2017 Fattoria Le Pupille Saffredi Maremma Toscana Magnum (1.5 L) Magnum

Ornellaia. Sassicaia. Tignanello.

Saffredi is one Tuscany’s perennial overachievers, and the regal 2017 earned 97 points from Wine Advocate, beating out collector-favorite icons of the region. Now in its 30th vintage, Saffredi is a Super Tuscan stalwart of immense quality. 

Fattoria Le Pupille flew under the radar for years in the humble and nondescript DOC of Morellino di Scansano, but that all changed in 1984, when Elisabetta Geppetti inherited her family’s small estate. She also retained the services of consulting winemaker Giacomo Tachis, the late Antinori ace who would go on to be crowned Decanter’s Man of the Year.

When she took over, Super Tuscan wines had started to make some inroads in the market, and Tachis encouraged her to make one at Le Pupille. The Saffredi blend was born in 1987, and with Tachis’s name attached, it started garnering some serious attention. All of a sudden, the out-of-the-way Le Pupille estate and its flagship wine were being mentioned in the same breath as Sassicaia, Ornellaia, and other Super Tuscans taking the world by storm.

Geppetti’s impact has been long-lasting. Now, more than three decades later, she’s known as “The Lady of Morellino” and the “Ambassador of Maremma,” largely thanks to the success of Saffredi, one of the region’s marquee wines.

Grown on a sandstone-heavy 35-acre vineyard planted mostly to Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, the blend (which includes 5% Petit Verdot) spends 18 months in 80% new French oak barriques, which polishes its tannins, yielding a rich and long-finishing classic. This is a bottle that stands with—and above—the biggest names in the region, and it's an indispensable addition to any cellar.