Four stars year considered very good

Great price for a Chianti from the famous Caparzo vineyards. 30% off this item and a real opportunity.
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A score of 86 for a very pleaseant wine. Well rappresentative of the italian Chianti

A well made quality Ciliegiolo.

Deep purple in the glass, beautiful cherried nose, hints of vanilla and raspberries, sweet to the smell. Mid-full bodied, silky smooth mouth feel, well balanced tannins,...
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88 Points for a tasty and flavourful Tuscan speciality.

Five stars year considered excellent. Low temperatures in late April and early May in the Cortona area delayed the vegetation process and subsequent phases, including ripening of the grapes, by about 10 days. This phenomenon caused lower quantities of grapes, but higher quality, since from mid-August onwards the temperatures remained steady and the Merlot grapes ripened perfectly. Overall this year will be recorded as once of the best in terms of quality

A good price for a fine Antinori wine.
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A score of 87 for a wine a good value Syrah.

86 Points for a very good entry level Morellino di Scansano by one of the regions fastest up and coming producers.

Very dark ruby red, purple-ish in the middle, vibrant, clear. Quickly aromatic of cherries, raspberry, mid-bodied wine, good acidity, a touch hollow but a pretty finish. 86...
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86 Points for an every day drinking Morellino di Scansano.

The 2006 Tuscan growing season is considered average.

Morellino di Scansano is a wine very similar in flavour profile to Chianti. If you enjoy a quality Chianti but want to pay 50% less this wine is a super smart buy.
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A score of 88 for an "alternative to Chianti" representing fantastic value for money.

4 stars year considered excellent.

With this wine you are getting a great taste of the Sangiovese grape from one of Tuscany's top producers.
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With 86 points on 100 the Rosso di Montalcino is the simplest wine coming from this famous vineyard. It is a true expression of the Sangiovese grape and gives you the chance to experience this most famous of grapes from Tuscany, from a top vineyard, but at everyday prices. Recommended.

Better Morellino's if you have love for Frescobaldi it could be worth checking out.

A good year in Tuscany and a fair Morellino. There is better value on the market and we point you in the direction of the Caparzo alternative.
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83 Points for an average Morellino, this is not our favourite example of the grape.

Four stars year considered very good. Due to a rainy autumn with low average temperatures and some snow, foliage regrowth was 12-15 days later than the previous year. On the other hand, the favourable weather in spring allowed the vines to develop well, about 10 days earlier than usual. The months of June, July and August were quite ‘cool’ with average temperatures of around 24°C and plenty of rain in August. This hindered the ripening process and the harvest but the grapes were nevertheless healthy, fully ripe and high in potential, in line with the standard of recent vintage years.

Very good wine, typical of Tuscany's production. We suggest you to try it indeed
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A score of 88 for an eclectic wine, very elegant for any situations.

Good value the 2003 is at is optimum drinking potential now thru 2011.

Nice aromas of flowers, fruit, and lightly oaked the wine has a medium body and a good balanced. Drink today.
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89 Points for a hot vintage in Chianti, the wine is super ripe and approachable.

One of the best vintages in the last 10 years. This super blend from Antinori brings together the best of Antinori winemaking for a super price.

World famous Antinori produce this stunning blended wine. A true taste of Tuscany with 30% off for a limited time.
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A 90 point wine at a fair price and for a limited time 30% off.

Four star year - considered good

Beautiful nose full of spices, blackberries, cappuccino & oak, super structure and rounded tannins, a medium to full bodied wine with a fruity, pleasant, long and silky...
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90/100. This is one of the best Chianti's we have tasted from 2003. A really powerful Chianti yet smooth and balanced. Really hard to fault this wine, highly recommended.

2004 was a hot vintage in Tuscany and the Sangiovese grape did surprisingly well. This Chianti Classico is considered one of the best in the world. Reaching a drinking peak in around 2012, however this wine is drinking beautifully today. There is no better wine under €20 on our website. Superb.

Very dark colour in the glass, intense dark ruby red with some nice pinky looking hues. The nose is fruity, spicy with the most noticeable aroma profiles of blackberries...
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91 points for one of the best Chiantis from the internationally acclaimed Antinori producer.

Unbelievably high quality Morellino di Scansano for a terrific price. Poggio Argentiera are a fairly new producer and as such are still building on their already outstanding reputation. This is a Morellino that is capable of ageing as well as satisfying to drink today with a few hours decanting. Morellino di Scansano as good as it gets.

Deep purple in the glass, thick, deep purples to the edges. Explosive nose, super ripe, dark cherry, plums, vanilla, oak, very "chianti" on the nose, rich and impressive...
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91 Points for a wine you can't even buy in the UK yet. We are bringing this to you exclusively and it is rocking the house!

Four stars year considered very good. The heavy rainfall in autumn 2003 refreshed the soil which had been subjected to extreme drought in the summer. The winter temperatures were quite low with heavy, frequent rain and snow. This caused a delay in budbreak which took place about 10-15 days later than average, even in the more precocious varieties. During flowering and fruit-setting the weather was very rainy and cool (with the lowest seasonal temperatures for several years) and the foliage developed well, although again later than usual, right through to the veraison and ripening phases. Intense pre-harvest selection was necessary since this weather trend made the plants excessively productive. Lastly, the harvest began a couple of weeks later than the seasonal average, when the grapes reached the perfect balance of quality and quantity both in vegetation and ripeness.

A fair price for a wine of such character and elegance. This wine is fast gaining a reputation and the 2005 vintage is superb. Great for drinking today and possible to...
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A score of 90 for an high quality wine. A stunning wine coming forth strongly in the marketplace, buy it while it's still a relative unknown.

Five stars year considered excellent

Caparzo turned out a beautiful 2003 Brunello di Montalcino. Medium ruby in color, it is a delicate, understated wine with classic Sangiovese nuances of cherries, tobacco...
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90 points on 100 for a smooth, intense palate with a soft silky finish. The vintage in Tuscany for 10 years.

Three stars year considered good

The 2000 Brunello di Montalcino La Casa was a good wine but was surpassed by the 2001, fragrant and floral with notes of bing cherries, incense and geraniums, medium in...
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With 90 points on 100 Brunello "la Casa" is one of the best bottles of the market.

Four stars year considered excellent

Masterpiece for wine connoisseurs with its refined producing process. Exceptional. You are paying for a quality wine and this is reflected in the price.
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An exceptional 91/100. This wine is characterized by elegance and exclusivity in a very good year. Riserva wines are only and exclusively made in the best vintages to ensure a prestigious bottle for wine connoisseurs and experts.

Super nose and finish to the Antinori Brunello Pian delle Vigne. A traditionalist's Brunello with a superior nose and super soft finish. Recommended.

Powerful bouquet with cherry, coffee and hints of chocolate and oak. The palate is full with fresh rounded tannins, really fruity and thick. Lingering finish.(SN- 11/07)
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91 points for a Brunello that stays true to the style from a producer who normally mixes it up. A fine Brunello that deserves an occasion.

Four star year - considered excellent

The 1999 Brunello di Montalcino La Casa was a good wine but was surpassed by the 2001, fragrant and floral with notes of bing cherries, incense and geraniums, medium in...
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A score of 89 for the Brunello "La Casa" is well deserved. The selected grapes give rise to a unique and deep flavour.

Three star year considered good. This years Tignanello shows all the class of the winemakers choosing the right time to harvest and bringing quality in the vinification process in a tricky year in Tuscany.

Striking ruby red in the glass, lovely colour. The nose quickly brings serious aromas, generous amounts of berry, spices, chocolate and some tobacco. A real monster on the...
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A score of 93 for a super wine that can be drunk today as well as having cellaring potential and also potential for the wine to increase in value, for those who like to invest.

One of the best vintages for Brunello of the past 10 years, the 2003 Brunello di Montalcino was a critics favourite and the highest scoring for Caparzo ever. In very high demand.

The estate's top bottling, the 2003 Brunello di Montalcino La Casa, is a strong effort. More concentrated than the normal bottling, it offers notable finesse in its...
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With 93 out of 100 Brunello's "La Casa" took the wine world by storm for a fantastic Brunello in an exceptional year. From selected grapes comes an unique flavour, deep and fascinating.

Four stars year considered very good. The weather in autumn 2004 was quite mild with much heavier rain than in recent years. The unusually cold winter caused a delay in foliage development while the period around flowering was mild and quite dry, resulting in good fruit-setting. In July maximum temperatures reached 35° C which accelerated veraison, while a mild August with frequent but light rain-showers resulted in slow, steady ripening. The grapes were healthy and perfectly ripe when harvested, with good potential, up to the standard of recent harvests.

This wine looks like the real deal, a deep penetrating ruby red. The bouquet stands out immediately with cherries, blackberries, chocolate and minerals. The palate is silky...
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96 points for Bolgheri Guado al Tasso in a special year. Stunning wine.

This wine is not the Solaia you come to expect however it is still a very good wine even though, for some reason, maybe the vintage, the Sangiovese was left out of the wine. This wine gets a very bad rap because it's compared horizontally to other Solaia. If you make that comparison you will be disappointed but standing alone the wine still deserves 90 for a very drinkable and interesting effort.

Inky purple wine thats a little thinner than you expect. Attractive bouquet of blackberrys, chocolate and a little oak and cherry. Soft palate, the wine is medium bodied...
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90 points for an interesting wine. The name "Solaia" naturally lends the price to the wine however €88/£60 can buy you the 2004 Tignanello plus the 1999 Michele Chiarlo Barolo.

A difficult vintage, 2005 Sassicaia is a masterpeice of Italian wine making beating out all other Super Tuscans in 2005.

Good deep ruby red in the glass, generous notes of chocolate raisins, some herbs and a little smoke. Mid bodied and well balanced, lovely mouth feel with silky tannins....
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94 Points for a Sassicaia that is more open than the 2004.

Tuscany is all about red, although some producers have managed to create very good Chardonnay wines, the local whites are really not to the same standard although enjoyable and cheap. As Sangiovese continues to shape the landscape, despite the wonderful blended wines produced by Le Macchiole and clan, we will see better and better Brunello's in the best vintages of the decade, which we can all agree, can only be a good thing. Tuscany's best vintage of recent years came in 2004 with fantastic results in Montalcino. 2004 was considered a 5 star vintage. 2004 yielded 25% more in quantity and so there is an abundance of very high quality Chianti, Brunellos and Montepulicano's on the market from 2004. Tuscany has had 3 other brilliant vintages over the past 10 years including 97, 99 and 2001, the worst year has been 2002. Banfi reports a terrific vintage for 2007 as weather conditions all through the year were close to perfection so we can look forward to some beautiful wine from the 2007 crop. The wines of the Tuscany are among Italy's most famous with six D.O.C.G wines - Chainti, Chainti Classico, Brunello di Montalcino, Vernaccia di San Gimignano, Carmignano and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. The region also has a plethora of D.O.C wines including Bolgheri Sassicaia, Rosso di Montalcino and Rosso di Montepulciano. The region is home to the once super trendy "Super Tuscans", blended wines that did not meet with the standards laid out by the governing bodies in Italy and were as such "unclassified". A new class was created IGT, to bring these wines blended in the bordeaux style back into the fold.

Chianti is Italy's most famous wine. Easily accessible, the wine can often be sold for under €5 a bottle. At the higher end, the more famous producers do create exceptional Chianti's that are a powerful and true expression of the sangiovese grape.

Chianti Classico is a wine produced in a Chianti sub-area. There are actually 8 sub-areas in Chianti: Classico, Colli Aretini, Colli Fiorentini, Colli Senesi, Colline Pisane, Montalbano, Montespertoli and Rùfina. You may recognize these wines very easily by the black rooster logo on the neck of the bottles. The Classico bottles sell for a higher price and are agreed to be of higher quality than the regular Chiantis.

Brunello di Montalcino is the most expensive wine of the region and is capable of cellaring and fetching fantastic prices at auction. The award winning '01 vintage brought new popularity to the wine which has seen a huge international growth in popularity. The wine is grown in Montalcino, an area about 70 miles southwest of Florence using the Sangiovese Grosso variety. Well made, it has smooth tannins and has a fruity, ripe character. In 2006, it was named Wine Spectators top wine of the year (Casanova di Neri - Tenuta Nuova 2001). The 2004 vintage promises to be even better and will be released shortly.

Vernaccia di San Gimignano is a white wine produced close to the town of San Gimignano. At best this white can produce an apple and pears flavour with hints of vanilla. However, this is not the best white produced in Italy but rather a specific regional wine of Tuscany.

Carmignano used to be an area of production for Chianti but they gave up producing the wine to create a new denomination. Carmignano wines are a blend of Sangiovese, Canaiolo, Cabernet and Sauvignon grapes. These wines are growing in popularity and with every good vintage they score higher and higher.

Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is another wine that uses the Sangiovese grape as its base (minimum 70%) and traditionally blends some Canaiolo Nero and usually a small percentage of a local variant grape like Mammolo. These wines are traditionally quite cheap, fruity and drunk extensively by the local populous. The best current producer of these wines would be the famous Avignonesi vineyards.

Bolgheri Sassicaia is the most famous Super Tuscan. the Marquis Mario Incisa della Rocchetta came to the beautiful region of the Tuscan coast where the Sassicaia vineyards are today and wanted to create a bordeaux style wine in this fabulous italian terroir. The result, a cabernet franc and cabernet sauvignon blend, was an international sensation and a headache for the Italian wine authorities. The famous Tenuta San Guido Bolgheri Sassicaia is worshipped in Italy and highly sought after the world over.

Although Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Pinot Nero and Cabernet Franc are used in the region, Tuscany is famous for the Sangiovese grape variety. This grape is synonymous with the region and the wines from Tuscany are the best expression of the grape anywhere in the world. This section gives mention to only the most consistently good producers and those that bring something different to the region.

Altesino was established in 1970 and is a leading name in Brunello di Montalcino acheiving phenomenal results with the 1997 that saw it named as one of Wine Spectators wines of the year in 2002. The vineyard itself is housed in a fantastic 14th century Palazzo. The vineyards best wine is the Brunello di Montalcino Montosoli but also produces an excellent and far cheaper Rosso.

Antinori is a huge Florence based winemaker and one of Italy's most famous names. Producing wines from decidely average to phenomenal fruitbursts the vineyard really caters to all. At the top end, these wines are prestigious and their history goes back to 1385. Today the vineyard is producing Chianti, Brunellos and mixed wines, the most famous Tignanello is one of the most popular wines in the world. A sangiovese, cabernet blend that was the very first "Super Tuscan", it's still as important (and good) as ever. Massive variance in this vineyard of quality and prices.

Banfi is the most famous name in Italian wine in the USA. This outfit is huge, producing over 10 million bottles of wine each year, it is the largest and most modern vineyard in Montalcino. Together with Antinori, the vineyards produce wine of varying quality, the basic Chianti's can be absolutely dire but the top label Brunello's can be star quality. A wonderful estate to visit, the huge winery sits atop a hill offering fabulous views and fabulous lunches to those making a visit.

Boscarelli - Here you can find the finest Nobile de Montepulciano in the region. Aged two years in oak, these smooth, structured wines are the toast of the region. A small family production of only 70,000 bottles a year.

Casanova di Neri is a Brunello specialist who is very well received in the states. The wines are based on quality and the yields of the vineyard are very low, thus the prices can be a little high. Look out for the fabuolous Brunello di Montalcino Tenuta Nuova, always outstanding.

Castellare di Castellina is regarded as Chianti's finest estate. This is an organic vineyard and when the vintage is hot, so are their wines. Some of the very best Chianti's ever produced came from this vineyard.

Castello di Ama produces wonderful Chainti Classico on their unique parcel of terroir in the heart of Chianti-land, Gaiole in Chianti close to Siena. As well as some fine Chainti's the vineyard also produces some noteworthy Merlot, possibly Tuscany's best Merlots.

Felsina offers wonderful Sangiovese charactersitics in their top line wines, most noteworthy the Chainti Classico Rancia Riserva and Fontalloro both of which can be kept and develop signicantly when aged.

Fontodi is another famous name whose wines are considered some of the best in the world. These wines are very elegant and expensive the top productions being Chianti and the Flancianello della Piave. These are rich and delicate wines with superb structure and ageing capabilities.

Isole e Olena - a forwarding looking vineyard who are known throughout Italy for their stylish and flavourful wines. The top wine is the Ceparello, a 100% Sangiovese wine that ages beautifully. Another wonderful wine is the Syrah, "Syrah Collezione De Marchi" and their Cabernet Sauvignon/Franc blend is another award winning offering. Lots of diversity here and a wonderful vineyard to visit.

Le Macchiole is one of Bolgheri's top estates and headed by the brilliant Cinzia Campolmi. The estate produces wines from many grapes including Paleo Rosso (100% Cabernet Sauvignon), Scrio (100% Syrah), Messorio (100% Merlot) and Macchiole, a blended wine. All these wines show excellent ageing potential.

Lisini - is a relatively small estate but one of Tuscany's most famous top end producers. Bottling magnificent Brunello's, the vineyard has benefitted massively from the huge international interest the Brunello is currently receiving. The vines here are among the area's oldest and produce wonderful fruits that virtually guarentee near perfect wines in top vintages.

Marchesi De Frescobaldi - huge estate bottling 7,000,000 wines annually. Similar to Banfi in that it can produce wines that are simple and cheap through to award winning quality wines. Top labels include Lamaione Castelgiocondo, a huge Merlot and Chianti Rusina Riserva Nipozzano and the Cabernet Sauvignon/Franc & Merlot blended Mormoreto Castello di Nopozzano. Also produces a nice Chardonnay.

Pacenti Siro is one of the regions best Brunello producers. Famous internationally as a quality producer of award winning Brunello's his wines often fetch high prices at auction and are highly regarded domestically. The best bottling is the Brunello di Montalcino Riserva, exceptionally rich and flavourful.

Tenuta dell'Ornellaia is a famous Tuscan vineyard producing Bordeaux style wines. The Bolgheri Superiore Ornellaia is the most famous production and is a Cabernet Sauvignon/Franc and Merlot blended fruit bomb that is very popular worldwide.

Tenuta San Guido - produces a world famous and internationally regarded Sassicaia. The estates' Sassicaia is its top bottling and possibly holds the title of Italy's favourite Super Tuscan.

Tua Rita is one of only a handful of producers ever to receive 100 points from the legendary wine critic, Robert Parker. When Tua Rita is on its game it can produce the best wines in Italy. The Maremma estate produces quality fruity reds of many international varities. The best offering is the Merlot, "Redigaffi", very expensive but extremely impressive; an opulant wine to be cellared. Enjoying a fabulous renaissance, the Tuscan vineyards are no longer famous for only a drab Chainti sold in a straw held bottle but are the national pacesetters of quality and experimentation. Whilst the purists in the Piedmont may look down on Tuscany's willingness to experiment with Bordeaux style varities the Tuscans are reaping the benefit of an international wine community who is enjoying not only the Super Tuscan blends but also the monumental rise of the homegrown Sangiovese Grosso variety.

Brunello di Montalcino is scooping awards and plaudits across the board that were normally reserved for Barolo. Awarded International Wine of the Year awards by Wine Spectator and receiving 98+ point scores from Parker and co is only boosting their reputation, and their prices. The Brunello di Montalcino wine is the toast of the decade and the whole country is upping their game to compete and to share in the reflected glory Brunello is bringing Italian wine. A little competition never hurt anyone, and wine from across the whole country, including the South is receiving a much needed shot in the arm. Prices continue to rise and collectors are finding room in their cellars for Italian wine, great for the business but not so wonderful for the Italian consumers who are not so pleased that their secret stash of top quality wine has been rumbled.