2017 La Berta Sangiovese di Romagna Superiore Solano Emilia-Romagna 750 ml

Crafted by one of the greatest winemaking families in the world, the 2017 La Berta Superiore Solano is a single-site Sangiovese with the kind of honed purity and traditional structure we’d expect from a classic Brunello di Montalcino. At just $20, it’s a fantastically overdelivering Italian red that we’ll struggle to keep in stock. 

The signature release of the La Berta estate, it’s a product of the Poggiali family: the same clan that operates Fattoria di Fèlsina, which has been called the “Chateau Margaux of Tuscany,” by critics and “one of the great estates in the world,” according to Vinous’ Antonio Galloni. 

Just as Fèlsina’s Chianti Classicos are reference point wines for the region, used by sommeliers studying for their Master of Wine exams, so this angular, savory 2017 Solano is destined to be a benchmark bottling for Emilia-Romagna. And right now it’s priced for stocking up.

Emilia-Romagna is the culinary capital of Italy, home to list-topping, Michelin-starred restaurants from the likes of chef Massimo Bottura that attract gourmands from around the world. The rich, fertile land produces some of this country’s most famous cheeses, vinegars, and prosciutto, alongside wines that beautifully reflect the region’s earthy, homespun soul.

This 91-point, single-vineyard release is the kind that almost never makes it beyond Italy’s borders. It hails from a high, narrow plot of land poised between a ravine and a wall of ancient forests. Replanted in the 2000s, the vines capture the concentration and mineral depth born of the land’s geological complexity, where sand and marine sediments mix with clay.

The Poggiali family is originally from Ravenna in Emilia-Romagna, so they already knew what the terroir was capable of producing. When the opportunity arose in 2009 to acquire the 50-acre La Berta, the allure of growing Sangiovese here was so strong, it brought the Tuscan legends back home.

At La Berta, they employ the same organic and biodynamic farming practices perfected at Fèlsina, which result in gorgeous site transparency. Only the best bunches make it into the stainless steel tanks for the Solano, where they age for ten months, which helps preserve the grapes' natural acidity. The wine is further aged in bottle before release, helping to soften the cedar-tinged tannins.

Bursting with aromas of ripe Morello cherries, sage, violets, and cedar, the Superiore Solano would be the perfect accompaniment to a creamy bowl of cacio e pepe or Friday night pizza. 

From the hands of Italian masters, this is the kind of wine that Emilia-Romagna’s gourmands drink on a nightly basis. Now you can too, at an unbeatable price.