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B-21 Top Recommendation Read More
“These wonderful wines have a savory and mineral accent, with an open window for enjoyment at a great price point.”
Audrey Frick, Jeb Dunnuck
From the pioneering champion of Sangiovese in Tuscany’s Bolgheri region, the rich and refined 95 pt. 2021 Michele Satta Piastraia Bolgheri Superiore reveals fresh, spiced dark fruit and vibrant acidity on a long, satisfying finish, a knockout Super Tuscan blend among the best values on the Wine Spectator’s Top 100 of 2024 and now unbeatably priced to stock the cellar.
Working as a consultant to some of Bolgheri’s earliest estates, Michele Satta became known as an expert in its coastal terroir, planting many of the region’s first vineyards including Ornellaia’s legendary Masseto and founding his winery in Castagneto Carducci two years before the Bolgheri DOC was established in 1982. Described by Jeb Dunnuck as producing accessible blends “with a unique elegance and sense of place from varietals not often championed on the Bolgheri coast,” Michele remained convinced of the area’s potential for producing Sangiovese despite its growing reputation for international grapes, now producing his portfolio from the family’s biodynamically farmed 24-hectare estate along with his son and second generation winemaker Giacomo Satta. Described by the Wine Advocate’s Monica Larner as embodying “the fierce spirit of independence that is encapsulated in all of Satta’s wines,” the 2021 Michele Satta Piastraia Bolgheri Superiore is a blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 20% Sangiovese, each varietal fermented separately with natural yeasts in cone-truncated oak barrels and aged in 20% new French oak for 18 months and another 24 months in bottle, yielding a fresh, vibrant blend with well-integrated acidity and harmonious tannins built to evolve over the next decade and showing “the potential of Sangiovese in this part of the Tuscan coast” according to critic Kerin O’Keefe.
Described by the Wine Advocate’s Monica Larner as reflecting Satta’s “remarkably smooth and elegant” house style, the graceful and silky 95 pt. 2021 Michele Satta Piastraia Bolgheri Superiore is built on a substantial backbone of depth and complexity that “makes you sit up and take notice,” according to Decanter’s James Button, a deliciously enticing and age worthy Super Tuscan blend made all the more appealing by a terrific value price. |
95WS #18 Top 100
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The core flavors of black currant, black cherry and pomegranate are shaded by mint, violet, iron and toasty oak notes in this dense, rich red, with a matrix of polished tannins for support. The balance is excellent, as is the aftertaste. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Sangiovese. Best from 2026 through 2040. 2,900 cases made, 1,000 cases imported.
95 points, Bruce Sanderson, Wine Spectator (Oct 2024)
#18 - Wine Spectator Top 100 of 2024
A firm and composed red showing walnuts, dried herbs, clay, black fruit and cedar on the nose. It’s full-bodied, polished and compact, with firm yet fine-grained tannins. Toasted walnut character on a long finish. Drink from 2025.
94 points, James Suckling (Aug 2024)
With energetic fresh and dried cherries, plummy hints, a saline streak and a touch of bitter herbs, this is an invigorating Superiore which makes you sit up and take notice. It's still very youthful and the wood clamps down hard on the finish, so give it time to harmonise and enjoy this benchmark Bolgheri red!
93 points, James Button, Decanter (Aug 2024)