Wine Merchant Top 100 award winner 2020. Made from small, bush-trained vines at 290 metres on limestone-rich clay. It's darkly fruited, all blackberry and black currants, yet lifted by accents of orange zest. The fruit is polished, round and powerful, rending the wine gracious rather than austere. Vigorous, clayey tannins cling to the palate but this finishes on a fresh, tangy note.

Decanter 92/100 "The first Riserva released since 2010, Il Palazzone’s 2015 is ethereal and subtle in fragrances with pretty blossoms, herbs and wafts of tea. Midweight, it exhibits Sangiovese’s delightful ability to remain buoyant. Orange and pomegranate grace the palate, which is sprinkled with powdery tannins, while a crunchy, mouth-cleansing cranberry note brings this to a close. It isn’t necessarily the most profound Riserva but it's very easy to like and sports a refreshingly balanced 13.5% alcohol. It begs for pappardelle with duck ragù."

Decanter 92/100 "The first Riserva released since 2010, Il Palazzone’s 2015 is ethereal and subtle in fragrances with pretty blossoms, herbs and wafts of tea. Midweight, it exhibits Sangiovese’s delightful ability to remain buoyant. Orange and pomegranate grace the palate, which is sprinkled with powdery tannins, while a crunchy, mouth-cleansing cranberry note brings this to a close. It isn’t necessarily the most profound Riserva but it's very easy to like and sports a refreshingly balanced 13.5% alcohol. It begs for pappardelle with duck ragù."

Decanter 92/100 "The first Riserva released since 2010, Il Palazzone’s 2015 is ethereal and subtle in fragrances with pretty blossoms, herbs and wafts of tea. Midweight, it exhibits Sangiovese’s delightful ability to remain buoyant. Orange and pomegranate grace the palate, which is sprinkled with powdery tannins, while a crunchy, mouth-cleansing cranberry note brings this to a close. It isn’t necessarily the most profound Riserva but it's very easy to like and sports a refreshingly balanced 13.5% alcohol. It begs for pappardelle with duck ragù."

Jancisrobinson.com 18/20 "Lustrous mid ruby. Pure deep sweet, youthful cherry nose with a hint of black tea leaves and a suggestion of oak. Succulent cherry fruit palate that closes up swiftly. Tangy finish with gorgeous coating tannins. Super-elegant palate weight at 14.5% alcohol, yet plenty of concentration..." vinous.com 95/100 "The 2016 Brunello di Montalcino excites the senses with a wonderfully pure and fruity display of wild strawberries, woodland herbs, wet stone and flowery undergrowth. Both savory and sweet, the textures are like silk, with waves of ripe red fruits and spices which give way to salty minerals, licorice, hints of black tea and a coating of fine tannin. While youthfully structured, there’s a juicy freshness to be found throughout, creating harmonious balance and symmetry that makes the 2016 Lisini so easy to like already. That said, the best is yet to come."

James Suckling 96/100 "Black cherry, walnut, bark and wet earth on the nose. Some mushroom, too. Full-bodied with firm, velvety tannins that are energetic and polished at the same time. Plenty of character at the finish, if a little subdued. Very persistent..." Jancisrobinson.com 17.5/20 "Fermentation in stainless steel and large oak casks. Total skin maceration of 40 days. Aged in French tonneaux of which one-third was new and two-thirds second passage. Lustrous mid ruby. Garden herbs, minerally notes and brooding. Compact, pure and concentrated cherry fruit with bags of chewy tannins. Great length and bite."

Bright cherry fruit, very drinkable and almost too smooth to be Chianti. Just very drinkable good affordable Tuscan red from a master winemaker.

One of the most reliable estate-grown Chianti Classicos around. The wine shows crunchy tannins and youthful fruit nuances with bright cherry and blackberry. The mouthfeel is generous and fresh.

Wine Spectator 94/100 Badia a Passignano is located above the town of Sambuca Val di Pesa, just 3 kilometers south of the Tenuta Tignanello estate. The property extends over an area of 223 hectares (551 acres), of which 65 hectares (160 acres) are planted with vines. The estate’s historical importance in the Chianti region is well documented in hundreds of volumes that are kept in the Florence State Archives and that provide descriptions and details about the Sangiovese vineyards and local crops over the centuries. Further proof of this came to light in 1983 when a thousand-year-old vitis vinifera plant was discovered on the land surrounding Badia a Passignano. Badia a Passignano Chianti Classico Gran Selezione is produced exclusively from the finest Sangiovese grapes harvested from its namesake vineyard located in the heart of the Chianti Classico region. The region has been respected and appreciated for its outstanding wine production since the year 1000. The vineyards grow at an altitude of approximately 300 meters (984 feet) above sea level on soils rich in limestone with a fair amount of clay.

Deep, slinky, modern, impressive. 90% Sangiovese, 1 year oak. Founded 1435. "The Chateau Margaux of Tuscany" Steven Spurrier. "Savoury richness on the palate. Excellent complexity and a real find." Olly Smith - Mail on Sunday

"Enticing combination of reserved freshness and bewitching ripeness here. Dried rose petals, stems, black tea, orange peel, steak tartare and tobacco simmer at the surface. The full-bodied palate has a complete but never overbearing feel, in that the tannins are fine-grained and precise, tracing an elegant positioning of subtle berries and cherries. Suave and polished. Drink now." 95 Points jamessuckling.com

Jancis: 17/20. Parker 96 pts: "The 2016 Chianti Classico Riserva Rancia knocks it out of the park. Like the other new releases from Fèlsina, this pure expression of Sangiovese needs more time to evolve and improve with bottle age. But even at this young stage, you are made fully aware of the beautiful intensity and complexity of the quality fruit at its core. There is so much energy and tension here, further reinforced by the fresh acidity of the vintage. There are vibrant tones of wild cherry, raspberry and spice, followed up by white truffle and tilled earth."

Wow what a treat, this is everything you ever wanted in a Tuscan red. Dense tarry core, silky and svelte, evolved and a tad tawny. All the markers of greatness are in place: autumn forest, leaf tea, cigar box, woodsmoke, all perked up with citrus and Christmas spice. Has such a sense of grandeur, so assured, so very, very Tuscan.

Beautifully traditional interpretation of Sangiovese food wine - evolved, resolved and rural, all leaf tea and warm hay and Tuscan farmhouse with a delicate raisiny fruit to ameliorate the tannin. Class.

Very impressive complexity and length for the price. You’d have to pay near £50 to achieve the same sort of complexity in Bordeaux. Starts off with red plum, black cherry and loads of scorched earth, cigar box, cinnamon, smoke, licorice and thyme. The acidity is as expected, pretty high given the majority grape being Sangiovese and the tannins are somewhat dusty/ gritty. It needs food but 2 hours later and blueberry, leather and a much more seamless palate appears with a eucalyptus freshness to it. Proprietor Luca Sanjust and his team craft some of the most beautiful wines in Tuscany at the equally picturesque Petrolo estate Torrione is the 'chateau' of Petrolo, a blend of the grapes of all the vineyards of Petrolo: not only Sangiovese from Bòggina but also from other historical vineyards of Petrolo, including Merlot from Galatrona and Cabernet Sauvignon from Campo Lusso. A perfect example of a balanced, clear and deep red. A wine that tells, better than any other, the true identity of the estate's terroir.

This is an elegant and rich Chianti Classico, made from Sangiovese (95%) and Canaiolo Nero (5%) grapes, originating from south facing vineyards which are over 40 years in age, and a soil rich in friable shale and limestone. The result is a fruity, aromatic Sangiovese based wine with soft, fine tannins and a long finish. Clean, intense, ripe black cherry, blueberry, rose and vanilla. This medium to full-bodied wine is an exceptionally well balanced wine and is ready upon release, but will reward significantly with further ageing.

Francesco Giuntini created this single vineyard wine with Franco Bernabei in 1979. They wanted to produce a wine to best represent the character and quality of Rufina and Selvapiana Sangiovese. Only produced in the best vintages. This wine shows tremendous depth of colour with great intensity on the nose. The palate is powerful and fruit packed with ripe raspberry and spicy cherry fruit, supported by a touch of herbs and violets, robust tannins and a long, fine finish which is the hallmark of the Selvapiana wines.

The estate name, Monte Bernardi, dates back to 1085. Monte Bernardi are an organic and biodynamic producer based in the rolling hills of Tuscany. This is a delightful wine. Elegant, smooth, rich and packed with heady herbal aromas, juicy soft fruit and a gentle whiff of cedar. Match with anything from a gourmet dinner to pizza.

erobertparker.com 98/100 "This wine brought to mind precise imagery of tailcoats, striped dress pants, wingtip collar shirts and other gentlemen's fashion choices from the Roaring Twenties. Sporting a retro but classic personality, the Marchesi Antinori 2018 Tignanello is quite the dapper and jovial wine that hits the market just as much of the world is emerging from a dark chapter of lockdowns and coronavirus curfews. I love the optimism that springs bright with such clarity and detail from within this blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. The 2016 vintage was a benchmark for sure, but I prefer the 2018, thanks to that tinge of nostalgia or emotion that is so deftly rendered in this cool, long growing season. The 2018 vintage offers a deconstructed Tignanello upon first inspection because you can clearly make out the varietal typicity of the grapes, especially the green spice and white pepper of the two Cabernets, along with aromas of crushed limestone that recall the white rocks carefully placed in the vineyards to protect the rows. The wine's fruit weight is contained and polished, and there are no exaggerations, excesses or loose ends. The results are calculated and exacting, especially if you consider the tannic management (with aging in both new and used Hungarian and French oak for up to 16 months) and the quality of the elegant mouthfeel. With time in the glass, those deconstructed elements converge to create unity and balance. The Tignanello vineyard is 57 hectares and sits at a breezy 390 meters above sea level with alberese and galestro soils. Those elevations proved important for shedding excess humidity at the end of this 2018 growing season"

"Enticing combination of reserved freshness and bewitching ripeness here. Dried rose petals, stems, black tea, orange peel, steak tartare and tobacco simmer at the surface. The full-bodied palate has a complete but never overbearing feel, in that the tannins are fine-grained and precise, tracing an elegant positioning of subtle berries and cherries. Suave and polished. Drink now." 95 Points jamessuckling.com

We've been looking forward to this vintage for some time! Tasting not to follow.

Wine Merchant Top 100 award winner 2020. Made from small, bush-trained vines at 290 metres on limestone-rich clay. It's darkly fruited, all blackberry and black currants, yet lifted by accents of orange zest. The fruit is polished, round and powerful, rending the wine gracious rather than austere. Vigorous, clayey tannins cling to the palate but this finishes on a fresh, tangy note.

The 13th Century Ormanni estate is located in the heart of Chianti, between the towns of Poggibonsi and Castellina in Chianti. For the last 200 years the estate has been owned by the Brini Batacchi family, and it is Paolo Brini Batacchi and his daughter, Paola, who run the winery today. Certified Organic. Ruby red with notes of violets, cherries and wild strawberries. Medium-bodied with delicate tannins and a fresh and fragrant taste, it is perfect for serving on the table every day.

Beautifully traditional interpretation of Sangiovese food wine - evolved, resolved and rural, all leaf tea and warm hay and Tuscan farmhouse with a delicate raisiny fruit to ameliorate the tannin. Class.

Fiasco Vino Toscano is an affectionate, amusing nod in the direction of those straw-covered flasks which became such popular table lamps in the 1970s! The wine is a blend of organic Sangiovese, Canaiolo, Malvasia Nera and Colorino from Tuscany; Montepulciano from Le Marche and Frappato, Nerello Mascalese and Nero d’Avola from Sicily. A real mish-mash but it’s really gluggable, organic and great value! Minimal SO2, bags of energy, easy to like!

Decanter 97 Platinum "complex cherry, prune, herbal leather and balsamic... concentrated, juicy... A classic gourmand style"

94 pts Wine Enthusiast Underbrush and baked plum aromas mingle with whiffs of new leather and camphor. It’s medium in weight and well structured, delivering dried black cherry, licorice and tobacco set against taut, fine-grained tannins. The Pian Delle Vigne estate is located 6 kilometers (3.5 miles) southwest of Montalcino. Its name comes from the eponymous area where a characteristic nineteenth century railway station is located. The property consists of 460 total acres (184 hectares), 160 of which (65 hectares) are planted to vines with generally a south-western exposure at an altitude of 430 feet (130 metres) above sea level. The estate, since the very beginning, has followed a philosophy based on ageing in large casks capable of preserving the exceptional integrity and fruit of the Sangiovese grapes and endow this Brunello with a characteristic vibrant elegance. Pian delle Vigne has belonged to the Antinori family since 1995, the year of the first Brunello di Montalcino Pian delle Vigne vintage.

"Enticing combination of reserved freshness and bewitching ripeness here. Dried rose petals, stems, black tea, orange peel, steak tartare and tobacco simmer at the surface. The full-bodied palate has a complete but never overbearing feel, in that the tannins are fine-grained and precise, tracing an elegant positioning of subtle berries and cherries. Suave and polished. Drink now." 95 Points jamessuckling.com

We've shipped this wonderful 'declassified Brunello' from Il Palazzone for over a decade now. Alway a treat, and an utterly delightful bargain. The wine is 100% Sangiovese Grosso, known in Montalcino as Brunello - all from the estates own Brunello di Montalcino vineyards.

Intense aromas of cherry, chocolate and raspberry with some fresh herb undertones is immediately apparent along with great freshness and smoothness. Value Tuscan blended wine. Medium body, nice finish. Smooth and balanced, steal for this money. Salute!

Poised and perfectly balanced, this intense purple- black wine has a harmonious bouquet of red and black berries, with soft and sweet tannins on the finish.

We're very excited about this stunning new release from our friends at Il Palazzone. Please see below notes from their site: "2020 sees the release of a small bottling of 2000 liters of Brunello made from fruit exclusively from this special vineyard. Vintage 2015 is the first Le Due Porte Brunello. 2000 liters represents under half of the wine made from these 1.24 hectares (3 acres). Le Due Porte is 540 metres above sea level. Budbreak is later here, often avoiding issues with late frosts and snow. Ripening is slow and constant. The soil profile preserves humidity; important when making a wine such as Brunello that does not contemplate irrigation. Alberese has high levels of calcium carbonate which favors acidity, aided and abetted by the slower ripening and later harvest due to the exposition and altitude. We generally pick Le Due Porte as much as two weeks after our vineyards in Castelnuovo dell’Abate and are often amongst the last in Montalcino to harvest. The grapes develop organoleptic complexity from that extra hang-time and from the pronounced difference between day and night temperatures. In fact the altitude guarantees extreme thermal excursion even in hotter years which is wonderful for aromatic development. Over the last two decades we have seen, year after year, a pronounced character emerge in the fruit from this vineyard, a wine that maintains the typical structure of a Brunello vecchio stampo and epitomises finesse and elegance."