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Monteraponi Trebbiano: A Whiter Shade of Chianti Classico
Italy: Tuscany, Verticals & Retrospectives, featured
, Sep 2026
Monteraponi is one of the recent success stories of Chianti Classico. Most of the attention naturally focuses on the reds, but the Trebbiano is just as compelling. This recent retrospective back to 2011 provided a fascinating opportunity to check in on older vintages and track the evolution of one of the world’s most distinctive whites.
Cellar Favorite: 2017 & 2018 Soldera – Case Basse Toscana Sangiovese
Italy: Tuscany, cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites
, Aug 2026
I was thrilled to share the 2017 and 2018 Soldera – Case Basse Toscana Sangiovese with a group of fellow wine lovers recently. As it turns out, we tasted the 2017 almost ten years to the day after I tasted the wine as a young, fermenting must, which brought back so many memories.
Chianti Classico: Looking Up
Italy: Tuscany, featured
, Aug 2026
After three very tough vintages, things are looking up in Chianti Classico. The young 2025s hold significant promise, while 2024 is revealing itself to be surprisingly good in spots, despite some inconsistency. That’s a big improvement over 2023 and 2022, when so many producers were impacted by severe weather events that dramatically lowered production and negatively impacted quality. I continue to be impressed with a general trend of increasing quality.
Tuscany’s Maremma: Scenes from the Coast
Italy: Tuscany, featured
, Jul 2026
The Tuscan Maremma is home to some of Italy’s most iconic estates and wines, showing what is possible in a region that was once marshland. These labels have garnered considerable critical acclaim over the years and become favorites with consumers around the world. And yet within the context of fine wine, Maremma is a very young region. Only a small handful of estates are in their third generation, and virtually all others are much younger. My most recent round of tastings revealed a region in the middle of a radical transformation.
Cellar Favorite: 1983 Marchesi Antinori Tignanello
Italy: Tuscany, cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites
, Jul 2026
The 1983 Tignanello, tasted from double magnum, is splendid and fully mature with a rustic charm.
Remembering Franco Bernabei
Italy: Tuscany, Vinous Remembers, featured
, Jul 2026
The wine world lost a true giant when Franco Bernabei passed away at 73 years of age on July 2. Bernabei was one of the handful of consultants in the late 1970s and early 1980s who brought contemporary best practices in winemaking to Tuscany and helped catapult Italian wines onto the global stage. He was an avid proponent of the virtues of Sangiovese at a time when few believed in its potential.
Cellar Favorite: 2016 Fontodi Flaccianello della Pieve
Italy: Tuscany, cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites
, Jul 2026
At ten years of age, the 2016 Flaccianello della Pieve is every bit as captivating as it has always been.
Sassicaia from Magnum at Vinous Icons: Italy
Italy: Tuscany, featured
, May 2026
I have tasted Sassicaia from magnum a few times over the years. But never ten vintages at once. This vertical tasting of Tenuta San Guido’s Sassicaia, held at the inaugural edition of Vinous Icons: Italy, provided an incredible opportunity to do just that. The selection of vintages spanned many of the classics, with some lesser-known vintages sprinkled into the mix. And of course, in Vinous style, we finished with the 1985, the wine that put Sassicaia and Bolgheri on the map.
Vino Nobile di Montepulciano: Credit Where Credit is Due
Italy: Tuscany, featured
, May 2026
Montepulciano is at a crossroads. The region has consistently raised the bar by improving standards, mapping its diverse terrain and distinguishing historical subzones. However, the vagaries of recent growing seasons have pushed winemakers, while a lingering identity crisis over naming conventions threatens to create uncertainties in the marketplace.
Tuscany’s Quintessential Underdogs
Italy: Tuscany, featured
, Apr 2026
Step outside Tuscany’s famous DOCGs, and you’ll find that much of the region’s potential lies in its lesser-known appellations. My latest tastings revealed a quality revolution among smaller producers who are crafting wines of grace, structural depth and aging potential that rival Tuscany’s elite.