2018 Alta Valle della Greve Il Carbonaione Poggio Scalette

When Vittorio Fiore discovered the winery and the outstanding Carbonaione vineyard near Ruffoli (Greve, Chianti) in 1991, he immediately fell in love with the ancient vineyards. His speciality is Sangiovese. The vines of the original clone are more than 80 years old. He wanted to create a wine that is an expression of the grape and the outstanding terroir. His son Jurij is helping him with this. The Carbonaione is aged for around 14 months in French oak tonneaux with a capacity of 350 litres.

Grape variety: Sangiovese di Lamole

Color: dark black-red

Scent: strong aromas of dark berries, amarena cherries and spices

Taste: full and strong, sweet tannins, fruity and long aftertaste

James Suckling 97 points: Intense aromas of blue fruit, lavender and violets. Some sandalwood, too. Full-bodied with firm, silky tannins and beautiful fruit. Really racy and refined with excellent length. Drinkable now, but a few years of bottle age will make it even more beautiful. Try after 2023.

Antonio Galloni 96 points: The 2018 Il Carbonaione is one of the most elegant editions of this flagship wine I can remember tasting. Il Carbonaione is usually a rich, bombastic wine, but the 2018 is sleek, gracious and remarkably refined. The fruit was picked a week later than originally planned because of a family emergency. That results in an exotic Carbonaione that is beguiling but not at all heavy. I can't wait to see how it ages. 2026-2043

Falstaff 96 points: Dark garnet with a touch of purple. Noble nose with a fine spicy note, precious woods, rich blackberry and cassis, delicate hints of dark currants, minimal balsamic. Opens with a robust taste and dark, clear berry fruit, full of tension and complex, spreads beautifully over the tongue, long.