RED WINES
97 Antinori 2020 Solaia (Toscana). A torrent of blackberries, blueberries and currants jumps off the nose before giving way to soil and wild fennel. On the palate berries remain as exuberant as they were on the nose, equally balanced by wild herbs and pepper, with a spicy heat that feels like the peel of an orange set on fire over a glass of amaro. Tannins are taut and smooth and give the sensation of actually being able to bite into the wine. Hard to argue with this one. Vinattieri 1385. —D.C.
abv: 14.5% Price: $450
96 Antinori 2020 Tignanello (Toscana). Delightfully approachable on the nose right away, with warm mocha notes and cool graphite aromas against Bing and black cherries. The palate is equally outrageously delicious and easy to love even in its unbridled youth, with more cherries, blackberries, raspberries and chocolate inside a framework of tannins made to measure and acid built like an invisible force field. Vinattieri 1385. —D.C.
abv: 14% Price: $150
95 Fattoria Le Pupille 2020 Poggio Valente (Toscana). The nose is intensely floral—nearly ethereal—but with a quiet, weighty earthiness, before the palate bursts forward fresh, wild and invigorating, with raspberries, cool wet stones and a bracing salinity. Orderly, refined tannins create a feeling of easy confidence. Ethica Wines. —D.C.
abv: 15% Price: $50
95 Vignamaggio 2019 Cabernet Franc (Toscana). The nose is cool, refreshing and grounded, with aromas of violets, crushed rock, running water, tobacco leaf and licorice candy. On the palate, sweet and tart berries mix with a mocha sweetness, while more woodsy notes create a feeling of cohesion. Acid explodes around almost vicious tannins, bringing an energy to an overall sense of calm and composure, like fireworks on a lazy Fourth of July evening. Banville Wine Merchants. —D.C.
abv: 14.5% Price: $NA
94 Losi 2017 Armonia Sangiovese (Toscana). The brooding, smoky, almost ominous nose features aromas of earth, gunpowder, tar, crushed violets and dried figs. The palate is laden with fruit and spices and buzzing with acid—a ship returning to harbor with exotic delights, but with the comforting relief of the sight of home in the form of stoic, substantial tannins. Matinicus Wines, LLC. —D.C.
abv: 14.5% Price: $NA
The nose is earthy, herbaceous and peppery, yet also cool and fresh. Undertones of sugarplums and blackberries provide a gentle sweetness that unfurls on the palate, while persistent currents of earth and pepper flow through the finish. Tannins are chalky, but delicate, like desert sand. Liber Selections. —D.C.
