We're so excited for what we have instore for you all this weekend - a pristine lineup of some of our very favourite reds coming out of Tuscany - from houses new and old, this is one trip you won't want to miss, as we look to give a great showcase of the region's renowned depth and elegance! Come down to the shop this Saturday (3rd September) anytime from 12pm to 2pm!
As a quick list if you're interested to see what wines will be on pour, here are the wines we'll be opening Saturday -
2020 Ridolfi Chianti
2019 Ridolfi Rosso
2020 Poggerino Chianti Classico
2020 La Misse di Candialle Chianti Classico
2018 Isole e Olena Cepparello
2020 Poggio al Tufo
2017 Conti Costanti Brunello di Montalcino
2019 Galatrona
2016 Ornellaia Bolgheri Superiore (Half Bottle)
Look below to see further notes and special prices for many of these bottles, as well as two beautiful Brunello di Montalcino reds from Uccelliera!
2020 Poggerino Chianti Classico - $45 per bottle ; $52 RRP
"Bright ruby red colour. On the nose notes of blackberries, leather, cherries and red currant with a touch of liquorice and vanilla. Sweet and persistent tannins. - Producer
"Piero Lanza’s holdings sit on clay and Galestro as opposed to sandy soil as seen in other parts of Radda. His is a denser, darker expression of the commune. He crafts his annata from a mix of early picked fruit and a later harvest of riper grapes, which gives an intriguing combination of concentrated cherry with pink grapefruit. Violet and tobacco leaf flicker throughout, and clay-textured tannins coat the palate without weighing it down. A tactile pleasure." - 91 Points, Michaela Morris, Decanter
2020 La Misse di Candialle Chianti Classico - $45 per bottle ; $52 RRP
"The 2020 Chianti Classico La Misse di Candialle is bright, bold and bursting with energy. Sweet red Sangiovese fruit, spice, mint, cedar and sweet pipe tobacco are all beautifully delineated in a Chianti Classico that bristles with vibrancy. The 2020 is exquisite. I would give it a year or two to soften." - 93 Points, Antonio Galloni, Vinous
2020 Le Macchiole Bolgheri Rosso - $57 per bottle ; $66 RRP
// 50% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Syrah
“Grilled herbs, orange zest, black plums, cherries, peach stones and peppercorns on the nose. Medium-bodied with creamy tannins. It’s deliciously round and fruity, yet firm, with a long and polished finish. Merlot, cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon and syrah. So drinkable already. Drink or hold.” - 93 points, JamesSuckling.com
"This is a powerhouse wine that has become a steady little engine for the estate economy, growing from a production of 36,000 bottles to 140,000 bottles made annually today. This vintage does a terrific balancing act with dark fruit and concentration on the one hand and an accessible easy-drinking personality on the other. Black fruit cedes to baked brioche, spice and toasted aniseed. The wine finishes for 10 months in a combination of second, third and fourth-year barrique, and about 30% of the total goes into cement. The finish is polished and fresh, and you get good value. Drink 2022 - 2030." - 93 Points, Monica Larner, Wine Advocate
2019 Bibi Graetz Testamatta Sangiovese - $215 per bottle ; $249 RRP
"Very attractive combination of dried fruit and spices with black cherries and plums. Aromas of flowers and sandalwood, too. Full-bodied and very refined, yet intense, with plush, velvety tannins that are wonderfully integrated and intertwined with the fruit. Ripe center palate. Tight at the end, suggesting the need for some serious bottle age. Very structured." - 97 Points, James Suckling
"A pure expression of Sangiovese, the Bibi Graetz 2019 Testamatta is a wine in constant evolution. Bibi has added 17 more hectares of vineyard to the program, with 12 hectares in Fiesole (north of Florence) and 5 hectares in San Donato in Colle (south of Florence) with 70-year-old vines. The base of the wine sees fruit from old vines planted in the 1950s in the cool-climate Lamole subzone of Chianti Classico. These new terroirs bring a lot more aromatic nuance and complexity to the wine with perfumed blue flower, candied orange peel, wet earth and plumy black fruit. White Alberese soils add a strong chalky mineral signature to the finish of this elegantly streamlined and linear Tuscan red. Drink 2022 to 2042." - 94 Points, Monica Larner, Wine Advocate
2019 Petrolo Galatrona Merlot - $240 per bottle ; $279 RRP
"Blackberries and black cherries with lavender and violets on the nose. Full-bodied with velvety, chewy tannins, yet the fruit is very intense with vibrancy and energy. Muscular, yet agile. Pure and poised. A unique definition of merlot in Tuscany." - 99 Points, James Suckling
"Made with organic Merlot grapes, the Petrolo 2019 Galatrona is soft and luscious, spreading evenly over the palate with elegance and sweeping intensity. The bouquet shows dark fruit, black cherry and sweet prune. Those dark fruit tones are woven into pretty layers of spice, leather and perfumed tobacco. I like the tight, compact, yet fundamentally rich quality that is part of the mouthfeel in this important vintage. This wine could be considered a bit lighter and more ethereal compared to recent past releases, but I found that all the wines in this batch of new releases go in this same direction." - 97 Points, Monica Larner, Wine Advocate
2016 Ornellaia Bolgheri Superiore 375ml Half Bottle - $289 per bottle ; $330 RRP (Shop stock sold out - come by Saturday to try our tasting bottle + 2019 Ornellaia release expected to come in soon!)
"The 2016 Bolgheri Superiore Ornellaia is a wine of extreme complexity and precision. It offers monumental depth with profound layers of black fruit, coffee, licorice and baking chocolate. I tasted this 2016 vintage beside the less-impactful 2015 vintage (which was reviewed last year). These two editions are very different when compared side to side, and this 2016 release is clearly superior in terms of the quality, clarity and intensity of its offerings. This Ornellaia delivers glossy shine and a polished texture that segues to important richness, concentration and textural fiber. It wraps thickly over the palate, imparting waves of sweet dark fruit and dark spice that linger for many long minutes." - 98 Points, Monica Larner, Wine Advocate
"An astoundingly vibrant, powerful and concentrated Ornellaia that has a wealth of intense dark cherries, mulberries and plums with hints of espresso, dark cocoa powder and cedar. The concentrated palate is framed in long, regal tannins that bring focus to the plush, ripe and fresh black cherries and dark plums. Extremely balanced." - 98 Points, James Suckling
2015 Uccelliera Brunello di Montalcino Riserva - $299 per bottle ; $340 RRP
The Uccelliera 2015 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva (with 9,600 bottles made) is a great achievement and is among my top favorite wines from Andrea Cortonesi tasted in the 20 or so years I have followed this estate. There is a lot of power here, thanks to that golden Castelnuovo dell'Abate sunshine, so I cannot liken this wine to some of the more ethereal and delicate expressions that I also love. Instead, this Riserva delivers brawn, dark fruit and muscle, but it does so with sincerity and honesty. You can't help but appreciate the complexity on offer. The wine offers plenty of dark fruit, but you also get licorice, balsam herb and crushed limestone. There is a lot of beauty to admire. - 97+ Points, Monica Larner, Wine Advocate
2016 Uccelliera Brunello di Montalcino Riserva - $315 per bottle ; $360 RRP
"Rich and deeply alluring, the 2016 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva wafts up to display crushed ashen stone mixed with hints of ginger, dusty florals and black cherry preserves. This is velvety-smooth and pliant in feel, lifted by cooling herbal and mineral tones, as an opulent wave of ripe red and black fruits washes across the palate, leaving a staining of minerals and spice in its wake. It’s long and structured, in need of further time to come fully into focus, yet somehow the 2016 Riserva remains completely fresh, tapering off to inner earth tones and hints of blueberry. Time will reveal further depths. This is an utterly classic Uccelliera Brunello in the making" - 97 Points, Eric Guido, Vinous
To purchase any of the wines in today's newsletter, please use the links above, phone us on (07) 3252 1117, or email us at sales@thewineemporium.com.au - Prices valid until stock runs out or until Wednesday the 7th of August 2022