2022 Italian Red Wine

Like their Etna Bianco, Etna pioneer Benanti’s Etna Rosso is a blend of multiple vineyards on the volcano’s northern and southern slopes and is built for pure pleasure enjoyment! As Vinous says, it “wafts up... Read More

Organic/Bio As Vinous says, Gilberto Bonipert is one of the rising stars of Alto Piemonte, the region above Barolo and Barbaresco that reaches into the foothills of the Alps. This is his all-steel Nebbiolo and it’s a treat... Read More

“Gulpable” Chianti Classico isn’t really a thing, but maybe it should be? This blend of 90% Sangiovese plus Merlot and Colorino aged in big Slavonian oak casks would be a fine example. It’s bursting with... Read More

Lower ABV A lovely rose of Montepulciano d'Abruzzo that's dry, soft, and welcoming with building intensity through the spiced cherry finish. As Wine Enthusiast says in the 93 point review, The nose is fresh and floral,... Read More

Built to age, this is Pecorino of enourmous presence and potential. As Vinous says in the 91 piont review, understated and a bit backward in the glass, with nuances of savory herbs, wildflowers and crushed green apples. It opens... Read More

Lower ABV The debut release from Francesco, Lorenzo, and Caterina Cordero—the grandchildren of Luciana Vietti and Alfredo Currado – after departing Vietti is very impressive. Even the label – done by the Cordero... Read More

The d’Angelo family specialize in site-specific and truly varietal expressions of southern Italy’s best red grape, Aglianico, but with more freshness, suppleness and immediate appeal than you’d find in Taurasi... Read More

D’Angelo was one of the first wineries in Vulture to experiment with aging Aglianico in small French oak, and as this shows, that extra expense creates something very special indeed! All of Aglianico’s earthy power... Read More

This is a fabulous bargain in very high-end Etna red. It's mainly Nerello Mascalese with a smattering of the softer Nerello Cappuccio from sites across the north slopes of the volcano. It’s wonderfully layered and complex,... Read More

Organic/Bio As Wine Advocate said last year, “Giuseppe Russo makes some of the best wines on Etna. Full stop.” And this is Doug’s favorite pretty much every year. From roughly 50 year-old vines at 500 meters,... Read More

Vinous describes this cheerful, fun, Abruzzo Montepulciano well: opens with a darkly floral blend of wilted violets and lavender, giving way to crushed blackberries and sage. It's soft and round with a silken texture and masses... Read More

It's tempting to market this with a Gaja connection - Giordano shares the amphitheater-sharped Cavanna vineyard with Gaja, who blends the wine into its normale Barbaresco. But the style here is kind of anti-Gaja, all about... Read More

Biodynamic Lower ABV In an ocean of Valpolicella, Agricola Montenigo stands out for its commitment to biodynamic farming and a noticeable sense of fun. Like here! This is the Valpolicella trio of Corvina, Corvinone and Rondinella... Read More

Organic/Bio Lower ABV From coastal south-eastern Sicily, Dario Serrentino works only with native grapes and in an organic, hands-off, style. This tiny production (100 cases) blend of Nero d’Avola, Grillo, Frappato, Insolia,... Read More

The narrow, steep-sided, pass between Valle d'Aosta and the rest of Italy is a silly place to grow grapes. But Roman troops stationed here needed something to drink, so they terraced the nearly vertical valley walls, built... Read More

Organic/Bio Someday I'll go to Le Contrade dell'Etna and taste wines from every important contrade on the volcano. Until then, though, my position is clear and absolute: Guardiola is my favorite and, arguably, the best.... Read More

Carmignano, just outside Florence, is the forgotten region of Tuscany, but when the Medici’s ruled the region, it was their home vineyard. As Vinous says, “The Piaggia winery remains, without a doubt, the shining beacon... Read More

Nicola Argamante and his wife, Loredana, make around 7,000 cases of wine per year from their 30 acres of vines near Monforte d’Alba. This is their daily drinker, mainly Dolcetto plus splashes of Nebbiolo, Barbera, Albarossa... Read More

Organic/Bio With San Lorenzo, one of Terre Nere’s three Grande Terroir Ellittico wines, so designated because of their very rare and pure volcanic sand soils from the Ellittico eruptions dating from 15,000 to 60,000 years... Read More

Just as in the rest of Europe, when phylloxera devastated most of the volcano's vineyards when it finally arrived here in the mid-20th Century. But two small plots of Nerello Mascalese on Calderara Sottona's steep slopes... Read More

One of the finest values in the shop right now is this “Superiore” Barbera from the heart of Piemonte and aged 12 months in oak. It’s medium-bodied, bursting with ripe and red cherry fruit and lifted by a tiny... Read More

Organic/Bio In a line-up of very impressive wines, the Chianti Vallenuova takes things pretty easy. There’s plenty of fruit, structure and complexity here, but the overwhelming impression is, “Ah – this is easy... Read More

With its recent elevation to DOCG, it’s great to see the fine Colli Fiorentini region of Tuscany get the recognition it deserves – at least when the wines come from Torre a Cona! It’s 90% Sangiovese and 10% Colorino,... Read More