TUSCANY: KNOW YOUR VINTAGES
2018
Overall rainy and cool, but varying localised weather patterns point to diverse results, even within each zone. Early releases from Chianti Classico are ready to drink, with soft structures and fresh aromas, though there is still much more to come. 4/5
2017
Damaging spring frosts followed by blistering drought resulted in a small crop and shrivelled berries. While Sangiovese resisted better than early-ripening Merlot, tannin ripeness is an issue. Some juicy and balanced surprises from Chianti Classico contrast austere wines with dry tannins from Vino Nobile. Top producers stand out. 3.5/5
2016
Very warm and sunny with occasional excesses but significant diurnal temperature differences. Wines from the coast to hilly inland zones ally power with grace and extraordinary aromatic precision. Excellent in Chianti Classico, while Brunello promises similar results. 5/5
2015
A hot and picture-perfect summer, with minimal but welldistributed rain showers helping to bring in a healthy, abundant crop across Tuscany and excellent quality of rich, generous, supple wines, particularly in Brunello. Many are approachable now but offer a lengthy drinking window. 4.5/5 stewed notes from overripeness. The tannins of today are much softer than the fierce tannins of the past, so I suspect long ageing, especially in wood, wasn’t necessary.
Many of the 2015s offer much drinking pleasure from now over the next 10-15 years – and a select few up to two decades. Francesca Bindocci from Il Poggione feels they have more potential for ageing than the 2014s: ‘But I’m not sure they will have the longevity of the best wines from the 1970s or 1980s.’
Vino Nobile di Montepulciano
The drought-like conditions of 2017 that afflicted regions throughout Italy were just as extreme in Montepulciano.
To recap this cruel year, the challenges started in spring. Due to warm temperatures early on, vine growth was well underway when overnight temperatures suddenly dropped below freezing between 19 and 21 April, damaging the nascent shoots. Alessandro Sartini, owner of Il Molinaccio, estimates a 15%-20% loss in production due to frost, a figure that is echoed throughout the region.
As the vines tried to recover from this shock, the dry and hot weather settled in. The heatwave reached its zenith in August with temperatures climbing to a scorching 40°C. At the same time, rainfall was a mere 5mm for the month. Reprieve arrived in September. Temperatures dropped by 7°-8°C, and a handful of rainstorms during the first three weeks of the month replenished reserves.
Wines are listed within their DOCG regions and relevant vintage, then by score, and then alphabetically by producer. Availabilty and UK allocations for some wines may not yet be finalised – please contact specialist merchants for details.
Chianti Classico 2018
Monteraponi 91
Monteraponi’s Michele Braganti finds similarities in the 2018 vintage with the 2010, from the development of the vines and grapes throughout the growing season to the consistency of the berries’ skins as well as the perfume of the must during vinification. Aromas are pretty, with great clarity of fresh, invigorating green herbs, forest brush and wild raspberry. The palate is generous with scrumptious fruit and an easy-to-drink, fluid texture. Fine, elegant tannins slink across the palate culminating with a sensation of crushed rocks. Organic. Drink 2020-2026 Alcohol 13.5%
STANDOUT PRODUCER
Montegrossi 91
£ 20 Stannary Wine
Recurring rainy periods throughout the growing season made it a challenging one for organic producer Marco RicasoliFiridolfi. He credits the constant winds inherent to the area of Monti, in Gaiole in Chianti, for helping to keep the grapes clean and healthy through to the harvest.
Rocca di
and is a great success in this challenging vintage. 2020-2028 Alc 13.5%
STANDOUT PRODUCER Istine,
Vigna Istine 93
£ 30 Tannico
Surrounded by forest, the Istine vineyard is located between the towns of Radda and Castellina. The northwest-facing site sits between 480m-550m and is very rocky, with a mixture of alberese, galestro and quartz. The wine offers a captivating fusion of raspberry, cherry and mint with earthy truffle nuances. The palate is tangy and buoyant, introducing hints of orange peel and pomegranate. Fine-framed tannins contain the whole. While beautifully expressive now, this will continue to refine over the next decade or so. Organic. Drink 2021-2031 Alc 13%
STANDOUT PRODUCER Poggerino, Bugialla, Riserva 93
Poggerino’s Riserva is selected from a 4ha plot at 500m altitude on very rocky soil. The vineyard was planted in 1974 and owner Piero Lanzo says these older vines were better able to cope with the dry, hot conditions of 2017. There’s an expressive nose of ripe forest berries, winter mint and medicinal herbs and spice. The fruit is compact and the tannins intense, but with Sangiovese’s telltale powdery texture. Well defined with lots of energy, this could benefit from another year in the bottle. Drink 2021-2030 Alc 14.5%
Monte Bernardi, Sa’etta, Riserva 94 From a single vineyard planted in the 1960s on compact sandstone rich in quartz, known locally as pietraforte. Michael Schmelzer calls 2016 a classic and fresh year, which yielded particularly small and concentrated bunches. It is discreet on the nose, opening slowly to offer precise aromas of clove, flint, winter mint and moist earth. Savoury rather than fruity, the palate is equally tight, with a firm backbone of chiselled tannins and succulent acidity. Very promising.
Organic. Drink 2022-2032 Alc 13.5%
Querciabella, Riserva 94
£ 35 Armit
Querciabella’s 10,000-bottle annual production Riserva is a selection of superior lots. It blends fruit from Greve where their vineyard altitudes range from 350m-550m, with grapes from Radda’s high-altitude stony sites and Gaiole’s limestone-rich soils. This is restrained but precise. Intriguing scents of spring blossoms, cranberry bush and potting soil are subtly laced with vanilla and smoke. Very polished and pure on the palate, with mouthwatering, tangy acidity and sinewy tannins. This sophisticated, buttoned-up Riserva could do with another year in the bottle. Organic. Drink 2021-2033 Alc 13.5%
I Fabbri, Riserva 93
Sourced from Susanna Grassi’s oldest plantings located at 550m in the cool reaches of Lamole. While past bottlings have included a pinch of Canaiolo, the 2016 is Sangiovese in purezza. And it is indeed a lovely, pure expression. Spring blossoms, white pepper, wild cherry and fresh forest floor persist from start to
and will express itself slowly over the next decade or so. 2021-2033 Alc 13.5%
Brunello di Montalcino 2015
WINE OF THE VINTAGE Conti Costanti 98
£79.99 Hedonism, Jeroboams, Loki, Fine Wines of Mayfield, NY Wines of Cambridge, The Old Bridge Wine Shop, The Wine Reserve, Toke’s, Valvona & Crolla, Vin Cognito
After sitting out the 2014 vintage, Andrea Costanti calls 2015 a beautiful year and one of the best in the history of Brunello. He deemed it exceptional enough to craft a Riserva (to be released in 2021), and his classic Brunello hasn’t suffered for it. In fact, it is one of the greatest successes of the vintage. Gorgeous, seductive aromas are already expressive but still youthful. Cherry and plum are enveloped by exotic spice and a faint smokiness. The palate is plush and velvety with layers of powdery tannins that build and tangy acid that cleanses the palate. Hedonistic but brilliantly balanced, it is hard to resist now, but the best is definitely yet to come. Drink 2022-2037 Alc 14%
WINE OF THE VINTAGE Il Marroneto, Madonna delle Grazie 98
£ 152.67-£ 174.66 (ib) Armit, Fine & Rare, My Wine Cellar
Alessandro Mori’s 1.6ha Madonna delle Grazie vineyard is always vinified separately. During ageing, he decides whether to bottle it on its own or, in a vintage like 2014, to blend it with the rest
of his parcels. It is no surprise that he produced this bottling in 2015, which has a markedly different character than his regular Brunello. Much more brooding at the moment, this eventually opens with incense, black cherry and exotic spice. The palate is centred around a firm backbone which effortlessly supports a core of pristine fruit. It has a sinewy build but remains nimble in its power. The finish hints at charms to come, with flecks of heather and cherry blossom lingering. Drink 2023-2038 Alc 14.15%
STANDOUT PRODUCER Canalicchio di Sopra, La Casaccia 97
£78.30 Fine & Rare
A significant new release for Canalicchio di Sopra, La Casaccia is a single vineyard close to the winery in the district of Canalicchio, north of the town of Montalcino. Comparing it to his plots in Montosoli, owner Francesco Ripaccioli describes the soil here as a heavier brown clay with lots of magnesium giving more generous growth. It produces a relatively weighty, substantial wine with firm, sturdy tannins and balancing acidity. Notes of sage, tobacco, liquorice root and heather weave through the plush, dark currant fruit. Both this and the classic Brunello are equally accomplished, however I suspect La Casaccia may have longer ageing capacity. Drink 2022-2037 Alc 15%
STANDOUT PRODUCER Casanova di Neri, Tenuta Nuova 97
£71 (ib)-£ 128.40 Christopher Piper,
Fine & Rare, Millésima, My Wine Cellar