Here are the best Italian wine launches to look out for this autumn

Many denominations in Italy permit the sale of a wine from 1 January once they have completed the necessary period of ageing, although this varies from area to area.

For instance, Brunello di Montalcino must complete a lengthy five years of ageing before release.

And yet, more and more wineries are choosing to hold onto their bottles for longer before making them available.

The reasons for choosing to release later in the year vary from area to area and winery to winery.

But besides commercial factors – more people are buying wine in the run up to Christmas than they are in January – it's hard to argue with the fact that extra time in bottle allows all the important elements of a wine to come together.

Anthocyanins, acids, tannins, wood and alcohol are all spiky and rough round the edges when a wine is first bottled, requiring time to settle down into a harmonious groove.

Releasing these wines earlier is great for cashflow, but less so for strong critical reviews and, therefore, sales.

Today's wine drinkers are typically not buying to lay wines down for many years – we want to enjoy our purchases immediately, or at least in the short- to mid-term.

So are these autumn releases as interesting from a consumer perspective as from a professional perspective?

That's the question; answers on a postcard...

Below you'll find the wine launches I'm most excited about this autumn.

Pick of the bunch

They're here because they're among the best – partly a matter of vintage, and partly the result of continuous refinement and adaptation in the vineyards and cellars.

Solaia 2023 is perhaps the best I've ever tasted, pairing generous fruits with a beautiful vertical shape.

For me, Masseto 2023 is not quite up to the supreme standard set by the 2021 – but that's an incredibly high bar. Like Solaia, there's generosity and juiciness to the fruit in 2023, accented by pretty aromatics.

Masseto's little brother, Massetino, is a strange beast as it's made in even smaller quantities than the grand vin. I love its vibrancy and saline, breezy character in 2024, making this a hard-to-resist buy.

Petrolo's take on a 100% Merlot is particularly finessed in 2024, making this latest Galatrona bottling – for me – the most compelling vintage to buy to date.

I recall tasting a sample of La Massa's Asiram (yet another 100% Merlot) debut 2019 vintage before its official launch and being suitably impressed. This year I had the opportunity to taste the '19, '21 and '23 side by side, and there's clearly been a marked step up.

Like owner Giampaolo Motta, the wine is no shrinking violet – but there's great balance and complexity in the 2023, combining Panzano's intrinsic warmth with careful work in the vineyard and cellar.

Giampaolo says that flagship Giorgio Primo 2023 reminds him of Sin Qua Non, such is the generosity of fruit (do you see a vintage theme developing here?). It's a viscous, rich yet brilliantly fresh and balanced wine that will reward mid- to long-term ageing.

Caiarossa is a comparatively affordable buy (particularly when compared to most of the other wines on this list), but focusing on its value does the wine a disservice – the estate works with small plots and micro-vinifications to really draw the most from this seven-grape blend.

Cepparello needs little introduction. A prime Sangiovese bottling, the 2023 is both succulent and fine-boned, making for a classy drop exuding 2023's generous nature.

Siepi, a striking 50/50 blend of Sangiovese and Merlot, is a slightly lighter, juicier interpretation in 2024. Zesty and harmonious, it encapsulates all the drinkability I'm coming to love in Tuscany's 2024s, but will also reward short- to mid-term cellaring.

The only non-Tuscan wine on this list, Girolamo Russo's Feudo 2024 from Etna follows on from a grim 2023 vintage for the estate's reds where owner Giuseppe Russo bottled no cru wines at all.

Thankfully the 2024s fared much better (thanks in part to hard work in the vineyards), and Feudo Rosso is full of energy, capable of displaying all of Nerello Mascalese's beauty.

Italian autumn fine wine releases

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