2021 Caiarossa IGT Toscana

95 POINTS: 2021 was a demanding but ultimately rewarding vintage in much of Tuscany, with a warm March encouraging an early budbreak. The summer was hot and dry, with some welcome rain arriving in early September. Warm and sunny days returned for harvest. This is a wine with great potential but at this stage it is still quite closed. ‘We do very little racking to avoid oxygen during ageing,’ states general manager Jérôme Poisson. With time in the glass, fleshy black and blue fruit aromas and flavours emerge, along with hints of Mediterranean scrub. Velvety tannins keep a tight grip, while the fruit sapidity is underlined by a lovely vein of salinity and a ferrous twist. Long and poised, some savoury, earthy elements make themselves known on the finish. 30% Syrah, 20% Cabernet Franc, 16% Merlot, 16% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Sangiovese, 6% Petit Verdot, 2% Grenache, each vinified separately before blending and ageing for around 14 months in French oak barrels, 30% new.