2010 Castello di Bossi Corbaia 750 ml

“AIA’s” Newest Super Tuscan Star

Marco and Maurizio Bacci’s “Corbaia” is drawn off a magnificent property set in the southernmost edge of Chianti Classico. Bracketed by evergreens, the brothers’ Castello di Bossi is a sprawling estate of several hundred acres. Just 18 of those acres are farmed to tiny yields destined for the 20,000-bottle production of “Corbaia.”

As at Sassicaia and Solaia, everything that ends up in a bottle of “Corbaia” is meticulously planted and then tended. Exposure is a perfect south-southwest. The 1,400-foot-high hillsides are more reminiscent of Côte-Rôtie than most Tuscan slopes, their soils strewn with jagged chunks of limestone. The vineyard work is carried out entirely by hand, employing a spur-pruned cordon system. For years, the proprietors nursed the vines along and turned out solid wines, albeit blends that took a back seat to Tignanello. But not long after the brothers brought in super-enologist Alberto Antonini, “Corbaia” began reaching new heights. Finally, in 2007, the Baccis put the wine world on notice, releasing a rich, exotic blend that brought Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate to its knees.

The 2010 “Corbaia” may well be the most brilliant blend ever drawn off these calcareous slopes. Brilliant, deep ruby to the rim with lavish aromas of black cherry, raspberry, and white pepper, gently framed by new-wood cedar. Richly textured and tightly wound on the attack — the mouthfeel alone is worth the price of admission — packed with sweet red-fruit preserves and sweet spice. If the flavor profile is Burgundian, the structure is textbook Pauillac, floral and elegant yet braced by dusty tannins. Drink now-2030.

93 points from Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate.