Tasting notes:

What a find, and further proof that Bordeaux grapes – particularly Cabernet Franc and Merlot – perform brilliantly in Tuscan soils. This top expression from Ruffino brings together Cabernet Franc and Merlot with native Tuscan grape Colorino to yield a wine of deep colour, warming alcohol and rich fruit – much more than one would find with Sangiovese-dominant reds – but still a typically Italian, firm tannic structure and fresh acidity. As for the flavours, there’s plenty of ripe fruit, with a lovely combination of fleshy red cherry, juicy plums and concentrated blackberry, along with some sweet balsamic notes and then a Bounty bar-like mix of chocolate and coconut from the 24 months this wine spends in new French oak. Delicious. (Patrick Schmitt MW)