Tuscany’s top tier: New vintage releases

The drought and heat of 2022 pushed vines in Tuscany to their limits, and the outcome in many cases are wines of density and concentration but with a vein of freshness – and that's exactly what we see here in the 2022 Solaia. It opens with cool aromas of damp earth, woodland berries, red fruit coulis and a waft of balsamic herbs. In the mouth it is immediately very fleshy, almost voluptuous but holding its shape. Balsam-infused black cherry and dark berries are deepened by chocolatey wood, while succulent acidity brings out the top end and leads to a long, bright, energetic and fresh finish which is full of promise for the future.

This single-vineyard Brunello is one of the gems of the denomination. The 2020 reflects the vintage conditions wonderfully, trading in the generosity of 2019 for a more structured and thought-provoking wine. ‘2015 and '16 is like '19 and '20 – the exact same combination’, comments Alessandro Mori. Fragrantly perfumed with potpourri and a hint of spice, it's a bright and vital Sangiovese of impeccable precision and poise. Its youthful creaminess supports freshly picked blackberry, intense dark cherry and some sotto bosco notes, with a streak of salinity and some floral uplift to counterpoint its framework of silky, structural tannins and vertical shape. While less immediately striking than the 2019 was at the same stage, this may shine even brighter in the years to come.

Menthol-infused dark berry aromas open the door to an intense and juicy mouthful of precisely wrought red and black berries and cherries. Wonderful lip-smacking sapidity and finely integrated tannins complete the package. The 2022 Saffredi is the result of the estate's hard work and it has paid dividends. Elisabetta Geppetti's son, Ettore – in just his third vintage overseeing the winemaking without the experienced hand of ex-consultant Luca d'Attoma – has beautifully interpreted the vintage. He tells me that, unusually, it took the team three harvests at different times to obtain the freshness evident in the wine. It's a stunner. Wow!

‘When he was doing Masseto, his inspiration was Petrus, and for Lodovico it's Cheval Blanc,’ states Lodovico Antinori's daughter, Sophia. This Cabernet Franc-based blend from a north-facing single vineyard in Bibbona is only made in the finest vintages – and 2021 is very fine indeed. While the 2020 tasted alongside is drinking better right now, the 2021 arguably has more in terms of potential. It seduces with its violet- and lavender-laden dark hedgerow berries and black cherry character, with a delightful red cherry finish. Lifted, vertical and saline, it's a really classy bottling with plenty of promise.

<p>After cold, wet spring delayed flowering, northern winds and some rain tempered the summer heat, ahead of harvest starting on 14 September. A great vintage for Brunello, proclaims viticulture and winemaking director Federico Radi (who started at the estate in 2017) this is a vivacious, lively wine, with great freshness allied to a pliable structure. Orange peel, violet, rose, bay leaf and exotic spice notes run through the rich berry fruit supported by textured black-tea tannins. Vinified using a pied de cuve (indigenous yeast from the vineyard used as a fermentation starter) in oak barrels, concrete and stainless steel tanks, then aged in Slavonian oak barrels for 30 months. <strong>RADI'S RECAP: </strong>Dynamic, balsamic, enticing and floral.</p>

Giovanni Mazzei describes the 2021 vintage in Chianti Classico as ‘a combination of vintages: 2019 without the opulence, and the freshness of 2018 but with more grip.’ Each year of this relatively young project, the amount of oak is reduced in favour of ceramic vessels for what Mazzei describes as a ‘wine with no filter’. Spicy dark cherry and leafy herbal aromas introduce a streamlined palate, not massively intense but instead showing suppleness and balance. There's a lovely line of stoniness and a ripe, succulent core of sapid dark cherry and blackberry. Spicy and grippy, flecks of balsamic herbs, dark chocolate, iron oxide, and woodland complexity lurk. There's a squeeze of blood orange on the long, gentle finish, giving the impression that time is all that's needed for this to stretch its legs and unfurl.

Several months on from the first taste in the spring, Sassicaia 2022's aromatics have come to the fore. It's really floral and bright, with dense violet-infused back and red berries supported by fine, chalky tannins. There's some very juicy fruit waiting to be released, with a saline and succulent, creamy and chalky background. ‘1998 was one of the best vintages in Bolgheri...for aromatic content, we can compare it to 2022,’ says general manager and production manager, Carlo Paoli.

In 2022, there were six separate harvests for Redigaffi due to rain and the need for strict selection in such a hot year. Textured and silky, bright and saline, it opens with some intense pot pourri overtones and black and blue berries. In the mouth it's more red and blue fruits, sapid and succulent and underlined by wood, coffee bean and petrichor. Perfumed lavender and violet notes soar overhead. Very youthful, give this some time in the bottle before opening to enjoy it at its best.

Approachable already, scents of dark berries, chocolate, coffee beans and meadow flowers rise from the glass. In the mouth it is exhilaratingly grippy and fresh, with lifted violet notes and balsamic herbs ushering in a silky mid-palate of vibrant dark fruits. Petrolo's single-vineyard Merlot in purezza is beautifully sculpted in 2022. Owner Luca Sanjust and his team have done well to adjust the winemaking to tease out the quality of expression inherent in the grapes by using larger, more neutral barrels and following a reductive methodology during fermentation. ‘2021 is more austere in terms of taste; 2022 is more bright’, confirms Sanjust. 

Featuring a hefty 10% of Petit Verdot this year for an injection of freshness and structure, Ornellaia 2022 is rich, deep and tightly coiled, with some pretty red fruits and floral notes overlaying dark, juicy berries. It's a dense style which reflects the vintage but looks towards harmony and poise: the woody frame and fine, structural tannins are countered by very good acidity and a bright fruit profile, with some breezy herbs helping to lift the long, fresh finish. Give this some more time in the bottle before enjoying.

A youthful 2020 with creamy undertones and a bright dollop of plum and dark cherry. Touches of herbs and spice lend some playfulness, while the sapidity emerging on the finish confirms that this means business.

Tignanello in 2022 is a blend of 78% Sangiovese, 18% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Cabernet Franc. Pot-pourri-infused red and black berry aromas introduce a succulent palate of good intensity. It's well balanced and bright, with cashmere tannins supporting a core of sapid hedgerow berries outlined by crushed rock minerality and bitter herbs. The finish is slightly disjointed, displaying a touch of alcohol warmth and wood which is yet to fully integrate, but given time it should come good.

Siepi, a 50/50 blend of Merlot and Sangiovese, is one of the rare wines which has increased the percentage of new oak, and today it sits at almost 100%. 2022 was a hot and dry year and it seems to have emphasised the Merlot power more than the Sangiovese finesse: wild forest berries, sous bois and spicy plum lead the way, with a saline touch. Grippy and spicy, round and ripe, it's a bit angular at the moment, with a drying finish, but once that oak has settled down it should show us what it's made of.

The drought and heat of 2022 pushed vines in Tuscany to their limits, and the outcome in many cases are wines of density and concentration but with a vein of freshness – and that's exactly what we see here in the 2022 Solaia. It opens with cool aromas of damp earth, woodland berries, red fruit coulis and a waft of balsamic herbs. In the mouth it is immediately very fleshy, almost voluptuous but holding its shape. Balsam-infused black cherry and dark berries are deepened by chocolatey wood, while succulent acidity brings out the top end and leads to a long, bright, energetic and fresh finish which is full of promise for the future.

This single-vineyard Brunello is one of the gems of the denomination. The 2020 reflects the vintage conditions wonderfully, trading in the generosity of 2019 for a more structured and thought-provoking wine. ‘2015 and '16 is like '19 and '20 – the exact same combination’, comments Alessandro Mori. Fragrantly perfumed with potpourri and a hint of spice, it's a bright and vital Sangiovese of impeccable precision and poise. Its youthful creaminess supports freshly picked blackberry, intense dark cherry and some sotto bosco notes, with a streak of salinity and some floral uplift to counterpoint its framework of silky, structural tannins and vertical shape. While less immediately striking than the 2019 was at the same stage, this may shine even brighter in the years to come.

Menthol-infused dark berry aromas open the door to an intense and juicy mouthful of precisely wrought red and black berries and cherries. Wonderful lip-smacking sapidity and finely integrated tannins complete the package. The 2022 Saffredi is the result of the estate's hard work and it has paid dividends. Elisabetta Geppetti's son, Ettore – in just his third vintage overseeing the winemaking without the experienced hand of ex-consultant Luca d'Attoma – has beautifully interpreted the vintage. He tells me that, unusually, it took the team three harvests at different times to obtain the freshness evident in the wine. It's a stunner. Wow!

‘When he was doing Masseto, his inspiration was Petrus, and for Lodovico it's Cheval Blanc,’ states Lodovico Antinori's daughter, Sophia. This Cabernet Franc-based blend from a north-facing single vineyard in Bibbona is only made in the finest vintages – and 2021 is very fine indeed. While the 2020 tasted alongside is drinking better right now, the 2021 arguably has more in terms of potential. It seduces with its violet- and lavender-laden dark hedgerow berries and black cherry character, with a delightful red cherry finish. Lifted, vertical and saline, it's a really classy bottling with plenty of promise.

<p>After cold, wet spring delayed flowering, northern winds and some rain tempered the summer heat, ahead of harvest starting on 14 September. A great vintage for Brunello, proclaims viticulture and winemaking director Federico Radi (who started at the estate in 2017) this is a vivacious, lively wine, with great freshness allied to a pliable structure. Orange peel, violet, rose, bay leaf and exotic spice notes run through the rich berry fruit supported by textured black-tea tannins. Vinified using a pied de cuve (indigenous yeast from the vineyard used as a fermentation starter) in oak barrels, concrete and stainless steel tanks, then aged in Slavonian oak barrels for 30 months. <strong>RADI'S RECAP: </strong>Dynamic, balsamic, enticing and floral.</p>

Giovanni Mazzei describes the 2021 vintage in Chianti Classico as ‘a combination of vintages: 2019 without the opulence, and the freshness of 2018 but with more grip.’ Each year of this relatively young project, the amount of oak is reduced in favour of ceramic vessels for what Mazzei describes as a ‘wine with no filter’. Spicy dark cherry and leafy herbal aromas introduce a streamlined palate, not massively intense but instead showing suppleness and balance. There's a lovely line of stoniness and a ripe, succulent core of sapid dark cherry and blackberry. Spicy and grippy, flecks of balsamic herbs, dark chocolate, iron oxide, and woodland complexity lurk. There's a squeeze of blood orange on the long, gentle finish, giving the impression that time is all that's needed for this to stretch its legs and unfurl.

Several months on from the first taste in the spring, Sassicaia 2022's aromatics have come to the fore. It's really floral and bright, with dense violet-infused back and red berries supported by fine, chalky tannins. There's some very juicy fruit waiting to be released, with a saline and succulent, creamy and chalky background. ‘1998 was one of the best vintages in Bolgheri...for aromatic content, we can compare it to 2022,’ says general manager and production manager, Carlo Paoli.

In 2022, there were six separate harvests for Redigaffi due to rain and the need for strict selection in such a hot year. Textured and silky, bright and saline, it opens with some intense pot pourri overtones and black and blue berries. In the mouth it's more red and blue fruits, sapid and succulent and underlined by wood, coffee bean and petrichor. Perfumed lavender and violet notes soar overhead. Very youthful, give this some time in the bottle before opening to enjoy it at its best.

Approachable already, scents of dark berries, chocolate, coffee beans and meadow flowers rise from the glass. In the mouth it is exhilaratingly grippy and fresh, with lifted violet notes and balsamic herbs ushering in a silky mid-palate of vibrant dark fruits. Petrolo's single-vineyard Merlot in purezza is beautifully sculpted in 2022. Owner Luca Sanjust and his team have done well to adjust the winemaking to tease out the quality of expression inherent in the grapes by using larger, more neutral barrels and following a reductive methodology during fermentation. ‘2021 is more austere in terms of taste; 2022 is more bright’, confirms Sanjust. 

Featuring a hefty 10% of Petit Verdot this year for an injection of freshness and structure, Ornellaia 2022 is rich, deep and tightly coiled, with some pretty red fruits and floral notes overlaying dark, juicy berries. It's a dense style which reflects the vintage but looks towards harmony and poise: the woody frame and fine, structural tannins are countered by very good acidity and a bright fruit profile, with some breezy herbs helping to lift the long, fresh finish. Give this some more time in the bottle before enjoying.

A youthful 2020 with creamy undertones and a bright dollop of plum and dark cherry. Touches of herbs and spice lend some playfulness, while the sapidity emerging on the finish confirms that this means business.

Tignanello in 2022 is a blend of 78% Sangiovese, 18% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Cabernet Franc. Pot-pourri-infused red and black berry aromas introduce a succulent palate of good intensity. It's well balanced and bright, with cashmere tannins supporting a core of sapid hedgerow berries outlined by crushed rock minerality and bitter herbs. The finish is slightly disjointed, displaying a touch of alcohol warmth and wood which is yet to fully integrate, but given time it should come good.

Siepi, a 50/50 blend of Merlot and Sangiovese, is one of the rare wines which has increased the percentage of new oak, and today it sits at almost 100%. 2022 was a hot and dry year and it seems to have emphasised the Merlot power more than the Sangiovese finesse: wild forest berries, sous bois and spicy plum lead the way, with a saline touch. Grippy and spicy, round and ripe, it's a bit angular at the moment, with a drying finish, but once that oak has settled down it should show us what it's made of.