“Redigaffi” Merlot Toscana IGT 2023 · 3 bottles in OWC

Az. Agr. Tua Rita | Tuscany
Az. Agr. Tua Rita | Loc. Notri 81 | IT 57028 Suvereto

09673323 · 2,25 l · 323,11 €/l · Price (DE) incl. VAT, excl. Shipping3 units available

In 1994, Rita Tua and Virgilio Bisti set aside two barrels of Merlot without realising that they were creating a cult wine that would catapult the winery onto the world stage. The name comes from a small stream that flows close to the vineyards, as inconspicuous as the beginnings of the project itself. Then in 2000 came the sensation: Robert Parker awarded one hundred points, the first ever for an Italian red wine. The Redigaffi became a legend, the epitome of Tuscan Merlot mastery, compared to Pétrus and Masseto – and yet independent, characterised by the metal-rich hills of the Maremma, by loam and clay, by its proximity to the sea ... The vines grow in the centre of the vineyard, where the clay content is highest – where Merlot finds its greatest density. Hand-selected in three passes, only fully ripe grapes. Vinification with long maceration, then eighteen to twenty months in new French barriques, followed by months in the bottle before the wine leaves the estate.

The 2023 vintage, which Stefano Frascolla compares with 2019, is balanced, precise and has that natural balance that characterises great vintages. Intense, almost impenetrable ruby red colour. Precise and subtle on the nose: black olives, blackberries, sandalwood, with a hint of iodine, oyster shells and a hint of meat. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, with tannins that run through the entire wine – compact, structured, with wonderful length and finesse. Focussed, with a classic texture. Tobacco and liquorice on the finish, floral notes of the Mediterranean scrub, intense and persistent. The elegance of the tannins is supported by the structure and balance. Long, continuous, graceful, refined. A wine that needs two to three years to open up completely – but then has decades ahead of it. With braised beef, lamb chops, saddle of venison. Or simply on its own, for what it is: a Merlot of superlatives every year! SUPERIORE.DE

"Powerful, bright ruby red colour. Intense nose with appealing notes of cedar wood, blueberries, blackberries and cassis, Mediterranean herbal spice in the background. Tightly structured on the palate, earthy and brooding, also has plenty of rich berry fruit, grippy tannins, balsamic notes on the final." Falstaff

"The 2023 Redigaffi is laced with super-ripe dark fruit, truffle, dried herbs, licorice and mocha. Already quite open and delicate, the 2023 gives the impression of a wine that is ready to drink and that will likely mature at a slightly faster clip relative to the norm here." Vinous

"Precise and subtle aromas of black olives, brambleberries, sandalwood, iodine and oyster shells with a hint of meat. Medium- to full-bodied with tannins that run the length of the wine and show a compact and structured sensibility and wonderful length and finesse. Focused, with a classy texture. So long, continuous, graceful and refined." James Suckling