage of this landmark wine that I have tasted thus far. This is a very elegant vintage, with more volume in the mouth and precise notes of tar, licorice, camphor ash, resin and Indian spice. In a race between the highly competitive 2015 and 2016 vintages, I give a slight advantage to this wine. The warmer 2015 vintage shows more richness and exuberant fruit. However, this wine from 2016 offers a more focused and chiseled delivery. I am hopeful that this wine will continue to evolve and sharpen as it ages in the bottle. This is a beautiful wine to put aside in your cellar for ten years or more.

Wine Advocate (98+)

The 2016 Fontalloro is the best vintage of this landmark wine that I have tasted thus far. This is a very elegant vintage, with more volume in the mouth and precise notes of tar, licorice, camphor ash, resin and Indian spice. In a race between the highly competitive 2015 and 2016 vintages, I give a slight advantage to this wine. The warmer 2015 vintage shows more richness and exuberant fruit. However, this wine from 2016 offers a more focused and chiseled delivery. I am hopeful that this wine will continue to evolve and sharpen as it ages in the bottle. This is a beautiful wine to put aside in your cellar for ten years or more.

Wine Advocate (98+)

The 2016 Fontalloro is the best vintage of this landmark wine that I have tasted thus far. This is a very elegant vintage, with more volume in the mouth and precise notes of tar, licorice, camphor ash, resin and Indian spice. In a race between the highly competitive 2015 and 2016 vintages, I give a slight advantage to this wine. The warmer 2015 vintage shows more richness and exuberant fruit. However, this wine from 2016 offers a more focused and chiseled delivery. I am hopeful that this wine will continue to evolve and sharpen as it ages in the bottle. This is a beautiful wine to put aside in your cellar for ten years or more.

Wine Advocate (98+)

The 2016 Fontalloro is the best vintage of this landmark wine that I have tasted thus far. This is a very elegant vintage, with more volume in the mouth and precise notes of tar, licorice, camphor ash, resin and Indian spice. In a race between the highly competitive 2015 and 2016 vintages, I give a slight advantage to this wine. The warmer 2015 vintage shows more richness and exuberant fruit. However, this wine from 2016 offers a more focused and chiseled delivery. I am hopeful that this wine will continue to evolve and sharpen as it ages in the bottle. This is a beautiful wine to put aside in your cellar for ten years or more.

Vinous (95)

Fontalloro is exquisite in 2017. It is also such a contrast to the Rancia, as the two wines could not possibly be more different. Fontalloro is bright and vibrant, with more sweet red Sangiovese character than the darker Rancia. It is also incredibly delicious now, even though it clearly has the energy to age for many years. The 2017 is one of the finest Fontalloros I can remember tasting.

Wine Advocate (95)

To my palate, the 2018 vintage sometimes feels a little too ripe or baked. I was reminded of those characteristics when tasting the Fèlsina 2018 Fontalloro. There is plenty of dark fruit at its core, but this wine also reveals dry tones of jarred oregano, grilled Mediterranean herb, crushed aspirin and graham cracker. The mouthfeel is pleasantly lean and silky, and perhaps the wine delivers more in terms of length than it does weight or texture. A little more bottle age should help flesh out and soften these results.

Wine Advocate (96)

The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Maestro Raro is a lovely expression with deep layers of dark fruit and savory spice that are woven tightly together to form a solid core of primary and secondary flavors. This vintage is especially tight and concentrated, showing terrific balance and freshness and impeccable fruit ripeness that is generous and full. There are no green elements in this vintage. Instead, the fruit is beautifully rich and velvety.

Richly bestowed with an incredible pedigree, Ferrando Carema Etichetta Bianca 2017 is a masterfully created, Italian Nebbiolo hailing from Piedmont's majestic Alpine vineyards. Rooted in vineyards planted in the commune of Carema on the steep, rocky slopes of the Alps, this fine wine is the artistic embodiment of third-generation winemaker Luigi Ferrando's deep commitment to classically structured and balanced wines.

Ferrando Carema Etichetta Bianca 2017 boasts a meticulously achieved complexity and elegance. Its unique character evolves from a two-year maturation in large Slavonian oak barrels, resulting in exquisite layers of wild cherry, Alpine herbs, roses, and minerals, adorning a beautifully structured, mid-weight body. This rare vintage, with its linear precision and powerful thrust, testifies of Ferrando's impeccable vinification techniques, and the region's terroir, marked by a continental climate and soils composed of moraine deposits.

Savour the generous palette of this singular wine, Ferrando Carema Etichetta Bianca 2017, a testament to the Ferrando family’s unwavering dedication to winemaking excellence.

Crafted by the globally lauded producer Giulio Ferrando, Ferrando Carema Etichetta Nera Black Label 2017 encompasses the elegance and stark depth of Carema's mountainous terroir. Derived from 80-year-old Nebbiolo grapevines grown on terraced slopes straddling the border of Piedmont and Valle d'Aosta, this exquisite wine showcases the fine art of winemaking.

Adhering to traditional methods, this unique red wine undergoes slow fermentation, followed by 48 months of aging in Botti. These practices imbue Ferrando Carema Etichetta Nera Black Label 2017 with a seductive robust crimson hue and a harmonious balance of tannins and acidity. Its tasteful notes of wild berries, dried rose petals, and subtle undertones of tobacco, offer a captivating and prolonged finish.

As a hallmark of biodynamic viticulture, Ferrando Carema Etichetta Nera Black Label 2017 stands as a testament to the Ferrando family's commitment to producing wines that resonate with authenticity and distinct character, promising a remarkable experience for discerning wine connoisseurs.