Styled after the great wines of Bordeaux, the Tolaini Picconero represents a blend of Merlot (65%), Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot from the estate’s Tenuta Montebello. The wine opens with an inky dark appearance and follows to the nose with dark fruit, blackberry preserves, prune, tobacco and leather. Again, like the other wines of this estate, what really stands out is how elegantly these wines perform in the mouth. Picconero is tight and structured, but never heavy or sticky. Lingering tones of cigar box and Indian spice add complexity to the finish.
Masseto has pulled off back-to-back home runs. This is the first time that an Italian wine has earned 100 points in successive vintages. The 2016 Masseto is a thunderstorm of emotions, but it manages to keep them under perfect control. Like the 2015 Masseto before it, this vintage is a seamless wine of the highest pedigree. It represents an encore performance, continuing the string of successes that is bringing Italy to the forefront of the wine world. The first thing you’ll notice is the thickness and concentration of the fruit that makes an immediate impact on all the senses, in terms of appearance, aroma and mouthfeel. There is no overstating the sheer power and richness of this iconic vintage of Italy’s groundbreaking Merlot. Despite that considerable mass, this Masseto remains delicate and graceful. You gain better perspective as the wine opens in the glass and reveals deeper layers that were not immediately apparent on first nose: dark fruit, spice, sweet tobacco and black cherry. There is great tightness and laser focus to the fruit. I tasted the 2016 and 2015 vintages together for comparison when I scored this wine, and then I tasted this 2016 edition alone about a month later to confirm my impressions. These vintages are identical twins, two perfect wines.
100 Points Robert Parker
100 Points James Suckling
100 Points Jeb Dunnuck
I have always been a big fan of this wine. The 2013 Bolgheri Rosso Le Serre Nuove is a generous blend of Merlot (32%), Cabernet Sauvignon (36%), Cabernet Franc (20%) and Petit Verdot (12%). The wine presents an intensely drinkable style with soft fruit nuances of cherry, spice, grilled herb and leather. The integration of those aromas is absolutely seamless. In the mouth, Le Serra Nuove is soft, lush and beautifully persistent.
