Named for the cru in the village of Neive where the grapes are grown on 30-year-old vines, this 100% Nebbiolo di Barbaresco fermented in stainless steel with indigenous yeast before it was aged for 15 months in Slavonian oak barrels and aged for six months in bottle. Aromas of stewed tomato, tobacco, and earth lead to flavors of cinnamon, cherry, orange rind, and salted blueberry. It's youthful but so food-friendly. 

This strikes a good balance between elegance and power, with floral notes weaving through raspberry reduction and cherry tart flavors.

A modern style, with rich touches to the black cherry compote and raspberry reduction notes, hinting at licorice, rose petal and smoke.

This wine was not produced in the 2014 vintage, and fruit from that year went into the entry-level Montefalco Rosso instead. However, the 2015 Montefalco Rosso Riserva is a generous and radiant wine that offers accessible tones of black fruit, cherry and savory spice. The blend sees a large element of Sangiovese, and that grape shines bright in this wine, thanks to its elegant tones of wild berry, rose and pressed violet.

Black fruit, spice, tar and cured tobacco open the bouquet of the 2015 Montefalco Sagrantino Valdimaggio. You also get slightly more mature aromas of rum cake or cherry liqueur from this warm and sunny vintage. This is a complete and generous wine that shows tight tannins at the back. Despite that evident muscle and brawn, the tannins are carefully managed so that they don't taste bitter or astringent. In fact, quite the opposite.

Both the 2017s showed brilliantly. The 2017 Rasteau offers a raspberry and blackberry core of fruit as well as complex notes of sappy garrigue, mint, and even a hint of basil. Based on 80% Grenache, 17% Syrah, and 3% Mourvèdre, brought up in foudre, drink this medium to full-bodied, seamless Rasteau any time over the coming 5-7 years.

Even better, the 2017 Rasteau Argiles Bleues (80/20 Grenache and Syrah) just screams Rasteau with its ripe, chocolaty dark fruit and scorched earth aromas and flavors. It’s rich, has tons of minerality, medium to full body, and a great finish. It’s capable of lasting for over a decade.

This elegant and plush wine is compelling from the first whiff of brioche through creamy, baking-spice flavors to a lingering delicate finish. A luxurious mouthfeel, good balance between crispness and ripeness and a profusion of flavor make it rival the quality of the parent brand, Schramsberg.

Il Greppo's 2015 Rosso di Montalcino is absolutely gorgeous. Sweet tobacco, dried red cherry, cedar, rosemary, mint and anise give the Rosso lovely aromatic complexity, but it is the wine's body and resonance that stand out most. A wine of real stature and depth, Biondi-Santi's 2015 Rosso is all class, not to mention a real overachiever in my tastings and a rare Rosso that delivers the goods big time. Sadly, it won't come cheaply.

This shows cassis, cedar and black pepper notes, fueled by vibrant acidity and imparting lovely freshness. A very elegant red, with lots of character, this is well-crafted and harmonious. The finish shows a bit of a grip. Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2020 through 2026.

Spicy grape and honeysuckle notes give this wine an aromatic bouquet. The light-bodied palate presents balanced freshness. It ends dry and with a sense of ease.

The 2015 Valpolicella Classico Superiore Ripasso Il Bugiardo is a very exuberant, very full and fruit-forward wine. Showing ripe, sweet and dark fruit with sweet spice at the end, this would spread holiday cheer with a pumpkin ravioli. The wine has a silky-smooth texture, with a nice entry into the mouth, all framed by soft tannins. This Valpolicella sees only a light appassimento and a partial ripasso in small barrels.

The 2013 vintage was good, but this was a really great year. The 2015 Valpolicella Classico Superiore L'Imperfetto is a ripe, full and generous expression with red cherry, blueberry and blackberry aromas. There is both bright fruit and dried fruit here, with fresh berries on the close. I'd serve it with a meat-and-mushroom pie. The blend is 50% Corvina, 20% Corvinone, 25% Rondinella and 5% Croatina. There is also a tiny bit of fruit from a five-hectare parcel of Oseleta, all aged in 500-liter barrels.

The 2010 Amarene della Valpolicella Classico Riserva Teste Dure is extracted, inky and soft. The wine is showing some maturity and evolution, with licorice and tar behind primary notes of dried blackberry, plum and raisin. I would suggest a slightly reduced drinking window as a result, maybe pairing it alongside lamb with balsamic reduction. The next time this Riserva was made was 2015, and the folks at Buglioni have been experimenting with whole-cluster fermentations and amphorae aging too. So far, they are happy with the results, so we will surely see these methods used in upcoming releases.

The 2016 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Coltassala (made from a blend of 95% Sangiovese and 5% Mammolo) is a beautifully primed and enriched red wine that offers all the basics—and does so in impeccable style. The bouquet shows black fruit, spice and tilled earth. All the aromas are on the dark and savory side, however the wine remains, fresh, tight and buoyant and very linear. It makes you want to try out a local tripe recipe: trippa alla Fiorentina or even the slow-cooked lampredotto alla Fiorentina. Some 12,000 bottles were made.

The 2016 Chianti Classico Riserva (made with 100% Sangiovese) offers up a pretty layer of tar or crushed stone upon first nose. These tones, rather tight at the beginning, then relax and cede to plum, blackberry, spice and cured tobacco. The wine is direct and impactful in the mouth with sharp precision and a linear, fresh finish. Pair it with a steak au poivre. Some 60,000 bottles were made.

The 2015 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Casanova Il Puro shows a dense and rich quality of fruit that is indicative of this sunny and warm vintage. It is the best wine I've tasted in this series of samples from Castello di Volpaia. The wine's texture is thick and plush, and there's plenty of dark plummy fruit to maintain momentum. Oak spice, tar and campfire ash appear on the long and enriched finish. Pair it with a braised shank of lamb. This is a pure expression of Sangiovese and only 2,000 bottles were made.

A very charming version, with tobacco leaf and oregano notes framing the core of dark cherry and mulberry, while spice details glide along the edges. Well-integrated tannins provide support, creating good balance overall. Drink now through 2024.

This is light-bodied but backed by focused acidity and streamlined flavors of pure cherry and raspberry that are tangy and spicy, flanked by white pepper, tea and herb details. Drink now through 2024.

Concentrated ripe cherry and raspberry compote notes are lined with licorice, orange peel, fresh leather and dried herb elements in this broad, light-bodied red, with accents of dried violet, tea and mineral echoing on the lightly tannic finish. Drink now through 2022.