Antinori (Guado al Tasso), Matarocchio, IGT 2021

The 2021 Matarocchio, 100% Cabernet Franc, opens with captivating aromatics. A wine of total allure and seduction, the 2021 screams with varietal character. The 2021 will spend at least another year in bottle before being released. It may gain weight over that time, we will see. Today, what impresses most is the wine's energy and intense, saline-infused finish.

Beautiful aromas of blackcurrants, fresh bay leaves and basil, with just a hint of sandalwood. Medium-bodied with a center-palate of firm, fine tannins. The finish goes on and on. A fantastic single-vineyard cabernet franc. A wine to watch in the future, as many producers in the appellation of Bolgheri transition to cabernet franc. Give it three or four years.

A new secret weapon for an estate that has increasingly embraced Cabernet Franc as an exceptionally well-suited variety to the Tuscan coast, the Marchesi Antinori 2021 Bolgheri Superiore Guado al Tasso Matarocchio opens with an elegant lifted note of curry leaf and sweet bay leaf that transitions into concentrated blackberry and blackcurrant. With a bit of air, the bouquet builds toward refined tones of graphite and pencil shaving that add contouring and precision. The finish is marked by poised intensity and polished, sweet tannins that linger with clarity. Produced only in top vintages, this 2021 marks the 10th edition of the wine since its debut in 2007. Production is limited to 4,000 bottles.

Super-premium Matarocchio is a single-vineyard Cabernet Franc which demands time to show at its best. It opens with dark fruit aromas and a hit of roasted coffee beans, followed by an intense mouthful of very tightly coiled red and black berries, with a sturdy wooden frame and locked-down tannins. The finish is fresh and saline. Tons of potential – but give it time.