Bolgheri Superiore 2016: Baudains’ top 10
Tenuta San Guido, Sassicaia 99 £ 200 (ib)-£ 391.67 Christopher Keiller, City Wine Collection, Cru, Davy’s, Fine & Rare, Four Walls, Handford, Latimer Vintners, Lea & Sandeman, Millésima, Nemo Wine Cellars, Private Cellar,
The Holland Park Wine Co
A vintage for the annals of San Guido estate. Extraordinary complexity and definition of fruit and Mediterranean garrigue on the nose and palate, with a breathtaking combination of depth and finesse, infinite length and purity on the finish. Exquisite.
Drink 2021-2036 Alcohol 14%
I Luoghi, Campo Al Fico 97 £ 51.13 (ib) Vinum Fine Wines
A lovely ruby-garnet shade, dark plummy fruit, violets, aniseed, lavender, a whiff of truffle, a hint of tea leaf and lots more. Fresh attack, round, deep; long grippy finish with the classic Bolgheri note of eucalyptus. Beautiful wine. Drink 2020-2030 Alc 14%
Ornellaia 97
£ 150 (ib)-£ 212 City Wine Collection, Corking Wines, Crump Richmond Shaw, Davy’s, Falcon Vintners, Fine & Rare, Grand Vin, Handford, Harrods, Jeroboams, Private Cellar
An Ornellaia vintage of subdued power, but also great elegance and a certain souplesse which hints at a stylistic evolution at the estate. Plum-pudding and cherrybrandy nose, broad palate with feather-cushion tannins and a long and voluptuous finish. Drink 2021-2030 Alc 14.5%
Castello di Bolgheri 96 £65.65-£66.80 Amazon UK, Drinks & Co Great depth of colour. A little closed, but there’s ripe fruit on the nose and, behind it, notes of mint, pine kernels and liquorice, plus a hint of pepper. Muscular palate with great depth, energy and grip, all a bit unknit at the moment but built for the long haul. Drink 2021-2030 Alc 14.5%
Donna Olimpia 1898, Millepassi 96 £40.32 Mr Wheeler
An enticing kaleidoscope of aromas: wild berries, cassis, incense, Mediterranean scrub, white pepper. Then a palate with great fresh impact and layered, velvettextured progression, lots of flesh on the finish. Drink 2020-2030 Alc 15%
Le Macchiole, Paleo 96
£80 Millésima
Paleo in its secretive pre-release stage. The pure red fruit hidden away in the
depths of the wine hints at the elegant complexity of which Cabernet Franc ( 100%) is capable in Bolgheri. Soft and round with great volume on the palate and an infinite finish. A long-distance runner. Drink 2022-2030 Alc 14%
Michele Satta, Marianova 96
£ 145 Tannico
Satta is one of the very few in Bolgheri to grow Sangiovese, and this is the second vintage of an equal-parts SangioveseSyrah blend which repays his faith in the variety. Complex fruit and herb aromas and a tangy intensity on the palate, very firm structure, with an intriguing aromatic finish. Drink 2020-2026 Alc 14%
Grattamacco, L’Alberello 95
£49.68 Fine & Rare
Some maturity in the colour. Slightly uplifted floral nose, with notes of violets next to ripe dark fruit and Mediterranean scrub. Solid palate with weight and breadth in the weave, very natural grape tannins and a long, dry, savoury finish. Classic. Drink 2020-2030 Alc 14%
Argentiera 94
£ 57 Vinum Fine Wines
Blackberry jam, a touch of potpourri and a hint of vanilla on the nose, followed by a bright, mouthwatering berry-fruit palate with silky refined tannins and a long, juicy finish. The oak is still a little evident here, but the wine has the power to absorb it. Drink 2020-2026 Alc 14.5%
Guado Al Tasso 94
£ 78.67 (ib)-£ 116.17 Christopher Keiller, Elicite, Fine & Rare, Handford, IG Wines, Millésima Bright, attractive, mid-depth ruby. Ripe, sweet-fruit nose with a touch of carob and savoury herbs. Agile, nicely balanced palate with refined tannins and a return of the savoury-sweet contrast on the finish. Stylish. Drink 2020-2026 Alc 14%