Italy

93+ Points - Vinous (Antonio Galloni)

Pale bright straw-green. High-pitched aromas of cantaloupe and hazelnut complement sage, rosemary and green fig. Bright and juicy in the mouth, with a strong impression of extract enlivening the flavors of orange zest, botanical herbs and fresh fruit salad. This is the best Pecorino wine ever made by Tiberio, and it’s also the best, most varietally accurate Pecorino wine of the year.

100 Points - James Suckling

This is an extraordinary merlot with such purity and focus. Flowers such as violets and hints of orange peel. It is full-bodied yet incredibly energetic and structured. The finish goes on for minutes. Seamless texture. Fresh yet dense. Contrasty. Best Redigaffi ever. Hard not to drink now but a wine for decades.

97 Points - Monica Larner (erobertparker.com) 

No surprise, Tua Rita delivers yet another unbelievable edition of its legendary Merlot from Coastal Tuscany. The 2015 Redigaffi is a blockbuster, a beautiful and expressive blockbuster at that. This vintage delivers a unique level of intensity and power that is very much linked to the easily ripened fruit obtained in this warm and sunny vintage. Despite that inner bulk and power, the wine reveals an elegant sense of harmony and depth. Etched mineral or graphite notes segue to black fruit, spice, leather, mocha and toasted espresso bean. The wine is structured and firm in terms of mouthfeel.

Sour cherry, tar and liquorice on the nose, plus a whiff of game. Quite sweet and expressive but with a firm spine of acidity giving shape to the very ripe flavours of cherry, dark chocolate, leather and menthol. Although this is already stylish and approachable, the wine's bracing acids and very good persistence suggest that it will be even better in years to come.

The 2008 Barbera d’Alba reveals terrific integrity of fruit and a racy personality. The very essence here is incredible purity and a great depth, which delivers from start to finish.

Made from old vines in around Neive this Barbera from Giacosa is intense ruby red in colour with a bouquet of black cherries and dark plums with hints of chocolate and spice. Rich cassis fruits and black cherry notes of the palate balanced with smooth tannins and a long, full finish.

94 Points - Antonio Galloni

The 2006 Syrah is a big, massive effort loaded with dark fruit, tar, licorice, earthiness and game. This is a decidedly powerful, intense wine that needs some time in the glass for the varietal notes to fully emerge. The wine’s balance is impeccable.

Monica Larner (erobertparker.com) 

Crisp and luminous, the 2016 Langhe Rossj-Bass is Chardonnay enhanced with a tiny part Sauvignon Blanc. This second grape only constitutes 5% of the blend, yet its presence is felt in a big way. The wine presents pristine and sharply delineated tones of exotic fruit, peach and white rose. Fruit is sourced in Barbaresco and in Serralunga d'Alba...

96 Points - Antonio Galloni

Il Marroneto's 2011 Brunello di Montalcino is one of the wines of the vintage. Silky, open-knit and gracious, the 2011 boasts superb elegance and all of the finesse that is typical of Montalcino's northern sector. Rose petal, sweet red berry and lifted, minty notes grace the palate in a sensual, silky Brunello endowed with class and pedigree. The classic sense of tannin and salinity comes through on the finish, but it is the interplay of classic structure and the ripeness of the vintage that is most compelling of all. Il Marroneto's 2011 Brunello di Montalcino is without question one of the wines of the vintage.

Fresh and lively with peach, pear and rocky mineral scents, the palate is layered with conference pear, green apple, white blossom, a touch of soft spice and a mineral freshness. There is considerable concentration and structure alongside a delicious salty quality leading to a long and elegant finish. This extremely appealing wine would partner well with almost any seafood dish.