Central Italy

94 points The Wine Advocate:The 2008 Tignanello is unquestionably one of the wines of the vintage. The 2008 isn’t a huge or obvious Tignanello, rather it is a wine that impresses for its sublime elegance and precision. Understated layers of fruit caress the palate like cashmere in this impeccable, soft wine. There is not a hard edge to be found. Black cherries, tobacco, smoke and licorice are some of the notes that come through on the finish. The flavor profile is decidedly on the dark side, but the wine’s structure is medium in body and intensity. In 2008 the Tignanello has more energy, focus and length than the Solaia. It is a fabulous achievement! The 2008 Tignanello is 80% Sangiovese aged in 300-liter French oak barrels (1/3rd new), 15% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc, both aged in 100% new 225-liter French oak barriques. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2024. Antonio Galloni

90 points The Wine Advocate:The 2009 Chianti Classico Brolio flows with expressive aromatics and layers of gorgeous radiant fruit all of which are woven in a silky, elegant fabric. Raspberries, smoke and tar linger on the long finish. This is one of the most refined wines I have tasted from Brolio in quite some time. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2019. Antonio Galloni

92 points The Wine Spectator-A fruity Chianti, delivering attractive berry and vanilla aromas and flavors. Medium- to full-bodied, with silky tannins and a delicious finish. Balanced and very pretty. A new single-vineyard wine from Ricasoli. This is lovely now, but will be better with bottle age. Drink now. 110 cases made.

90 points The Wine Advocate:Volpaia’s 2008 Chianti Classico is a pretty, mid-weight offering informed by tobacco, flowers, herbs and cherries. As is often the case in cooler years, these high-altitude vineyards tend to yield a more ethereal style of wine. Still, this Chianti Classico finds its balance nicely with time in the glass. It is a model of restrained elegance. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2014. Antonio Galloni

Fabio makes less than four thousand cases of Verdicchio, which he used to bottle, cork and label by hand in his tiny cantina (now he's sprung for a bottling machine). The romance isn't the point, though; the point is that this wine is racy, vivid, and excellent with all kinds of seafood dishes. It is fermented and matured entirely in stainless steel (no oak) and does not undergo malolactic fermentation. Use it like you might use a Sauvignon Blanc, because Verdicchio has some of the same herbal aroma and flavor as Sauvignon. It is a great aperitif, too, with olives and toasted almonds. Oliver McCrum Importer

95+ points The Wine Advocate:The 2006 Brunello di Montalcino is a dazzling wine. The aromatics alone are haunting. Sweet red cherries, rosemary, sage, tobacco and cedar are woven into a fabric of nearly indescribable elegance. Costanti’s straight Brunello can sometimes lack a little depth in its fruit, but not in 2006. This totally complete, harmonious Brunello is shaping up to be one of the wines of the vintage. It is a stunner. As delicious as the wine is now, it really needs at least a handful of years for the firm tannins to start melting away. Anticipated maturity: 2016-2031. Antonio Galloni