Caiarossa 2017

This has sharp pepper and spice overtones with full blasts of sage, toast and cinnamon. 2017 was one of the hottest recorded vintages in Tuscany, and while the alcohol is well balanced in the overall structure, you feel the warmth tearing through the exuberant and exotic fig and raspberry purée fruit. Rich, powerful and concentrated, with some dryness to the tannins on the finish, but overall this is seductive and well balanced. Tuscan estate located in the Maremma and owned by the Albada family of Château Giscours. Blend completed by 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Alicante (Mourvedre), 3% Sangiovese, 5% Petit Verdot. Farmed biodynamically.

A fresh, chewy red with brightness and coolness for this ripe vintage. Medium body. Pretty fruit. Dark-berry, wet-earth and mushroom flavors. From biodynamically grown grapes. Cabernet franc, merlot, syrah, cabernet sauvignon, petit verdot and alicante. Drinkable now, but better in 2022 and onwards.

Powerful, bright ruby-violet. Opens with notes of graphite and tobacco, rich dark berries, above all blueberry and elderberry, with some eucalyptus. Also shows plenty of tobacco on the palate, unfolding with grippy tannins, deep, earthy notes, a touch of tomato paste, firm drive on the finish but also drying; would certainly benefit from ageing.

The organic 2017 Caiarossa (made with Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Sangiovese, Syrah and Alicante) displays bright and focused fruit, framed by an elegant mineral note of crushed limestone. The fruit is presented as dark cherry and sweet blackberry, but the wine also shows savory tones of tobacco and cured leather. However, those candied cherry and raspberry notes emerge with distinction and underline the heat of the vintage. The tannins are a bit dusty and bitter.