A rewarding, savoury and deliciously complex red blend of two great Italian red grapes - Barbera and Nebbiolo, which combine very happily in this juicy, earthy, sensationally complex and layered red. It is medium bodied, completely dry and rewardingly savoury, without any aspect of astringency. It's an outstanding wine at the price. 

The innovative style of this cuvée remains loyal to the discreet and balanced charm of the three Champenois grape varieties. No sugar has been added to the dosage.

This is a champagne with complex and seductive aromas of dried fruits and brioche combined with floral notes. These are further enhanced by the subtle charm of lemon verbena.

On the palate It exhibits a charming biscuity flavour with notes of white flesh fruits and a full and harmonious minerality which results in a sensational balanced finish.

Enjoy with gambas, grilled scallops and ceviche.

A fantastic value wine made by John Quarisa of Johhny Q wines. 

This is rich and savoury and certainly punches above its weight for the price. Deep red with hints of purple in the glass, the nose is fresh yet decadent, with notes of black cherry, blackberry, chocolate and spice. The palate offers warm spice and ripe berry flavours, complemented by smoke, spice and coffee notes. The finish is soft and smooth

Petite Sirah is a cross of Peloursin and Syrah and also goes by the name of Duriff.

There’s extraordinary energy in this wine. It displays a dark nose of black cherries, bramble fruit, violets, forest, licorice, bark, carob and leather. Density and tension dominate the full-bodied palate, with firm, velvety tannins. It’s slightly austere in the finish at the moment, yet it’s crunchy and full of potential. Try from 2026.

James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com - May 2025

96 Points

The 2022 Tignanello is all class and refinement. Crushed flowers, mint, white pepper, blood orange and cinnamon all grace a Tignanello defined by a decidedly sophisticated personality. The 2022 has started to flesh out nicely, especially in the mid-palate, but it remains very much on the understated side of things relative to most vintages.\

Antonio Galloni, Vinous - Jul 2025

Drink: 2027 – 2039

95 Points

Info on the wine.

Once regarded as a renegade wine, Antinori Tignanello has been a trend setter from the start and was the first Sangiovese to be aged in barriques, the first contemporary red wine blended with untraditional varieties (specifically Cabernet) and one of the first red wines in the Chianti Classico region that didn’t use white grapes. Today it is a blend  of Sangiovese (68%) with the balance being Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc.

Complex floral aromas lead into structured dark fruit, mocha and spice flavours in a wine with a medium body and beautifully balanced long finish. 

The history of Tignanello 

Tignanello was the first Sangiovese on the record to be aged in barriques, the first contemporary red wine blended with non traditional Tuscan grape varieties (specifically Cabernet Sauvignon) and one of the first red wines in the Chianti Classico region that didn’t use white grapes in the blend. All up, a big call. 

Piero Antinori first discovered the use of non indigenous grapes, and more specifically, those used in Bordeaux through his uncle Marchese Mario Incisa della Rochetta who had a vineyard at Tenuta San Guido in Bolgheri, and was making a wine using grapes better known as Bordeaux classics, such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Malbec, Petit Verdot et al. 

At first, this was for his own personal consumption, however was released in 1968 as the legendary Sassicaia.

Piero went off and forged his own path in Tuscany making wines from the local Sangiovese but also a select few made from Bordeaux grapes. This wine is a blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc - and as these wines are prohibited in Chianti, the wine is an IGT and not a DOCG. 

This brand new champagne not only looks good, it's a ultra brut style, which means it is dry in taste (and contains just 4.5 grams per litre of residual sugar). 

This is a blend of the three classic champagne grapes and the blend is 60 % Meunier, 30 % Chardonnay and 10 % Pinot Noir sourced from seven different parcels across the Côteaux Sud d'Épernay and Vallée de la Marne . Its rich flavours are derived from 40% of reserve wine, which was aged on lees in barrel. This portion contributes weight and texture as well as complexity in flavour.

It is fabulous drinking year round thanks to its full body and flavoursome style. 

What the reviews say...

Antonio Galloni, Vinous - 91 Points

"The NV Extra Brut Ultradition, the entry-level wine in this range, is wonderfully deep and fleshy, with plenty of Meunier character driving the blend. Dried pear, chamomile and spice are some of the notes that open in the glass. Generous and inviting, the Ultradition has plenty to offer. This release is based on 2017, with reserve wines from 2016 and 2015. Drink it over the next few years." 

Plenty of red currant, cedar, iron and terra cotta aromas follow through to a medium to full body with graphite, sandalwood, red currants and fresh Mediterranean herbs such as thyme and rosemary. The tannins are chewy but polished in texture. This is a Sassicaia that needs three or four years of bottle age to come together and soften. A structured wine for the cellar. Try after 2029.
98pts – James Suckling

The Tenuta San Guido 2022 Bolgheri Sassicaia reveals a beautiful fruit profile with fresh blackberry, tart cherry and Mediterranean tones of blue rosemary blooms and lavender sachet. I tasted this wine several times over the course of a few months, and it has already shown a happy evolution coming into slow focus like the faint colors that emerge from a Polaroid photograph. Indeed, the bouquet appeared more closed just a short while ago. The wine's strongest suit is its elegantly streamlined mouthfeel and its contained 13.5% alcohol content. These qualities add to the silky cleanness of the mouthfeel and the accessible freshness of this vintage. I am confident that this bottle will improve with time. It requires patience.
97+pts – Wine Advocate

A bit shy aromatically, this concentrated red exhibits flavors of black currant, black cherry, blackberry, tobacco and sweet spices that show a hint of eucalyptus, with assertive tannins that take hold as this evolves through the finish. Although closed and compact at this stage, this is balanced, fresh and long overall. Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2028 through 2045.
95pts – Wine Spectator

85 % Cabernet Sauvignon 15 % Cabernet Franc,

This is one of Italy's most sought after wines. Intense and complex. Medium bodied, with aromas of red fruits. A rich, fruit forward palate leads to an excellent, long finish.

Produttori del Barbaresco was founded in 1958 and now has 51 members who collectively own approximately 100 hectares of the entire appellation (itself nearly 700 hectares). This wine is a blend from various vineyards in the Barbaresco DOCG's limestone and clay soils, which are rich in calcium with sandy veins. 

Tornatore’s Etna Bianco is a white wine made from vines terraced on the north slope of the volcano. Mentholated hints of white fruit and citrus on the nose, from the background of herbs. The palate is pleasantly savoury, mineral, with juicy freshness and pleasant aromatic returns.

VARIETY Carricante

AREA OF PRODUCTION ETNA, northern slope in the municipality of Castiglione di Sicilia

CULTIVATION SYSTEM Counter-espalier

PRUNING SYSTEM Spurred cordon

YIELD PER HECTARE 70 qli.

TIME OF HARVEST - October

Organoleptic Characteristics
Pale straw yellow with intense greenish reflections on the eye; pleasant hints of green apple, grapefruit, white peach and aromatic herbs mark the nose of this wine, which shows its true identity on the palate with a very pleasant savoriness and freshness complemented by an extraordinary minerality; exclusive notes that invite the second glass.

Vinification
Grapes harvested by hand in small crates are brought quickly to the winery and undergo manual selection on a belt. De-stemmed and lightly crushed they arrive at the press where they are softly pressed. The resulting must is cold clarified and placed to ferment at a temperature of 15/16°C. Once fermentation is finished, the resulting wine rests on the fine lees for about three months.

A delicious and quirky southern French red with a super smooth velvety mouthfeel. This wine is biodynamically certified and lives up to this noble credential. It's a blend of Braucol, Duras and Syrah blend with another couple of red French grapes thrown in for good measure. This wine is medium ruby in colour with soft and fleshy flavours mid palate followed by firm tannins on an impressively structured finish.

The name ‘Mont de Milieu’ defines the slope that previously marked a boundary between two constituencies in Champagne and Burgundy.

Clear, bright hue with light green tinges. This 1er Cru reveals a remarkably rich aromatic profile with ripe citrus fruits and white flowers. The palate is rich and round with exceptional length.

100% Muscat á petits grains from 40+ year old vines. Made using 'mutage', the addition of grape spirit to the must, and added before fermentation is complete. This halts fermentation, resulting in a complex dessert wine.

Aromas of white peach and honey. Stone fruit complexity on the palate. Lifted fruity acidity balances the rich, viscous texture. 

Pierre Gonon is one of the great domaines in the St Joseph appellation. This 100% Syrah comes from the great granite rich slopes that the region is known for. The nose is smoky and rich, with spiced cherry hints. On the palate, this wine offers prune, Morello cherry and violet flavours. This smoky, juicy Rhone brings a long finish and excellent tannin structure. An excellent expression of the region.

Txakoli, pronounced cha-coal-ee is a lightly sparkling, dry white wine from the north of Spain, made to drink while it's young (typically within a year of bottling). Its high acidity  and low alcohol make it taste clean, fresh and zingy. It's made from the rare Hondarrabi Zerratia grape, which is a relative of the French white grape, Petit Manseng, which is found not too far north of here in southern France. 

A great Syrah from the northern Rhone appellation of Cornas, famous for its staunch full bodied dry flavoured reds and long ageability of wines made from here. This powerful red from Ferraton Pere & Fils has dark black fruit flavours, strong spicy aromas and a hint of black pepper, tar and earthiness all adding great complexity to an outstanding and youthful wine. 

Drinks well now, if decanted, and begs to be cellared for up to and potentially beyond 10 years.