"Giovanna's wines are pure, bright, fresh and juicy, with bracing acidity and lingering flavors of red fruit and flowers." — Eric Asimov, NYT

When I have the opportunity to prove that Chianti Classico can show grace and pristine fruit quality akin to Red Burgundy, I use Giovanna Morganti's Le Trame as my first example. I implore you to trust this will be your moment of clarity for Sangiovese. Importer Neal Rosenthal's Montevertine is a benchmark for the region, but his other discovery, Le Boncie, better illustrates Sangiovese's sometimes elusive, fruit-forward profile and silken tannins. Earlier this year, Eric Asimov of the New York Times included Le Trame in his top ten list of Chianti Classicos. Giovanna farms her fives hectares using organic and biodynamic principles. I could go down the rabbit hole on farming, fermentation, and aging specifics, but I'd like to cut this one short and say: This is a profound wine that's a joy to drink. I've lost count of the number of times I've used this bottling to convince friends that Sangiovese can be fun, approachable, and deadly serious.

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One of the highlights of my summer trip to Tuscany in 2017 was the in-depth visit atop Montalcino with Alberto Passeri of La Gerla. These vines originally belonged to Franco Biondi-Santi—creator of the first Brunello di Montalcino—though Franco's disgruntled sister sold a small slice of their land to Sergio Rossi in 1976.

Named after the small wooden picking bins worn on one's back, La Gerla is an homage to the vineyard workers who worked tirelessly to bring in the best raw materials. Today, the estate encompasses 12 hectares of vines, all farmed organically. Once in botti, the wines showing more approachability in their youth are bottled as Rosso di Montalcino. This is one of the best deals in traditional Montalcino!

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My great fondness for the traditional wines of Tuscany is no secret, but generally, I've kept Super Tuscans at arm's length. Dominated by Bordeaux variety blends, the category has overwhelmingly spoken less about place and more about a global-capitulating, one-size-fits-all model. Finding examples I'm truly passionate about that don't start at $200-plus upon release has been a challenge, but that all changed with Tenuta di Trinoro's Le Cupole.

Andrea Franchetti's property sits in a remote southeast corner of Tuscany. Le Cupole, the second label of Tenuta di Trinoro, is all about open accessibility with the same sophistication as their top-end, single-vineyard wines. Cupole's blend of Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Petit Verdot is planted on clay and limestone, mirroring Bordeaux's right bank.

Cupole succeeds in grasping my attention due to a remarkable sense of balance, freshness, and crazy deliciousness still rooted in the variety's tell-tale characteristics. Antonio Galloni of Vinous wrote, "The 2018 Le Cupole is a delicious entry-level offering from Trinoro. Freshly cut flowers, sweet red berry, mint, and blood orange all run through the 2018." The finish persists with the sort of lingering minerality that is commonly achieved in Bordeaux but that Super Tuscans often fall short of.

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