October 30, 2019 | by Christian Eder
VINUM.DE | EXTRA REPORTS
SPECIAL 2020 – TOP OF TOSKANA
“Pure Sangiovese, a great vintage 2016“
“…renowned oenologist, Vittorio Fiore, has been cultivating 15 hectares of vineyards and producing olive oil at his own Podere Poggio Scalette winery near Greve in Chianti since the early 1990s. His main focus is also on his own estate of the Sangiovese grape, to which he dedicates his premium wine Carbonaione“
17/20 | IL CARBONAIONE 2016 IGT Alta Valle della Greve
“A captivating nose of stone fruit and leather, spiced with floral aromas; promising construction with breed cut, harmonious conclusion of notes of fresh fruit, tobacco and leather”.
November 26, 2019 | by James Suckling
JAMESSUCKLING.COM | TOP 100 WINES OF ITALY 2019
In his ““, James Suckling places Il Carbonaione 2016 IGT Alta Valle della Greve at #88.
97/100 | IL CARBONAIONE 2016 IGT Alta Valle della Greve
“What a crazy nose of pure fruit, featuring pressed violets, lavender, dark plums, cherry compote, orange rind, lemon zest, boysenberries, vanilla, Thai basil and bay leaf. The fruit is so overt and generous, yet presented in an unimaginably sleek way, the firm tannins keeping it compact and silky throughout, while the tangy acidity cuts right through to the long, structured finish. Drink in 2023”
November 22, 2019 | by John Fodera
TUSCAN VINES
“In “New Release: Carbonaione 2016”, John Fodera reviews the POGGIO SCALETTE , giving the wine a rating of . Fodera gives background on the winery, including a comment from the owner Vittorio Fiore on how he extracts such depths of color from Sangiovese. Fodera describes the wine, ““.
November 22, 2019 | by Othmar Kiem & Simon Staffler
FALSTAFF | Trophy Chianti Classico Annata
90/100 | POGGIO SCALETTE 2018 DOCG Chianti Classico
“Bright ruby red with a delicately lightening edge. On the nose, young plums and red currants, delicate violets. On the palate it is juicy with bright fruits, it embraces a beautiful range, young, of excellent drink”
November 11, 2019 | by James Suckling
JamesSuckling.com | ITALY’S INCREDIBLE YEAR: ABOUT 6,400 WINES RATED
93/100 | CAPOGATTO 2016 IGT Alta Valle della Greve
“I like the energy of this red, which shows lavender, violets, citrus, cumin, Thai basil and cinnamon. Firm and tangy on a medium-to full-bodied palate with excellent balance and finesse. Tight tannins and cutting acidity make their mark here in classy style. Drink from 2021”.
87/100 | PIANTONAIA 2016 IGT Alta Valle della Greve
“Fascinating aromas of cherries and plums with hints of tomato stem, following through to a full body, with intense tomato-paste flavors and a polished, tannic finish. Some may like it, but I find it a little odd. Tasted twice with consistent notes. Drink now”.
October 9, 2019 | by Don Kavanagh
WINE-SEARCH-CORP
In “Italy’s Best Value Wines”, Don Kavanagh shares a list of best value wines from Italy. These wines come highly recommended and are relatively widely available in the United States. Included on the best value wines list is ()
September 19, 2019 | by Monica Larner
eRobertParker.com | “ITALY, TUSCANY: CHIANTI CLASSICO NEW RELEASES & A NEW WAVE OF ITALIAN ICONS“
94/100 | CAPOGATTO 2016 IGT Alta Valle della Greve
“A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot, the 2016 Capogatto is a beautifully intense and focused wine with plump cherry and blackberry aromas. The bouquet is delivered like an arrow, shot with pinpoint precision. The wine shows elegance and freshness on the close, a great accompaniment to veal and provolone involtini”
88/100 | PIANTONAIA 2016 IGT Alta Valle della Greve
“From a one-hectare vineyard, the 2016 Piantonaia is a ripe red wine with syrupy aromas of cherry confit and blackberry preserves. There is more than enough ripe fruit here, as well as notes of tar, resin and scorched earth. You get lots of cherry liqueur and crème de cassis in pure form and some hot vintage sweetness on the close. This Merlot feels too ripe and sweet, but it’s still a good picnic wine for some tacos de carnitas with plenty of squeezed lime, salt and cilantro”
August 22, 2019 | by Antonio Galloni
VINOUS | “2016 Chianti Classico – A Modern Day Benchmark“
92/100 | IL CARBONAIONE 2016 IGT Alta Valle della Greve
“The 2016 Il Carbonaione, 100% Sangiovese, is silky and nuanced. Less rich and explosive than it often is, the 2016 shows a more refined, understated side of Sangiovese for this wine. Sweet tobacco, dried herbs, mint, licorice and game add layers of complexity. The 2016 is pretty, but not the overachiever it so often is. Quite frankly, I expected more given the quality of the vintage”.
88/100 | POGGIO SCALETTE 2017 DOCG Chianti Classico
“oggio Scalette’s 2017 Chianti Classico is forward and juicy, as so many wines are in this vintage. Sweet red cherry, tobacco, spice and leather shape this racy, pliant Chianti Classico from Poggio Scalette. The 2017 is not terribly complex, but it is quite tasty”.
June 14, 2019 | by Tom Hyland
FORBES | NEW RELEASES FROM TUSCANY
In “”, Tom Hyland writes about Italian wine families he has come to trust over the years due to the consistent quality of their wines.
He includes providing a quick history of the winery and he writes “.”
EXCELLENT | IL CARBONAIONE 2016 IGT Alta Valle della Greve
“100% Sangiovese from vineyards averaging 80 years of age. Deep ruby red with inviting aromas of red and black cherry and plum, this is medium-full with nicely integrated wood notes (from medium-sized oak casks) and has a lengthy, appealing, well balanced finish. This is approachable now, but will be its best in another 5-7 years, and should peak a few years after that. Pair this with game birds or most grilled meats”.
VERY GOOD | POGGIO SCALETTE 2017 DOCG Chianti Classico
“100% Sangiovese that was fermented and aged in cement vats. Medium-full, this offers ripe black cherry fruit (2017 was a hot growing season), and notes of brown herbs, with medium-weight tannins. This is a bit sharp on its own, but it is so enjoyable with grilled meats. Enjoy this over the next 2-3 years”.
June 17, 2019 | by James Suckling
JamesSuckling.com | GET READY: THE SUPER ITALIANS ARE COMING
97/100 | IL CARBONAIONE 2016 IGT Alta Valle della Greve
“What a crazy nose of pure fruit, featuring pressed violets, lavender, dark plums, cherry compote, orange rind, lemon zest, boysenberries, vanilla, Thai basil and bay leaf. The fruit is so overt and generous, yet presented in an unimaginably sleek way, the firm tannins keeping it compact and silky throughout, while the tangy acidity cuts right through to the long, structured finish. Drink in 2023”.
91/100 | POGGIO SCALETTE 2017 DOCG Chianti Classico
“There’s lovely purity of fruit to this Chianti with dark plums, red cherries and lemon and orange zest. Medium body, fine tannins and a tangy finish. Drink now”.
May 31 2019 | by Monica Larner
eRobertParker.com | “ITALY, TUSCANY: RANDOM TUSCANY (New Releases)“
93/100 | IL CARBONAIONE 2016 IGT Alta Valle della Greve
“Vittorio Fiore’s 2016 Il Carbonaione is a robust expression of Sangiovese from a classic vintage. The wine is carefully balanced but also powerful at the same time, with bright cherry and wild berry aromas followed by tilled earth and garden herb. You also get lighter tones of licorice and tar at the back. Despite the opulence and generosity of the bouquet, the wine ultimately proves lean and elegantly streamlined in terms of mouthfeel”
91/100 | POGGIO SCALETTE 2017 DOCG Chianti Classico
“The Podere Poggio Scalette 2017 Chianti Classico opens to heightened intensity and extraction that is characteristic of this hot vintage. The fruit has gained in color darkness and flavor intensity thanks to the summer heat that reduced the size of the berries, thus increasing that deep, inner intensity. However, those Sangiovese-driven flavors of crunchy cherry and wild berry also come through as does the wine’s fresh acidity and tannic backbone”
may 1, 2019 | by Kerin O’Keefe
WINE ENTHUSIAST | BUYING GUIDE
91/100 | IL CARBONAIONE 2016 IGT Alta Valle della Greve
“Made with Sangiovese, this opens with aromas of dark-skinned berry, green peppercorn and leather. The savory palate delivers dried black cherry, clove, licorice and a touch of sage alongside firm fine-grained tannins”
89/100 | CAPOGATTO 2016 IGT Alta Valle della Greve
“This blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot opens with aromas of dark berry, toasted oak and tilled soil. The forward palate delivers black currant jam, roasted coffee bean and vanilla alongside smooth tannins”
89/100 | PIANTONAIA 2016 IGT Alta Valle della Greve
“Here’s a Merlot that opens with aromas of dark-skinned berry, bay leaf and baking spice. The chewy, medium-bodied palate offers blackberry jam, vanilla and mocha alongside velvety tannins”
April 1, 2019 | by AIS Toscana
TOSCANA SOMMELIER | Issue # 40 [pag 46-47] Apr. 2019
PERFORMANCE SENSORIALE | TUSCAN PREVIEWS TOP TEN WINES 2019
Gems of a trying year, followed by success for the Sangiovese
#1 TOP10 | 89.5/100 | POGGIO SCALETTE 2017 DOCG Chianti Classico
“Lovely ruby red-colored with youthful tinges. Concentrated aromas of small red fruit, lemonbalm, thyme and eucalyptus. mouth-filling on the palate, grippy and polished, juicy and all-embracing. The acidity and still-evolving and velvety tannins are enriched by savory and fruity notes coming back “
March 31, 2019 | by Bruce Sanderson
WINE SPECTATOR
88/100 | POGGIO SCALETTE 2017 DOCG Chianti Classico
“right black cherry fruit is the highlight of this sleek red. Earth and iron notes chime in as this lingers on the moderately long finish. Drink now through 2024”.
March 1, 2019 | by Bruce Sanderson
WINE SPECTATOR
92/100 | IL CARBONAIONE 2016 IGT Alta Valle della Greve
“A fruity style, boasting cherry and raspberry flavors and a light touch of oak spice. Leather, earth, iron and sanguine elements creep in as this gains air. Firms up, ending with a dusty finish. Sangiovese. Best from 2021 through 2033”.
February 24, 2019 | by Bruce Sanderson
WINE SPECTATOR
92/100 | CAPOGATTO 2016 IGT Alta Valle della Greve
“Buoyed by racy acidity, this features black currant and cherry flavors at the core, graced by iron, earth and tobacco notes. Tightly wound and concentrated despite the light-weight frame. Fine length. Best from 2021 through 2032”.
90/100 | PIANTONAIA 2016 IGT Alta Valle della Greve
“Jammy, with black cherry fruit allied to a thick, juicy texture. The tannins add a little burr as this finishes up, along with earth and spice accents. There’s no denying the exuberant fruit. Drink now through 2024”.
February 13, 2019 | by Othmar Kiem
FALSTAFF | Tasting Toscana Centrale – Viva il Chianti Classico!
90/100 | IL CARBONAIONE 2016 IGT Alta Valle della Greve
“Intense ruby red with dark core and a slightly violet edge. Very concentrated on the nose with a tendency to Rumtopf, light pepper and something of the carnation. Very juicy on the palate with fresh tannins and fresh fruit, in the central area a lot of plum, on the final salty and still very juicy”
87/100 | CAPOGATTO 2016 IGT Alta Valle della Greve
“Brilliant ruby red Intense nose with sun-dried tomatoes, then for ketchup, lightly paint and ink. On the palate the fruit is fresh but unbalanced, not exactly precise, it ends bitterly”
February 22, 2019 | by Antonio Galloni
VINOUS | “Chianti Classico 2015 & 2016: Right Place, Right Time”
95+/100 | IL CARBONAIONE 2015 IGT Alta Valle della Greve
“The 2015 Il Carbonaione is fabulous. It is also quite a bit more refined than I expected in this warm year. Nuanced, silky and light on its feet for such an intense wine, the 2015 a has a lot to offer. As has been the case in the past, I expect the 2015 won’t start to drink well until age ten or so. I am not sure I remember seeing a young Carbonaione with this much delineation and finesse. I can’t wait to see how it ages. Carbonaione remains one of the most under the radar wines in Italy”
94/100 | PIANTONAIA 2015 IGT Alta Valle della Greve
“The 2015 Piantonaia, 100% Merlot, is positively stellar. Rich, radiant and luscious in the glass, the Piantonaia is a wine that exudes class. Today, the flavors are quite primary. Readers should plan on cellaring the 2015 for at least a few years in order to gain more aromatic nuance and overall complexity”
93/100 | CAPOGATTO 2015 IGT Alta Valle della Greve
“The 2015 Capogatto is a blend of Merlot, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Fresh and perfumed in the glass, with lovely bright red-toned fruit, the 2015 has much to recommend it. The distinct red toned profile and mid-weight structure are not exactly in keeping with what one might expect from a Bordeaux-based blend, but all the elements are nicely balanced”