2012 Poggio Bonelli Poggiassai Toscana IGT is sold out.

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  • 94 pts Wine Spectator
    94 pts WS
  • 100 pts WineAccess Travel Log
    100 pts WATL
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2012 Poggio Bonelli Poggiassai Toscana IGT 750 ml

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  • Curated by unrivaled experts
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  • Temperature controlled shipping options
  • Get credited back if a wine fails to impress

Wine Spectator’s 100-point Winemaker: Carlo Ferrini and the “Head-Turner”

In 2006, Wine Spectator named Carlo Ferrini’s 2001 Casanova di Neri Brunello di Montalcino Cerretalto “one of the greatest Brunellos of all time” and awarded it 100 points — one of just two Brunellos to ever reach the apex. Ferrini quickly jumped to the top of the list as one of the most recognized Tuscan winemakers for massively concentrated, lavish, and layered Sangiovese. Suffice it to say that Poggio Bonelli had struck gold in 2000, when Ferrini came on board to the Castelnuovo Berardenga estate in the heart of Chianti Classico.

At Poggio Bonelli, Ferrini would go on to produce a broad-shouldered, New World-style Sangiovese-Cabernet blend that would not only rival Piero Antinori’s 95-point 2012 “Solaia” in Chianti Classico ($325/bottle), but ECLIPSE it at just a fraction of the price!

The early spring of 2012 was cool and dry in Chianti Classico. Flowering started slightly later than in recent vintages. Rains arriving in late spring prepared the vines for the hot, dry spell ahead, which started in June and carried on until late August. Anxieties ran high in Chianti until the rain clouds returned briefly, rehydrating the vines as canopies began to fully develop and berries began to enjoy a relatively speedy ripening. September and October were mild, allowing the fruit to complete the ripening cycle with nice skin-to-juice ratios. The result: a concentrated harvest between the last week of September and first weeks of October, making for firmly structured, elegant, and rich wines.

Drawn from the family’s Castelnuovo Berardenga estate vineyard at 250 meters in elevation in the heart of Chianti Classico, Ferrini’s 2012 Poggio Bonelli “Poggiassai” is Sangiovese blended with some Cabernet Sauvignon. Wine Spectator called it a “head-turner,” and our heads turned when we saw Spectator tag it as “Highly Recommended.”

Intense ruby-red to the rim with a luscious bouquet of red fruits, tobacco, pepper, and chocolate. Pliant and bright on the attack, loaded with red cherries, black currant, crushed violets, and new-wood cedar (aged 16-18 months in barrique). Finishing long with fine, dusty tannins and freshness, arguing elegantly for 6-8 years of cellar slumber. Is it the most compelling under-$40 Italian red of the year? Wine Spectator thinks so.

94 points from Wine Spectator. 600 bottles are up for grabs before the U.S. allocation hits port. Shipping included on 4.