2016 Sassetti La Querciolina Montecucco Rosso Tuscany 750 ml

When we offer a high-value Tuscan red, the price usually hovers around $25—which is why today’s 2016 La Querciolina is such a stunner. Produced by one of the founding families of Brunello, this 100% Sangiovese is newly available on US shores. Given its 93 points and incredible price, this any-occasion, don’t-need-a-reason wine certainly won’t be here for long. 

This is the quintessential front-of-cellar red—a wine to open without hesitation—because there’s no dinner, no Netflix night, and no gathering that it won’t take to the next level. Showing an inviting and intricate dark core with a slight ruby rim, it bursts with aromas of violets and dried red roses, dark cherry compote, and savory herbs. It’s layered, elegant, and vivacious, with a dried red-fruit entry followed by layers of herbes de Provence, licorice, and a lengthy finish. Vinous called it “gorgeous and an amazing value,” and we agree.

La Querciolina may be affordable, but it’s backed by some serious Brunello know-how. Livio Sassetti was one of the founding fathers of the Consorzio del Vino Brunello di Montalcino in 1967, and his family has produced traditional Brunello for more than a century. In 1999, Livio’s son Lorenzo established La Querciolina in the Maremma, the coastal region of Tuscany known for producing priceless Super Tuscans like Sassicaia and Ornellaia.

Instead of following the Maremma playbook—producing a Bordeaux-style red and charging well into triple digits for it—Lorenzo followed a more populist path, bottling under the Montecucco Rosso label. Same grape, same ultra-food-friendliness as Sangiovese from Brunello and Chianti, but minus those regions’ lofty price tags.

Don’t get us wrong: We’re all for Brunello, Chianti Classico, and the stellar Super Tuscans—but with La Querciolina in our glasses, we don’t miss the higher-priced wines of Italy. This juicy, mouthwatering 100% Sangiovese brims with red fruit, acidic verve, and soft tannins, and we didn’t hesitate to open a second, then a third bottle. At this price, you won’t either—as long as you’re all stocked up!