2019 Fattoria Le Pupille Poggio Valente Toscana Rosso 750 ml

Wine Spectator dubbed it “grape heaven.”

They were talking about the promised land of Morellino di Scansano, an Eden of sun-kissed hills just miles from the Tyrrhenian Sea, which produces some of Tuscany’s liveliest, most food-friendly Sangiovese. Spectator called Fattoria Le Pupille the region’s “reigning monarch”—and the 2019 Poggio Valente shows exactly why.

“This wine always stands out in my mind,” Wine Advocate’s Monica Larner wrote at the start of her review. Boasting the generous fruit and hypnotizing complexity you expect from wines twice the price, this bottling earned a stunning 95-point score from Larner and Advocate—higher than Bibi Graetz’s iconic $100 Testamatta.

Poggio Valente’s vineyard sits 280 meters above sea level and has an ideal southeast aspect—the better to catch the morning sun. Vines anchored in a mix of stones and sandstone soils complete the terroir, laying the groundwork for exceptional grapes that ultimately result in a truly distinguished wine. 

The 2019 Fattoria Le Pupille Poggio Volante is the masterwork of winemaker Elisabetta Geppetti—the perfect person to showcase what Morellino can do. Her connection to the land is strong, having inherited the estate at age 20, and her iconic Saffredi bottling possesses the same status among collectors as Solaia, Ornellaia, and Sassicaia. Her 30 years of experience in the region have earned her the unofficial title of “Ambassador of Maremma,” and the epithet “Lady of Morellino.” In 1992, she became the first chairperson of the Consortium of Morellino di Scansano, further burnishing her reputation.

Geppetti’s persistence has kept Le Pupille in the upper echelon, and in the cellar, the result of her efforts is the Poggio Valente, a wine of richness and grace.