Acclaim

“Here is a new submission from Conti Costanti. The 2020 Rosso di Montalcino Vermiglio shows ripe fruit, cooked cherry, sweet spice and grilled herb. I like the medium-bright intensity of this wine that drinks somewhere between a Rosso and Brunello, maybe closer to a full-bodied Rosso in this hot vintage. The fruit has been treated with elegance but also with ease. The tannins end on a chalky note.Conti Costanti has all its Brunello vines in the Colle al Matrichese area with schistic galestro clay soils and high elevations (from 433 to 471 meters above sea level). The winery is 100% organic and a new fermentation area was recently inaugurated.” -Monica Larner, Wine Advocate

“The 2019 Brunello di Montalcino offers plenty of dark fruit and spice, but the wine also shows slightly more austerity that could set it up for a roast pork or ham. There is a drying oak note of smoked cedar or redwood that dovetails into the structural impact of the wine. Yet it also shows very good momentum on the mid-palate, adding more layers or black fruit that soften the tannins.” -Monica Larner, Wine Advocate

“Moderately saturated purple-ruby. Deep brooding nose that hints at considerable depth and complexity, but offers very little else presently. Fruity and dense on entry, then turns austere in the middle and showcases rising, slightly aggressively mouthcoating tannins on the long finish. Manuel marinacci told me that this wine spent only about four months in 22 HL oak barrels (rarely does it go as far as six) but still, this 2021 Boschi di Berri seems quite tannic nonetheless. Needs to be cellared for at least a year in a good cellar but I think it has the density of fruit necessary to allow a good evolution in the bottle. In fact ten year old bottles of Boschi di Berri are still very good today and I have had even older bottles that have kept beautifully. I have always been a huge fan of the Boschi di Berri, ever since I began drinking it since the 1980s back when I used to live in Rome, but this latest version really is quite tannic. Drinking window: 2025-2032.” -Ian D’Agata

Perfumed with sweet berry, fresh flower and cedar aromas that follow through to a medium-bodied palate with firm and chewy tannins and a fresh finish. Very classy and structured. Extremely long. Give it time to open. Drink after 2026.

Lots of pumice, smoke, dried meat and dried cherry aromas that follow through to a full body with lively acidity and chewy tannins. Tight, still needs two or three years to open. Made from ancient vines: 80- to 100-years-old. Try after 2028.

Wafting aromas of cedar, anise and clove all swirl around notes of baked cherries and ripe raspberries. Round and lush on the palate, the wine offers loads of juicy mature red fruits bolstered by sweet spices, fine tannins and bright acidity. — Jeff Porter

 Enticing aromas of wildflowers, fresh laundry and green apples dance from the glass as if in a ballet. It’s textured on the palate with notes of white peach, lemon and almond, all brached by salty minerality and vibrant acidity. — Jeff Porter

“The 2021 Rosso di Montalcino Ginestreto is gorgeous, blossoming before my eyes with a heady blend of sweet rose petals, dried black cherries and autumnal spice. Its textures are pure and silky, as a polished wave of ripe red fruits and cooling mineral tones wash across the palate. Rich raspberry and balsamic spice hints linger, and the 2021 finishes crisp and fresh yet still youthfully structured. This is one of the prettiest interpretations of Ginestreto I’ve experienced, yet that’s not to say it’s any less powerful.” -Eric Guido

“The 2020 Valpolicella Superiore Ripasso opens in the glass with a whiff of sweet herbs and crushed blackberry fruit. This sweeps across the palate with ripe raspberry and orange tones, complicated by a tinge of crunchy minerality. This leaves violet inner florals and a hint of sweet spice, finishing pleasantly fresh and admirably long.” – Eric Guido, Vinous

“Dried black cherries, cloves, cinnamon and dried roses create a darkly inviting bouquet as the 2017 Amarone della Valpolicella opens in the glass. This is soft textured and round yet lacks thrust and concentration, coming across as mineral-driven yet a bit lighthearted. It finishes with a pleasantly bitter tinge and medium length, leaving grippy tannins to resonate.” – Eric Guido, Vinous