2023 Bolgheri Rosso

A blend of 50% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Syrah. Aged for 10 months in barriques and concrete vats. Glowing crimson. Polished tannins and sweet fruit. At the moment, the finish is quite drying but there is plush fruit on the way there and this coastal wine should please eventually. (JR)

Full bottle 1,139 g. Blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah from three vineyards planted between 1999 and 2015. Vineyards are managed organically with some biodynamic practices (preparation 500, horn manure, and preparation 501, silica. They also use propolis, valerian and nettle teas. There is a specific focus on reducing use of copper. On the inter-rows they cover crop with mustard greens and legumes, mow, bury green manure and do shallow tillage. Fertilisation is with humus and manure. Very low yields of 1 kg/vine. Fermented and macerated for about 15 days in steel tank. Aged for 10 months, 70% in 225/228-litre second, third, and fourth passage barriques, 30% in concrete. Bottled January 2025. 140,000 bottles produced.  I love that this wine estate, run by owner Cinzia Merli, makes a note on the press kit that of the 35 employees working there, 11 are under 40 and 53% are female. Brava. The Bolgheri Rosso is billed as their 'fresh wine' and it is exactly that. Red cherry, pomegranate molasses and cinnamon-stick spice on the nose and then kerpow! Exploding into scarlet sweetness in the mouth. The fruit has tremendous energy and intensity, barely held to some semblance of decency by a kohl smudge of tannins and a scribble of thyme. It's delicious, which is, surely, it's calling. (TC)

Moving to the reds, the 2023 Bolgheri Rosso boasts a youthful medium ruby red color, while the nose is pretty and floral with aromas of dusty earth, mixed berries, fresh herbs, and violets. The palate has a lot of focus and a bright, refreshing spine of acidity, fine tannins, and a clean, lightly mineral-inflected savoriness on the finish. A fantastic entry to the range with a huge potential for value, drink it over the next 8-10 years. It has a lot of precision and focus at this time and will only improve with another 6-12 months in the bottle.