Italy
Italy, known as the "Land of Wine," is celebrated for its exquisite range of fine wines. With a winemaking history dating back thousands of years and a diverse array of terroirs, Italy offers a remarkable collection of wines that delight the senses and captivate wine enthusiasts worldwide.
In Tuscany, famous vineyards like Antinori, Marchesi di Frescobaldi, and Tenuta San Guido have become synonymous with excellence. Wines such as Brunello di Montalcino, Chianti Classico, and Super Tuscans like Sassicaia and Tignanello showcase the region's mastery in crafting complex, age-worthy, and expressive wines. Piedmont is home to legendary vineyards like Gaja, Vietti, and Marchesi di Barolo. The region's iconic wines, Barolo and Barbaresco, crafted from the Nebbiolo grape, epitomize power, elegance, and longevity. These wines boast flavors of red fruit, floral notes, earthy undertones, and firm tannins. Veneto, renowned for its sparkling Prosecco wines, is also famous for Amarone della Valpolicella. Vineyards like Allegrini and Quintarelli produce exceptional Amarone wines with concentrated flavors of dark fruit, spices, and a velvety texture. Sicily, the largest island in the Mediterranean, offers a different yet captivating expression of Italian wines. Vineyards like Planeta, Donnafugata, and Tasca d'Almerita craft remarkable wines from indigenous grape varieties such as Nero d'Avola and Nerello Mascalese. These wines exhibit intense fruit flavors, vibrant acidity, and a unique volcanic minerality.
These are just a few examples of the renowned vineyards and wines Italy has to offer. From the northern regions of Piedmont and Veneto to the central regions of Tuscany and Umbria, and down to the southern regions of Sicily and Puglia, Italy's wine regions are a treasure trove of exceptional wines. Experience the allure of Italian wines and immerse yourself in the rich history, diverse terroirs, and passionate winemaking that define the Italian wine scene. Whether you're sipping a prestigious Barolo, a refined Brunello di Montalcino, a refreshing Prosecco, or a bold Nero d'Avola, Italian wines promise a journey of flavors and a celebration of Italy's winemaking heritage.
Italy
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Tuscany | 1 | 95 (WA) | د.إ638.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (95)This wine always stands out in my mind, and it's worth dedicating a few words as to why. Poggio Valente offers us a rare opportunity to taste Sangiovese made according to the highest standards but from a territory—on the Tuscan Coast—that does not share a big legacy with monovarietal Sangiovese reds. The Fattoria le Pupille 2019 Poggio Valente was born in a happy vintage with a cool spring and a growing season that had plenty of underground water reserves to keep the vines hydrated well until the end of August. This is a full and generous wine with dark cherry and wild plum aromas that segue to tar, licorice and crushed slate. My sample (tasted a few weeks after bottling) was a little shy initially, but it quickly blossomed in the glass. |
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Tuscany | 1 | 99 (JS) | د.إ1,865.00 | |||||
James Suckling (99)I love the currant and rosemary character of this wine. Some sage, too. Complex aromas that draw you in. Full body, extremely tight and chewy with a long and intense finish. The tannins are fantastic – so polished. Focused and beautiful. Mineral undertone with ash and hot stone highlighting the dark fruits. It goes on for minutes. Needs three or four years to come together. But a serious red all the way. |
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Tuscany | 2 | 99 (JS) | د.إ1,785.00 | |||||
James Suckling (99)Incredible aromas of dark berries, lavender, rosemary, licorice and dried flowers. Spice. Full body and fantastic tannin texture with great length. Goes on for minutes. Muscular yet wonderfully formed and refined. A glorious Saffredi. Drink in 2022. |
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Tuscany | 9 | 97 (WA) | د.إ1,415.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (97)Wow, there is a very impressive freshness here that defies the heat of this vintage. The 2017 Saffredi does not seem like a 2017 at all. Now celebrating its 30th birthday, Saffredi is 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 10% Petit Verdot. Thanks to the vineyard's proximity to the sea, leaving leaves on the vines and the sharp diurnal shifts of the area, the fruit was able to ripen in a balanced manner despite the hot and dry summer. The team at Fattoria le Pupille knew they would have to be ready to harvest early and lose some their yields, and they did. In the end, production was down 25%, but the result is a fresh, thick and beautiful red made with ripe fruit and dark concentration. This is a great effort from Fattoria le Pupille. This wine will be released in November. |
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Tuscany | 1 | 97 (JS) | د.إ695.00 | |||||
James Suckling (97)A fantastic nose to this with currant, sage, rosemary and rose-petal character. Sweet tobacco and spicy chocolate, too. Very complex. The palate shows lovely depth of fruit with blackberries, blackcurrants and fine tannins. It’s racy and refined with a direct, focused palate. Just a baby. A blend of cabernet sauvignon 60%, merlot 32% and petite verdot 8%. This needs at least two or three years to soften. Try in 2023. |
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Tuscany | 1 | 97 (JS) | د.إ1,485.00 | |||||
James Suckling (97)A fantastic nose to this with currant, sage, rosemary and rose-petal character. Sweet tobacco and spicy chocolate, too. Very complex. The palate shows lovely depth of fruit with blackberries, blackcurrants and fine tannins. It’s racy and refined with a direct, focused palate. Just a baby. A blend of cabernet sauvignon 60%, merlot 32% and petite verdot 8%. This needs at least two or three years to soften. Try in 2023. |
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Tuscany | 1 | 99 (JS) | د.إ1,095.00 | |||||
James Suckling (99)So much crushed stone, rosemary, lavender, mint and blackberry. Full-bodied and very structured with layers of powerful and polished tannins. It goes on for minutes. Ink, blackcurrants and blueberries. 60% cabernet sauvignon, 35% merlot and 5% petit verdot. Needs at least five or six years to open. Try after 2025. |
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Tuscany | 2 | 99 (JS) | د.إ1,785.00 | |||||
James Suckling (99)So much crushed stone, rosemary, lavender, mint and blackberry. Full-bodied and very structured with layers of powerful and polished tannins. It goes on for minutes. Ink, blackcurrants and blueberries. 60% cabernet sauvignon, 35% merlot and 5% petit verdot. Needs at least five or six years to open. Try after 2025. |
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Tuscany | 1 | 98 (JS) | د.إ1,525.00 | |||||
James Suckling (98)Impressive aromas of fresh herbs from the Tuscan coast, such as sage, mint, rosemary and thyme. Blackcurrants, too. Full-bodied with fine, chewy tannins that show beautiful length and consistency. Racy and beautiful, with lots of subtle and refined character. Slightly more cabernet sauvignon this year, which adds class to the wine. 80% cabernet sauvignon, 10% merlot and 10% petit verdot. Give this about three or four years of bottle age. Try after 2027. |
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Tuscany | 1 | 99 (JS) | د.إ1,630.00 | |||||
James Suckling (99)Mesmerizing aromas of sandalwood, lavender, sage and currants. Mint and spearmint. Lead pencil shavings. Light coffee bean too. Medium to full body with ultra-fine tannins. It goes on for minutes. 60% cabernet sauvignon, 30% merlot, and 10% petit verdot. So approachable already, but this will age beautifully. Best after 2026 and beyond. |
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Tuscany | 2 | 96 (JS) | د.إ1,750.00 | |||||
James Suckling (96)Fabulous complexity on the nose with crushed blackberries, chocolate, walnuts and tar. Lots of dried flowers. Full body. Layered and creamy with superb tannin texture and length. Hints of stone. Half made in amphora and half in casks. Aged one year in old casks. Drink or hold. 3,500 bottles made. |
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Tuscany | 6 | 98+ (WA) | د.إ1,470.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (98+)The Fèlsina 2016 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Colonia is true, elegant and bright. This wine is teaming with inner energy and beautiful fruit resonance that comes forward with forest berry, tilled earth, cassis and pressed violet. These aromas are held in tension, creating a crest or halo that radiates from deep inside. It remains mid-weight in approach, but don't underestimate the length and polished mouthfeel that drives a long and very elegant finish. I came back to my sample 24 hours later and appreciated the perfectly aligned and integrated character of the tannins. Give this wine plenty of time to evolve and flesh out in your cellar. |
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Tuscany | 1 | 97 (WA) | د.إ1,965.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (97)I prefer this wine to Fèlsina's top-shelf Fontalloro. The 2018 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Colonia is irresistibly angular and tight, opening a profound view onto what makes Sangiovese so expressive and unique, especially when planted in the right territories. The bouquet is savory and almost sanguine with iron ore, rusty nail and baked clay. But there's plenty of fruit as well, in the form of wild berry and black cherry, that adds to the dimension and dynamic freshness of the mouthfeel. The 2018 vintage saw a few moments of heat during the summer, but the Colonia vineyard is protected by forests and cooler altitudes. Give this wine time to soften in the bottle. |
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Tuscany | 1 | 97 (DC) | د.إ1,095.00 | |||||
Decanter (97)The south-facing Rancia vineyard reaches altitudes of 420 metres, overlooking the lower-lying vineyards of Colli Senesi. It boasts complex soils of calcareous clay layered with the chalky white limestone-like alberese and schistose galestro. This 2016 vintage is simply stunning. It's stately yet gracious, with personality for days, leading with a sumptuous nose of smoke, exotic spice and iron-rich earth. Ripe fruit coats the mouth yet it remains buoyant and tangy as chalky tannins charge in to frame the palate. A seductive wine with an appetising, savoury edge and a long, long life ahead. |
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Tuscany | 3 | 97 (VN) | د.إ869.00 | |||||
Vinous (97)The 2018 Chianti Classico Riserva Rancia is an absolutely stunning wine. The archetype of Rancia in the past has been of a big, potent Chianti Classico but in 2018, Rancia is a wine of mind-blowing elegance and finesse. Silky, perfumed and indescribably finessed, the 2018 dazzles from start to finish. It's a magical wine in every way. |
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Tuscany | 1 | 96 (WA) | د.إ929.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (96)Gorgeous and soft, the 2013 Fontalloro is another landmark wine from this classic vintage. There is enormous intensity here and the wine is only at the beginning of its long aging trajectory. I suggest you put off drinking it for five to ten more years. There is evident thickness and generosity here, especially in the way those bold fruit favors are woven between dark spice and leather. There are sour accents on the close that remind you of the wine's youth. The tannins are fine and well integrated. |
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Tuscany | 1 | 98+ (WA) | د.إ481.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (98+)The 2016 Fontalloro is the best vintage of this landmark wine that I have tasted thus far. This is a very elegant vintage, with more volume in the mouth and precise notes of tar, licorice, camphor ash, resin and Indian spice. In a race between the highly competitive 2015 and 2016 vintages, I give a slight advantage to this wine. The warmer 2015 vintage shows more richness and exuberant fruit. However, this wine from 2016 offers a more focused and chiseled delivery. I am hopeful that this wine will continue to evolve and sharpen as it ages in the bottle. This is a beautiful wine to put aside in your cellar for ten years or more. |
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Tuscany | 1 | 98+ (WA) | د.إ952.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (98+)The 2016 Fontalloro is the best vintage of this landmark wine that I have tasted thus far. This is a very elegant vintage, with more volume in the mouth and precise notes of tar, licorice, camphor ash, resin and Indian spice. In a race between the highly competitive 2015 and 2016 vintages, I give a slight advantage to this wine. The warmer 2015 vintage shows more richness and exuberant fruit. However, this wine from 2016 offers a more focused and chiseled delivery. I am hopeful that this wine will continue to evolve and sharpen as it ages in the bottle. This is a beautiful wine to put aside in your cellar for ten years or more. |
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Tuscany | 3 | 95 (VN) | د.إ1,790.00 | |||||
Vinous (95)Fontalloro is exquisite in 2017. It is also such a contrast to the Rancia, as the two wines could not possibly be more different. Fontalloro is bright and vibrant, with more sweet red Sangiovese character than the darker Rancia. It is also incredibly delicious now, even though it clearly has the energy to age for many years. The 2017 is one of the finest Fontalloros I can remember tasting. |
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Tuscany | 1 | 95 (WA) | د.إ1,010.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (95)To my palate, the 2018 vintage sometimes feels a little too ripe or baked. I was reminded of those characteristics when tasting the Fèlsina 2018 Fontalloro. There is plenty of dark fruit at its core, but this wine also reveals dry tones of jarred oregano, grilled Mediterranean herb, crushed aspirin and graham cracker. The mouthfeel is pleasantly lean and silky, and perhaps the wine delivers more in terms of length than it does weight or texture. A little more bottle age should help flesh out and soften these results. |
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Piedmont | 24 | - | د.إ1,450.00 | |||||
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Richly bestowed with an incredible pedigree, Ferrando Carema Etichetta Bianca 2017 is a masterfully created, Italian Nebbiolo hailing from Piedmont's majestic Alpine vineyards. Rooted in vineyards planted in the commune of Carema on the steep, rocky slopes of the Alps, this fine wine is the artistic embodiment of third-generation winemaker Luigi Ferrando's deep commitment to classically structured and balanced wines. Ferrando Carema Etichetta Bianca 2017 boasts a meticulously achieved complexity and elegance. Its unique character evolves from a two-year maturation in large Slavonian oak barrels, resulting in exquisite layers of wild cherry, Alpine herbs, roses, and minerals, adorning a beautifully structured, mid-weight body. This rare vintage, with its linear precision and powerful thrust, testifies of Ferrando's impeccable vinification techniques, and the region's terroir, marked by a continental climate and soils composed of moraine deposits. Savour the generous palette of this singular wine, Ferrando Carema Etichetta Bianca 2017, a testament to the Ferrando family’s unwavering dedication to winemaking excellence. |
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Piedmont | 14 | - | د.إ2,105.00 | |||||
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Crafted by the globally lauded producer Giulio Ferrando, Ferrando Carema Etichetta Nera Black Label 2017 encompasses the elegance and stark depth of Carema's mountainous terroir. Derived from 80-year-old Nebbiolo grapevines grown on terraced slopes straddling the border of Piedmont and Valle d'Aosta, this exquisite wine showcases the fine art of winemaking. Adhering to traditional methods, this unique red wine undergoes slow fermentation, followed by 48 months of aging in Botti. These practices imbue Ferrando Carema Etichetta Nera Black Label 2017 with a seductive robust crimson hue and a harmonious balance of tannins and acidity. Its tasteful notes of wild berries, dried rose petals, and subtle undertones of tobacco, offer a captivating and prolonged finish. As a hallmark of biodynamic viticulture, Ferrando Carema Etichetta Nera Black Label 2017 stands as a testament to the Ferrando family's commitment to producing wines that resonate with authenticity and distinct character, promising a remarkable experience for discerning wine connoisseurs. |
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Puglia | 1 | - | د.إ4,390.00 | |||||
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Caramel, vermouth rosso colour. On the nose slight hints of sandalwood, with undertones of toasted almonds, pine nuts and dried apricots. The mouth is very light, opening on Oloroso sherry characters, walnut, balsamic and dried fruits. The mid pallet reveals a little sweetness with notes of black cherries and oriental spices. Finish raw cocoa nibs and tamarind with an interesting balance of bitterness and savouriness.
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Puglia | 1 | 97 (WA) | د.إ2,060.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (97)No, the vintage date of this wine is not an error. Just released, it is a selection of old-vine Primitivo grown south of Taranto and only now hitting the market. No one seems to know whether the fermentation was stopped by fortifying the wine or if it just stopped on its own as a result of the superlative richness of the must, but the fact remains that, with close to 14% of alcohol, it is as sweet as a great Recioto, a wine which it greatly resembles. Still an amazingly fresh ruby color, it features a decadent nose of blackberry jam, raisins, chocolate, and licorice, a texture of sheer satin, great warmth and roundness, a sweetness which never becomes cloying, precise and focused flavors, and a finish as long as the fade-out to "Hey Jude". The producer is negotiating with an importer for this and other wines, but it is presently available at Piero Selvaggio's Valentino restaurant in Santa Monica and at Alain Ducasse's Louis XV restaurant in Monte Carlo, for those willing to fling a few shekels around. |
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Campania | 1 | 97 (WA) | د.إ1,400.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (97)I tasted this wine twice over the course of six months, in advance of its commercial release. The 2016 Pàtrimo is quite a wine and needs all the extra bottle time it can get. Indeed, I would suggest putting it at the back of your cellar for another 5 years (at least). It opens to a black and impenetrable appearance. This is an elaborate and beautifully constructed wine that is put together piece by piece like a jigsaw puzzle. When viewed as a whole, all those tiny pieces create a beautiful portrait of a grape as the protagonist and of a region as its context. This full-bodied Merlot has made important strides since I first tasted it. Today, it is more expansive and exuberant. It shows lots of volume and depth with elegance and finesse. |
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Piedmont | 1 | 95 (WE) | د.إ564.00 | |||||
Wine Enthusiast (95)Lovely aromas of violet, iris and perfumed berry lift out of the glass. Firmly structured and focused, the linear palate shows refinement and finesse, with taut, refined tannins framing juicy red cherry, strawberry compote and star anise. Fresh acidity keeps it vibrant and balanced. Best 2029-2039 |
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Piedmont | 1 | - | د.إ957.00 | |||||
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Introducing the exceptional Fontanabianca Barbaresco Bordini 2017. Skilfully crafted in the renowned Barbaresco region of Italy, this noteworthy wine is a true showcase of finesse and pedigree, produced by the esteemed Fontanabianca winery. Grown in the privileged Bordini vineyard, the high-quality Nebbiolo grapes yield a powerfully structured yet harmoniously balanced wine. Aged for 26 months in French oak barrels, the Bordinic displays a seductive bouquet of ripe red fruit intertwined with subtle notes of oriental spices, hinting at the complexity on the palate. Elegant tannins underpin flavours of wild berries, dried rose and liquorice, unveiling layer after layer in a long-lasting and satisfying finish. Due to its exceptional character, it stands superbly on its own, while also harmonising beautifully with hearty meat dishes. The Fontanabianca Barbaresco Bordini 2017 is a great asset to any fine wine collection, promising pleasure for those fortunate enough to savour it. |
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Piedmont | 3 | 96 (WE) | د.إ393.00 | |||||
Wine Enthusiast (96)Truffle, camphor violet and ripe berry aromas come together on this fragrant red. Full-bodied and full of flavor, the delicious palate doles out juicy Morello cherry, raspberry compote, baking spice and star anise while firm, refined tannins provide support. Bright acidity keeps it balanced. Drink 2027–2039. |
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Piedmont | 5 | 96 (WE) | د.إ1,180.00 | |||||
Wine Enthusiast (96)Truffle, camphor violet and ripe berry aromas come together on this fragrant red. Full-bodied and full of flavor, the delicious palate doles out juicy Morello cherry, raspberry compote, baking spice and star anise while firm, refined tannins provide support. Bright acidity keeps it balanced. Drink 2027–2039. |
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