Acclaim

Warmed mixed berry jam and sandalwood pull you in before singed star anise and dried forest herbs flip the script entirely. Then it clicks, this is sour cherries slowly simmering in a pot of herbs and spices and you are just happy to be in the kitchen. The palate turns savory and medicinal, fine tannins walking it all the way home. Drink now–2040. Cellar Selection. —J.P.

Cignale 2020 (Colli della Toscana Centrale). The aromatics are like red cherries that just got brushed with aftershave with a palate that has lots of red fruit. The flavors have red cherry, black pepper with soft, easy-going tannin and acid that keeps things fresh. —M.R.L.

The nose has fresh cherries with dried herbs and spices. Prickly pear tones add juiciness to the palate with a fresh minerally backbone. The tannins are soft and very manageable with elevated acidity. Best Buy. —M.R.L

Roasted red fruit shows up on the nose with touches of wild herb. The palate has overripe raspberry, red plum, and accented with dried red florals. The finish has a little bit of chisel to it but still drinks quite easily and fresh. —M.R.L.

The nose is pretty and almost delicate, strawberries that feel more like a memory of the fruit than the fruit itself, as if they were in the room just moments before you arrived. Then the palate shifts, savory and purposeful through the mid and finish with chalky tannins that leave a clean and quietly lasting impression. Jeff Porter

Fine and creamy, with a subtle plushness and weight to the texture that anchors baked black raspberry, fig cake, iron and fragrant herb and lavender notes. Light, taut tannins firm the finish. Carignano and Syrah. Drink now through 2031. 833 cases made, 150 cases imported. –Alison Napjus

Fruity and spicy with raspberries, berries, wild herbs and roasted peppercorns. Medium-bodied with fine tannins, velvety texture and a relatively juicy finish with spicy influence. Drink now. –Kevin Davy

Aromas of cherry, black pepper, vanilla and wild herbs follow through to a medium-bodied wine with creamy tannins and texture. Features a silky texture and a supple, fruity finish. Straightforward. Drink now. –Kevin Davy

Vivid, succulent and driven with sliced apples, pears and some flowers on the nose. Medium-bodied with a well-rounded character on the palate. Crunchy fruit with a savory finish. Drink now. Screw cap. –Kevin Davy

The 2025 Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Fonte Venna is smoky on the nose, where grilled herbs and ashen stone complicate wild blueberries and a hint of blood orange. Silken textures carry polished red and blue fruits across a stream of tantalizing acidity. It finishes long with a citrus inflection and tart blackberry that balances its edgy tannins. –Eric Guido