2013 Tenuta Degli Dei Cavalli Toscana IGT 750 ml

The Bottle That’s Eluded American Drinkers...Until Today

For Super Tuscan enthusiasts and Italian collectors, today’s wine should be setting off alarm bells. Some will have already hit “buy” just from reading the subject line alone. Simply put, the 2013 Tenuta Degli Dei Cavalli is impossible to find in the United States, depriving stateside drinkers of one of Tuscany’s opulent masterpieces, a study in sun-drenched ripe fruit and herbal, cigar-tinged aromatics. Except for today.

We went nuts for this wine after sampling it at a trattoria in Florence, where we were immediately pulled in by its explosive aromas of crushed black fruits, sweet spice, and red currant, laced with cedar. When the scores came out, it was clear the critics had experienced the same reaction. “Gorgeous” said James Suckling, awarding 94 points and praising the “rich style” that “remains so velvety.” Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate hailed it as “a terrific expression from a crisp and cooler vintage.” “All class,” declared Vinous.

And this ruby gem is just getting started after six years in bottle. With another six years, this will be one of the silkiest, most polished Tuscan reds in your cellar, and one you secured at a price nobody will believe.

The Cavalli in the name is Roberto Cavalli, the famous fashion designer who had been coming to this picturesque Tuscan village—a stone’s throw from the stunning Romanesque parish church in San Leolino—since the early 1970s. He eventually bought the breathtaking estate, which came with a small vineyard that was in complete disrepair. In 2000, Roberto’s son Tommaso Cavalli set about planting the vineyard anew.

Roberto may not have known it, but he had stumbled across a genuine viticultural goldmine—quite literally. The estate is located in the heart of Tuscany’s iconic Conca d’Oro, or “golden basin” an amphitheater-like cradle seemingly custom-made for grape growing, offering an ideal microclimate, high-altitude vineyards, and south-facing orientation.

And even better, Tommaso realized after commissioning a study of the terroir, was the soil. Well-draining and rich in the local rock Galestro, it was perfectly tailored to Bordeaux varieties, making for wines of marvelous structure and depth, characterized by a vivid mineral streak.

When it comes to Tuscany, this is so often the expression we crave: a cigar box nose overflowing with black and red fruit, dusty tannins, and a round, soft mouthfeel. With 94 points to its name and a price tag that seems like a calculating error, you shouldn’t have to think twice.