On September 4, 2024, I took the train to New York City to attend the James Suckling Great Wines Italy New York, and had the opportunity to taste over 300 new releases from Italy.  With so many wines to taste, I was very selective with my choices. Even though I was (mostly) spitting, my palate gets tired after about an hour and half of wine tasting.

My favorite white was a wine that I normally dismiss as rather insipid:  Orvieto.  This white grape from Umbria is unfortunately often used to create oceans of flavorless white wine. I decided to give this one a try, since it had made James Suckling’s tasting: Barberani Orvieto Classico Superiore Luigi e Giovanna 2021. The biodynamic wine is made from 90% Grechetto (5% of which affected by noble rot) and 10% Tribbiano Procanico grapes.  In the glass, the wine was straw yellow, with lemon, peaches, almonds, and some herbal notes on the nose.  On the palate, the wine had body and structure from the noble rot grapes, with lemon, peach, and herbs, and some salinity on the long finish.  James Suckling rated it 92 points. 12% ABV. Sadly, I cannot find it locally yet, but it’s available in the UK and Europe for about $30. I hope they found a distributor at the event!

I tasted two highly-scored wines from Bibi Graetz: Toscana Colore 2021 (99 pts) and Toscana Testamatta 2021 (98 pts).  They were lovely wines, but a bit too heavy for my taste.

I concentrated my efforts on Brunello di Montalcino, one of my favorite wines. The Carparzo Brunello di Montalcino Vigna La Casa 2019 (97 pts) got a little star in my booklet, as did the Patrizia Cencioni Brunello di Montalcino 2019 (92 pts).

I also tasted a Brunello di Montalcino that garnered 100 pts from James Suckling: Valdicava Brunello di Montalcino Vigna Montosoli 2019. James Suckling’s review says it best: “Medium to full body with ultra-fine tannins that are endless and glorious in every sense. . . .  Just-ripe berries with dried flowers, shell fish shell, and subtle mushroom and bark. Lasts so long on the palate. Endless.” Available online for shipping to NJ, for about $350 a bottle.

My red discoveries of the night were Feudi di San Gregorio Taurasi 2017 (93 pts) from Campania, pictured here (available online for about $50) and Tormaresca Aglianico Castel del Monte Bocca di Lupo 2015 (94 pts) from Puglia (online for $80), both very elegant, complex wines. Salute!