Wines

96 Points! The 2021 Brunello Di Montalcino Montosoli pours a deeper ruby hue and opens with compact aromatics of black raspberries, tea leaf, cocoa, rosemary, and crushed stone. Medium to full-bodied, it has a firm core of tannins and a refreshing spine of acidity that keeps everything lifted and precise. It’s still tightly wound and will benefit from another couple of years in bottle, then drink beautifully for 15 years or more. - Audrey Frick, jebdunnuck.com

95 Points! A lively Brunello with aromas of plums, ripe cherries, cedar and teak that follow through to a medium body with fine tannins and a crisp finish. Crunchy and linear. Lovely energy at the end. - JamesSuckling.com

93 Points! Floral and slightly spicy, with a fresh fruit profile, this has red currants, pomegranate and deep graphite. Medium-bodied, it shines with concentration, weight and elegant tannins. The supersavory finish is sustained by crisp acidity. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

100 Points! The Antinori's 2021 Solaia is another wine that captures all of the potential I sensed when I tasted it some months ago. More than anything else, the 2021 is a fine example of the style Antinori favors these days, an approach that favors finesse more than opulence. Dark plum, mocha, licorice, chocolate, spice, lavender and menthol build effortlessly in the glass. Oak and tannin are impeccably balanced. The 2021 spent 18 months in wood, three months in once-used barrels during the malolactic fermentation and then 15 months in 100% new barrels for the rest of its aging. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

97 Points! All said and done, the Marchesi Antinori 2021 Solaia is a monument to perfect winemaking. This coiffed supermodel does not show a single hair follicle out of place. However, it doesn't quite have the same sex appeal of the Tignanello. In my conversations with Estate Manager Renzo Cotarella during this tasting, it was expressed this way: "Tignanello is unexpected. Solaia is expected." Whereas Tignanello is a wine of vertical lift and energy, Solaia is a wine of lasting power. The wine offers generous depth and layering with soft tannins and some of the spicy pink peppercorn you get from the 9% Cabernet Franc (added to 77% Cabernet Sauvignon and 14% Sangiovese). The finish is extremely velvety and soft, but I notice that the flavors seem to become sweeter and riper the longer this wine stays in the glass. This newest release will hit the market in September. - Monica Larner, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

97 Points! This is a beautifully curated Solaia with blackcurrants and raspberries plus lavender and violet undertones. Graphite highlights it all. Just some new wood coming through. It’s full-bodied with fine velvety tannins that run the length of the wine, caressing the palate. Give this three or four years to come around. Best after 2027. - James Suckling

100 Points! This is amazing Chianti Classico. Perhaps the greatest I have ever tasted. The aromas are so complex with crushed cherries, sour cherries, peaches, bark and hints of meat. Incredible finish with such intensity and beauty. Hard not to drink, but one for the cellar. Best after 2024. - JamesSuckling.com

93 Points! The 2021 Chianti Classico is a powerful wine. Dark, layered and beguiling, the 2021 has so much to offer. Macerated black cherry, licorice, new leather, cloves, incense and blood orange build as the 2021 opens in the glass. This is a very serious, hugely overachieving Chianti Classico from proprietor Paolo Cianteroni. 

Proprietor Paolo Cianferoni releases his wines a bit later than most. The 2021s are worth the wait. Readers will find Chianti Classicos of uncommon depth and character, starting with the Annata, which is ridiculously good. Caparsa remains one of the Chianti Classicos under-the- radar gems, a small estate known only to relatively small subset of wine lovers. These new releases are nothing short of captivating. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

95 Points! So much dried-lemon and orange-peel character here. Wet leaf, wet earth, stone and lightly smoked meat. Full body, integrated tannins and a savory, tangy finish. Fleshy and yummy. Fabulous deal. Drink or hold on release. - JamesSuckling.com

93 Points! Cigar box and leather aromas are balanced by strawberry and cherry notes at the core. There is a vibrant, refreshing quality here, with a long, complex aftertaste. Best from 2019 through 2033. - Wine Spectator

93 Points! This is a robust and unflinching red wine with a succulent core of ripe cherry fruit. The 2012 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Vigna Montosoli is more restrained and elegant compared to many of its peers from this hot vintage. Those scorching summer temperatures have been expertly absorbed, and the wine never feels jammy or heavy. The mid-weight finish is fine and graceful. Only 2,493 bottles were produced. - Monica Larner, robertparker.com

94 Points! The 2019 Chianti Classico has changed dramatically since I last tasted it, either because of more time in bottle, or because this is a later bottling. In any event, the 2019 is dense, ample and resonant in feel. Readers will find a serious, texturally intense Chianti Classico that delivers the goods, big time. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

94 Points! A crunchy wine with a bright shining color. The nose is pure sangiovese from Chianti Classico, with restrained yet well-defined red cherries, wax, subtle flowers, minerals and cherry stones. Medium-bodied on the palate, it shows refined if not filigreed tannins, tight-knit acidity and a savory, chewy, tight, yet well-balanced finish. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

94 Points! The 2019 Chianti Classico has changed dramatically since I last tasted it, either because of more time in bottle, or because this is a later bottling. In any event, the 2019 is dense, ample and resonant in feel. Readers will find a serious, texturally intense Chianti Classico that delivers the goods, big time. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous

94 Points! A crunchy wine with a bright shining color. The nose is pure sangiovese from Chianti Classico, with restrained yet well-defined red cherries, wax, subtle flowers, minerals and cherry stones. Medium-bodied on the palate, it shows refined if not filigreed tannins, tight-knit acidity and a savory, chewy, tight, yet well-balanced finish. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

93 Points! Aromas of dark cherries and plums with dark spices, chocolate and dried flowers. Medium- to full-bodied, dense and structured with firm tannins and velvety texture. Dark-fruited and broad with a polished, lingering finish. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

93 Points! Red with a garnet tinge, the 2019 Chianti Classico Riserva has a lovely nose of preserved red cherry, grenadine, rosemary, blood orange, fresh sage, and worn leather. It keeps lovely balance and structure on the palate, with ripe fruit but sweet tannins, and despite its ripe fruit, it has good levity and length, with its more sanguine underpinnings keeping its richness in balance. I’m quite impressed with this wine, which is going to age gracefully and show some more umami-rich tones as it ages over the next 15 years or so. - Audrey Frick, jebdunnuck.com

93 Points! A delicious, well-rounded and velvety Chianti Classico with aromas of strawberries, raspberries and mild spices. Medium-bodied with finely grained tannins and texture. Juicy and velvety with elegance and a pure character. Fresh and delicious finish. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

93 Points! Sleek and saturated with blackberry, black cherry and pomegranate flavors, this red has density and polished tannins. Balance is this version's hallmark, with hints of mineral, spices and cocoa powder lining the long aftertaste. Drink now through 2033. - Wine Spectator

96 Points! This is really fine on the palate with wonderfully integrated tannins that give tension and focus. It’s medium-bodied with lovely berry, cherry, cedar and spice. Peaches and flower stems, too. Creamy texture. Extremely long and vivid. Structured, but showing beautiful drinkability with wonderful balance and form. One to drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

94 Points! Cherry, plum, leather, earth and tomato leaf flavors highlight this broad, beefy red, with iron and sanguine accents creeping in as this winds down on the finish. Succulent and long, with a dusty grip in the end. - Wine Spectator

100 Points! The 2010 Brunello di Montalcino is every bit as thrilling as it was on the many occasions I tasted it from barrel. Black cherry, hard candy, plum, rose petal, menthol and lavender saturate the palate in a sumptuous, racy Brunello endowed with magnificent depth and pedigree. An utterly stunning, sensual wine, the 2010 constantly changes in the glass as it conquers all the senses with an exotic kaleidoscope of aromas, flavors and textures. I remember tasting the 2010 from cask a few years ago when Diego Molinari was too unwell to go down to the cellar. Nora Molinari tasked me with essentially serving myself as we went from vintage to vintage and cask to cask. For days after, I was mortified that I might not have closed some of the spigots tightly enough. Fortunately, that was not the case. In all of my years tasting the wines of Montalcino, I have only come across two wines with this level of textural unctuosity and sweetness; Gianfranco Soldera's 1983 Brunello and 1990 Riserva. Cerbaiona's 2010 Brunello di Montalcino will leave readers weak at the knees. It is every bit that profound. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

95 Points! Packed with cherry and raspberry fruit, this red also exhibits rose, mineral and Mediterranean scrub aromas and flavors. Coiled tightly, picking up eucalyptus and gripping tannins on the finish. - Wine Spectator

94 Points! Aromas of dark berries, light caramel, coffee, balsamic, smoke and dried strawberries follow through to a medium body with firm, chewy tannins and lots of new oak. Yet, it turns crisp and lively at the finish. Needs three or four years to open. - JamesSuckling.com

95 Points! Very attractive aromas of red cherries, mushrooms and flowers follow through to a medium body with firm and integrated tannins and a vivid, subtle, fruity finish. A lovely young Brunello that you can enjoy now or age for many years to come. - JamesSuckling.com

94 Points! Black cherry and black currant flavors are the main themes in this intense red, with iron and wild herbs adding complexity. Balanced and vibrant, with resonant tannins guarding the long aftertaste. This feels more modern in style, with an emphasis on bright fruit. - Wine Spectator

94 Points! The 2021 Brunello di Montalcino Castelgiocondo bursts from the glass with a vivid blend of crushed raspberries and cherries, a whiff of allspice and candied rose. It is elegant in feel, silken and smooth with tantalizing acidity and a dominating core of ripe red fruits that adds impact. The finish is grippy and long, potent with fine-grained tannins and a slight citrus tinge that pinches at the cheeks. This classy Brunello is built for the cellar. - Eric Guido, Vinous 

100 Points! The drop-dead gorgeous Gianni Brunelli stopped me in my tracks with its stunning fragrance of freshly picked violet, iris, forest berry, leather and eucalyptus. All about extreme elegance, the palate is equally captivating, delivering layers of succulent Morello cherry, wild raspberry, blood orange, dark spice and crushed mint. Taut, ultra-refined tannins provide seamless support while fresh acidity keeps it vibrant and impeccably balanced. While it’s already incredibly tempting, it also promises years of graceful aging. Hats off to Laura Brunelli and her team. - Kerin O'Keefe

97 Points! Pouring a bright red hue, the 2021 Brunello Di Montalcino is persistent and fantastic, with youthful tension and expressive aromatics of Bing cherries, orange zest, and iron-tinged earth. The palate is medium-bodied and focused, with refined tannins, refreshing acidity, and savory length framed by salty earth and bright fruit through the finish. It’s a complete, elegant Brunello that should continue to improve with time in bottle. - Audrey Frick, jebdunnuck.com

94 Points! Savory, meaty and rustic on the nose, with an array of olives, tomato leaves, wild cherries, paprika and dried spices. It’s full of flavor, spicy and driven, with a medium to full body and a wild earthy minerality coming through. Drink after 2025. - JamesSuckling.com

93 Points! The 2021 Brunello di Montalcino is dark and brooding, with nuances of crushed black cherry, savory herbs and ashen stone wafting up from the glass. It displays silky textures and notable weight, with mineral-inflected red berry fruits that slowly saturate the senses. Fine-grained tannins add an aching tension through the finish as the 2021 leaves a penetrating tart berry concentration that adds chewy depth. - Eric Guido, Vinous