Wine & Spirits - October 2021 - 79

Tuscan Reds
TOSCANA IGT
RED bLENDS
96 | Tenuta di Biserno
mint and fennel brighten the red fruit tones. §
North Berkeley Imports, Berkeley, CA
93 | Antinori
$178
2018 Toscana Biserno ^ You can feel the warm
days and cool nights of the 2018 season in
the even ripeness of this wine's fruit, and
in the lively acidity that infuses this wine's
dark plum and black-currant flavors. The
wine rested for 15 months in French-oak
barriques (85 percent new), gaining notes of
ginger and black pepper and a caramel richness
that amplifies the rich fruit. Its intense
flavors and youthful vigor offer good cellaring
potential. § Kobrand, Purchase, NY
$275
2017 Toscana Ampio delle Mortelle ^ The
667 acres of the Antinori family's Le Mortelle
estate in the Maremma include a small parcel
of carmenère, which forms the spicy base of
Ampio. Cabernets sauvignon and franc provide
the balance of the blend, the varieties
all vinified and aged separately in Frenchoak
barriques before coming together in a
dark and rich wine, its robust fruit framed
by chewy tannins and layered with notes of
dark chocolate and graphite. Its dense, meaty
flavors are primed for steak house wine lists. §
Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, Woodinville, WA
93 | Tenuta di Biserno
$43
2019 Toscana Insoglio del Cinghiale ^ Bold
flavors of dark plum and blackberry surge
through a smooth, velvety texture in this
dynamic and finely knit wine. Dark spice
notes enliven the rich fruit as the wine gains
layers of fennel and tobacco. Delicious now,
the wine has plenty of verve to improve over
the next several years. § Kobrand, Purchase, NY
93 | Terenzi
96 | Rocca di
Montegrossi $210/magnum
2015 Toscana Ridolfo ^ Marco Ricasoli's
inaugural release of Ridolfo marries the elegance
of cabernet sauvignon with pugnitello's
bright and spicy notes in a unique interpretation
of Tuscan terroir. Its penetrating
flavors of blackberry and cherry are crunchy
and vibrant even in the warm 2015 vintage,
those fruit tones underlined by notes of
graphite that create a cool mineral sensation.
The wine almost crackles with energy,
its schistous tannins firm and flavorful. An
exciting new addition to the realm of Tuscan
red blends, this will be fascinating to
follow as it develops over the next decade.
Available only in magnum-a nod toward
its expected aging potential. § North Berkeley
Imports, Berkeley, CA
95 | Rocca di Montegrossi $70
2016 Toscana Geremia ^ After hailstorms
and humid weather early in the 2016 growing
season, conditions improved near harvest.
According to Marco Ricasoli, the cabernet
sauvignon (30 percent of this blend)
was some of the best he has produced. Firm,
mineral tannins give shape to the wine's juicy
plum and raspberry flavors, while hints of
$59
2016 Toscana Francesca Romana ^ Hints of
roasted tomato and green peppercorn shade
this wine's red berry flavors. A blend of cabernets
franc and sauvignon with merlot, it
is cool and zesty, with pleasant savory notes
and a surge of salinity that draws out the finish.
§ M.S. Walker, Somerville, MA
90 | Poggio al Tesoro
$30
2019 Toscana Mediterra (BEST BUY) ^ Scents
of lavender and violets lead into plummy
purple-fruit flavors laced with notes of black
pepper framed by velvety tannins. It may not
be a wine for the cellar, but the plush flavors
provide plenty of immediate appeal for a bythe-glass
program. § E&J Gallo, Modesto, CA
88 | Ampeleia
$22/1 liter
2020 Toscana Unlitro (BEST BUY) ^ This blend
of carignan and grenache is lively and floral,
its flavors of cranberry and raspberry buoyed
by mandarin-orange acidity. Serve it lightly
chilled at a rooftop or poolside gathering. §
David Bowler Wines, NY
92 | Tenuta Sette Cieli
88 | Baracchi
$60
2019 Toscana Yantra ^ Vinified in stainless
steel, this blend of cabernet sauvignon (60
percent) and merlot shows a tangy crunch
to the blackberry and plum flavors, that ripe
fruit edged with notes of fresh herbs and
lively black spice. § Wilson Daniels, Napa, CA
90 | Tenuta di Arceno
$55
2016 Toscana Valadorna ^ This easy-drinking
Bordeaux-variety blend offers rich dark-berry
flavors laced with notes of smoke and soft
herbs. § Sovereign Imports, Santa Rosa, CA
$20
2019 Toscana O'Lillo (BEST BUY) ^ A blend
of equal parts merlot, sangiovese, syrah and
cabernet sauvignon, this wine offers rich,
spice-laden flavors of black cherry and plum
framed by robust, meaty tannins. For burgers.
§ Grapejuice Group, Denver, CO
88 | Poggio del Moro
$20
2016 Toscana Rosso Toscana (BEST BUY) ^
Dense flavors of raspberry and plum take on
hints of leafy herbs in this rich, earthy wine.
Its gritty tannins and warmth are built for
a steakhouse. § Grapejuice Group, Denver, CO
Oc TO b ER 2021
WINE & SPIR IT S
79
90 | Tenuta di Arceno
$80
2016 Toscana Arcanum ^ This wine's dense
flavors of dark plum and dried cherry are
warm and robust, brightened by a hint of
mint. Grippy tannins frame the wine as it
takes on notes of black pepper and dried
thyme. § Sovereign Imports, Santa Rosa, CA
90 | Ornellaia
$34
2019 Toscana Le Volte dell'Ornellaia ^ The
2019 Le Volte shows good freshness in its flavors
of tangy cherry and crunchy blackberry.
Hints of smoke and savory herbs lend complexity
to the lively fruit tones. § Vintus, NY
https://www.poggioaltesoro.it/en/index.php https://www.roccadimontegrossi.it/en/igt-toscana-rosso-ridolfo-2/ https://www.wilsondaniels.com/winery/tenuta-sette-cieli-2/
Wine & Spirits - October 2021

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