2013 Italy

Pale in colour, there’s a slight effervescence to the wine, intentionally so, lifting those lime talc and almost Moscato aromas from the glass. Supremely delicate, so clean, it dances with pure fruit expression; the product of organic grapes, fine white soils and sensitive handling. Such pretty white currant and elderflower fruit to taste; a dead ringer for Gavi.
David Berry Green

Deep purple, with aromas of blackberry, black cherry, bramble and cinnamon spice. An abundance of black berry fruit on the palate, refreshing acidity, prominent yet finely interwoven tannins, and a lingering finish. An excellent example of Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, with layers of complexity from 24months in large oak barrels. Drink 2017-2020.

Possessing more overt fruit and body than the 2012, this Brunate, layers toasted nuts with cherry and savoury graphite and tar notes. Amazing grip and clean acidity underpin the dense, ripe fruit on the core of the wine. Contained power. Drink from 2025+.
Katherine Dart MW, Wine Buyer

Assam, cherry and chalky minerals on the nose and palate support the forthright tannins typical of this amazing site. A masterclass in elegance and power, with deceptive concentration, depth and persistence. Drink from 2022+.
Katherine Dart MW, Wine Buyer

Kirsch and rose petal on the nose, leading to a generous palate with lots of juicy red berry fruit, refreshing acidity, elegant tannins and subtle notes of sweet spice and nutmeg. Long, concentrated. Drink 2020+
Katherine Dart MW, Wine Buyer

Very concentrated and seductive nose, with black and morella cherry fruit, crushed roses and sandalwood and nutmeg, with forest floor lingering underneath. Bright acidity, fleshy and muscular with an expansive quality to the palate. Wonderful concentration of fruit from iron rich soils. Charming and long. Drink from 2021+
Katherine Dart MW, Wine Buyer

Calcareous soils, with smaller and paler red berries compared to the Cerretta. Dark cherry, blackberry and bramble, and crushed petals on the nose. Mineral and saline on the palate, with a juicy red fruit core, tightly woven tannins, wonderful tension and poise. Linear and precise, with outstanding potential to age. drink 2023+
Katherine Dart MW, Wine Buyer

Darker soils than the Serralunga, with more clay, and bigger, more compact berries. Aromas of black cherry and florest floor an the nose, leading to a core of purple fruit on the palate, with finely grained tannins and a mineral spine. Structured and opulent. Drink 2022+
Katherine Dart MW, Wine Buyer

The Barbabecchi vineyard is a two-hectare plot of 100-year-old Nerello Mascalese grown at its limit, at 1,000 metres above sea-level. Elegance and richness are balanced with layers of fruit (kirsch, blood orange and cherry pit) and more savoury notes (smoky minerality and tobacco spice). The tannins are refined and seamlessly bound with the fruit on the mid-palate. Delicious in its youth, this is definitely capable of ageing with grace. Drink now to 2025.

Lustrous mid ruby. Quite intense nose of red fruit and oak and perfectly integrated. Still quite closed and backward on the palate with bags of powdery tannins. Powerful structure on the finish. Very long and balanced, yet undeniably oaky for the moment.
Walter Speller - jancisrobinson.com, Oct 2016

Just mid ruby with orange tinges. A little more fruit driven than the straight Barbaresco. Cherry and raspberry with a cool edge to it and the merest suggestion of oak. Beautiful, supple, mid-weight palate of red fruit, and complemented with quite demanding tannins, at least for the moment. Precise.
Walter Speller - jancisrobinson.com, Oct 2016

Tignanello’s origins lie in a single vineyard Chianti Classico known simply as “Vigneto Tignanello” made for the 1970 vintage. From 1971 the wine was classified as lowly Vino da Tavola, and the Cabernets were added to the Sangiovese for the first time. The original Super Tuscan was born. The 2013 is the first release since the passing of the great Giacomo Tachis, Head Winemaker at Antinori from the late 1960s through to the 1990s and creator of Tignanello, Sassicaia, Solaia and many of the notable wines of Tuscany and Italy. The 2013 is a fitting tribute to this very talented man.

Tasted from barrel, the exciting 2013 Bolgheri Sassicaia is shaping up to be an epic rendition of this celebrated wine. You get a clear sense of the quality of fruit with your first twirl of the glass. Even at this young stage, the wine shows impressive intensity and elegance. It boasts dark fruit nuances with bold cherry and blackberry that will gain focus and traction with time. Oak notes of vanilla and cinnamon are beginning to show their first signs of mellow integration. This was a cool but classic vintage that saw enhanced aromas, acidity and all the qualities that lead to healthy longevity. The 2013 vintage promises greatness. Drink 2018-2040
95-97/100 Monica Larner - erobertparker.com

Sassicaia’s “Bordeaux blend” is unusual in that it contains no Merlot and is simply made from the two Cabernets; Sauvignon 85% and Franc 15%. The success of the latter in Bolgheri has been a real revelation, normally difficult to ripen, it has found a niche in Bolgheri and is able to lend a cool sophistication to the blends. Sassicaia’s first commercial vintage was 1968 and can rightly claim the title “the first Super-Tuscan”, made, as it was, outside the traditional production zones and from non-traditional grape varieties.