97 JS / 96 WA

$129.89/bottle (In Stock) - Buy Now

20% below market

"Elegance and complexity" from Bordeaux varieties grown on the Tuscan coast

The coast of Tuscany known as the Maremma (either from the Latin for “coastal region” or perhaps from the Spanish for “swamp”) was an important agricultural area in both Etruscan and Roman times, as they had subterranean canals to drain the water away. There were important economic centers with busy ports. When the Roman empire went into decline the fertile lands were covered in swamps and coastal marshes, where many died from malaria. Descriptions of the depths of the problems in the area even showed up in Dante’s “Inferno”. For many years the area was only used for winter grazing.

Eventually, starting just before the second World War and continuing through the 1950s, the waters were drained away and the land was reclaimed for agriculture. 

The estate of Tenuta di Biserno lies in the northern part of the Maremma, right outside the village of Bolgheri. Ludovico Antinori was originally looking to expand the Ornellaia estate when he came upon a hilly, stony estate called Biserno. He realized it needed its own grapes, its own identity. And from this estate they began to produce a wine that is basically equal parts Cab, Cab Franc and Merlot, with a touch of Petit Verdot. The resulting wine is as unique and potentially amazing as its cousins in the area. 

Time to add this to your cellar so you can say you knew it when…

2018 Tenuta di Biserno Biserno

$129.89/bottle (In Stock) - Buy Now

20% below market average

97 JS / 96 WA

Very subtle aromas of blackberries, black olives, tobacco, cedar and wet earth. Wild mushrooms, such as oyster mushrooms. Full-bodied with firm, very silky tannins and succulent fruit. Extremely refined and balanced with a long, racy finish. Great complexity. What 2017 had in concentration, this has in elegance and complexity. Wonderful length. A blend of 28% cabernet franc, 35% cabernet sauvignon and 32% merlot, the rest petit verdot. Try after 2025, but already an impressive young wine.—James Suckling

The 2018 Biserno is a beast of a wine (packaged in a heavy glass bottle) that fills the room with its perfumes as you pour the wine into your glass. The bouquet is thickly layered and rich with potent notes of ripe blackberry and blackish plum followed by baker's chocolate, spice and dark mahogany or cigar box. Excellent work has been achieved to tame the tannins, and the wine offers a long, polished feel and an impactful, full-bodied presence. The blend of fruit used here (from a seven-hectare parcel) is 28% Cabernet Franc, 32% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Petit Verdot. Production is 30,000 bottles.—Monica Larner, The Wine Advocate

Also from Tenuta di Biserno:

2018 Il Pino di Biserno

95 WE / 93 WA

$65.99/bottle (In Stock) - Buy Now