2005 Syrah Per Sempre

I was delighted to catch up with Proprietor Stefano Frascolla for the first time after the pandemic and ensuing logistical challenges prevented me from tasting the Tua Rita wines. This tasting provided an opportunity to taste several wines across multiple vintages, which is always so instructive. In many ways, a few years of not tasting the wines allowed me to approach Tua Rita with a fresh perspective. The 100% Merlot Redigaffi remains the top wine. It is also very consistent from year to year. The Syrahs are just behind. Interestingly, Syrah seems to be more influenced by the personality of each vintage, not qualitatively per se, but more stylistically. Of the vintages in this report, 2021 is especially fine. Harvest took place between September 6 and 14, very late by the estate's recent standards.

I was delighted to catch up with Proprietor Stefano Frascolla for the first time after the pandemic and ensuing logistical challenges prevented me from tasting the Tua Rita wines. This tasting provided an opportunity to taste several wines across multiple vintages, which is always so instructive. In many ways, a few years of not tasting the wines allowed me to approach Tua Rita with a fresh perspective. The 100% Merlot Redigaffi remains the top wine. It is also very consistent from year to year. The Syrahs are just behind. Interestingly, Syrah seems to be more influenced by the personality of each vintage, not qualitatively per se, but more stylistically. Of the vintages in this report, 2021 is especially fine. Harvest took place between September 6 and 14, very late by the estate's recent standards.

I was delighted to catch up with Proprietor Stefano Frascolla for the first time after the pandemic and ensuing logistical challenges prevented me from tasting the Tua Rita wines. This tasting provided an opportunity to taste several wines across multiple vintages, which is always so instructive. In many ways, a few years of not tasting the wines allowed me to approach Tua Rita with a fresh perspective. The 100% Merlot Redigaffi remains the top wine. It is also very consistent from year to year. The Syrahs are just behind. Interestingly, Syrah seems to be more influenced by the personality of each vintage, not qualitatively per se, but more stylistically. Of the vintages in this report, 2021 is especially fine. Harvest took place between September 6 and 14, very late by the estate's recent standards.

I was delighted to catch up with Proprietor Stefano Frascolla for the first time after the pandemic and ensuing logistical challenges prevented me from tasting the Tua Rita wines. This tasting provided an opportunity to taste several wines across multiple vintages, which is always so instructive. In many ways, a few years of not tasting the wines allowed me to approach Tua Rita with a fresh perspective. The 100% Merlot Redigaffi remains the top wine. It is also very consistent from year to year. The Syrahs are just behind. Interestingly, Syrah seems to be more influenced by the personality of each vintage, not qualitatively per se, but more stylistically. Of the vintages in this report, 2021 is especially fine. Harvest took place between September 6 and 14, very late by the estate's recent standards.

Relentless heat, lack of rain and dry scirocco winds made for a very challenging year, especially in Suvereto, one of the warmest microclimates in Maremma. In the cellar the approach was to lower temperatures and virtually eliminate pumpovers in order to extract as gently as possible. The wines spent about three weeks on the skins as opposed to the more typical four. I tasted the 2017s twice, almost a year apart. As I have written before, my view is that Tua Rita releases too early, which is especially penalizing in difficult years, as the wines sometimes need bottle age to come together. That is especially true here. The 2017s are not quite as deep as the wines here can be, the natural result of the extreme conditions, but they have come together nicely over time.

Proprietor Stefano Frascolla and winemaker Luca D'Attoma turned out a set of brilliant 2016s at Tua Rita. In recent years, the style of the wines has moved slightly towards an approach that seeks a bit more nuance than in the past, but without abandoning the intensity that comes so easily in Suvereto. The flagships Redigaffi and Syrah get most of the attention, but I find so much to like in the budget friendly Rosso dei Notri and the Giusto di Notri, a wine that offers serious quality for the price.

I was deeply impressed with the wines I tasted at Tua Rita this year, not so much by the wines themselves (although they are terrific) but just as much by the estate's continued search for excellence. In the last few years, proprietor Stefano Frascolla has brought back original winemaker Luca D'Attoma and together Frascolla and D'Attoma have set out to make wines of greater finesse than was the case in the early days. Nowhere is that more evident than in the Syrah, which is now made with a portion of whole clusters and is quite different in style than it was at the outset. Things are still in transition at Tua Rita, but the overall direction is quite positive. Tua Rita recently acquired Poggio Argentiera, an estate that has lacked focus in the last few years and that needs a total re-boot. There is going to be quite a bit to follow at this address for a number of years. Lastly, I would be remiss if I did not say something about how delicious the entry and mid-tier wines are here. Sure, most of the focus continues to fall on the dual flagships Redigaffi and Syrah, but savvy readers will pay just as much attention to the more modestly priced offerings as well.

The Tua Rita 2012s were fabulous when I tasted them from barrel. They are every bit as compelling from bottle. The growing season brought with it warm August scirocco winds and an early harvest. Winemaker Luca D'Attoma has returned to Tua Rita with a different approach that, among other things, favors gentler extraction and less new oak influence. The result is wines that boast extraordinary purity of fruit to match the trademark opulence that is such a signature of Suvereto. Readers who haven't tasted Tua Rita in a few years owe it to themselves to do so. These are some of the best wines I have ever tasted from Tua Rita, one of Tuscany's small, family-owned reference-points.

This is a terrific set of wines from Tua Rita. Proprietor Stefano Frascolla aims to make wines that drink well early, an approach that has worked beautifully for him over the years. More recently, though, Frascolla has made a determined move towards wines of more finesse, which readers can get a sense of by checking out the entry-level 2012 reds, both of which are terrific. The rest of the 2012 range, which I tasted from barrel, is incredibly promising. These are the first wines made entirely by consulting oenologist Luca D'Attoma who is back at Tua Rita after a number of years. It is of course quite early, but 2012 could very well turn out to be one of the most compelling vintages made at Tua Rita. Frascolla describes 2010 as an excellent year at the outset, but more uneven later in the season, especially during August, which was not especially sunny. The 2011 season got off to an early start, but the harvest ended up being ahead of schedule only by about a week in a year Frascolla describes as behind defined by events simply having been moved forward in the calendar. Even though 2011 has a reputation for being a warm vintage, Frascolla describes 2012 as hotter, but with greater diurnal swings. Those qualities certainly come through in the wines. The 2010s have firmer tannins and require some bottle age, while the 2011s are more voluptuous and layered, even if they had just been bottle at the time of my visit. As for the 2012s, they may turn out to be some of the very finest wines ever made at Tua Rita.

This is a terrific set of wines from Tua Rita. Proprietor Stefano Frascolla aims to make wines that drink well early, an approach that has worked beautifully for him over the years. More recently, though, Frascolla has made a determined move towards wines of more finesse, which readers can get a sense of by checking out the entry-level 2012 reds, both of which are terrific. The rest of the 2012 range, which I tasted from barrel, is incredibly promising. These are the first wines made entirely by consulting oenologist Luca D'Attoma who is back at Tua Rita after a number of years. It is of course quite early, but 2012 could very well turn out to be one of the most compelling vintages made at Tua Rita. Frascolla describes 2010 as an excellent year at the outset, but more uneven later in the season, especially during August, which was not especially sunny. The 2011 season got off to an early start, but the harvest ended up being ahead of schedule only by about a week in a year Frascolla describes as behind defined by events simply having been moved forward in the calendar. Even though 2011 has a reputation for being a warm vintage, Frascolla describes 2012 as hotter, but with greater diurnal swings. Those qualities certainly come through in the wines. The 2010s have firmer tannins and require some bottle age, while the 2011s are more voluptuous and layered, even if they had just been bottle at the time of my visit. As for the 2012s, they may turn out to be some of the very finest wines ever made at Tua Rita.

This is a terrific set of wines from Tua Rita. Proprietor Stefano Frascolla aims to make wines that drink well early, an approach that has worked beautifully for him over the years. More recently, though, Frascolla has made a determined move towards wines of more finesse, which readers can get a sense of by checking out the entry-level 2012 reds, both of which are terrific. The rest of the 2012 range, which I tasted from barrel, is incredibly promising. These are the first wines made entirely by consulting oenologist Luca D'Attoma who is back at Tua Rita after a number of years. It is of course quite early, but 2012 could very well turn out to be one of the most compelling vintages made at Tua Rita. Frascolla describes 2010 as an excellent year at the outset, but more uneven later in the season, especially during August, which was not especially sunny. The 2011 season got off to an early start, but the harvest ended up being ahead of schedule only by about a week in a year Frascolla describes as behind defined by events simply having been moved forward in the calendar. Even though 2011 has a reputation for being a warm vintage, Frascolla describes 2012 as hotter, but with greater diurnal swings. Those qualities certainly come through in the wines. The 2010s have firmer tannins and require some bottle age, while the 2011s are more voluptuous and layered, even if they had just been bottle at the time of my visit. As for the 2012s, they may turn out to be some of the very finest wines ever made at Tua Rita.

This is another fabulous set of wines from Tua Rita, with the exception of the Syrah, which falls a bit short of its customary level. To be honest, these days I am increasingly drawn to the entry and mid-level wines at Tua Rita because of their very favorable pricing and overall value. The biggest news at Tua Rita is the return of original consulting oenologist Luca D'Attoma, who oversaw much of the planting and made the first vintages.

This is a fabulous set of wines from Stefano Frascolla and Tua Rita. The 2008s show the real class of the year in Maremma.

Also recommended: 2008 Sansira Rosso Toscana Martina (85).

Also recommended: 2008 Sansira Rosso Toscana Martina (85).

This is a breathtaking set of wines from proprietor Stefano Frascolla and consulting oenologist Stefano Chioccioli. Although Suvereto is one of the warmer micro-climates in Tuscany, the estate's vineyards also contain a relatively high percentage of minerals, which allows the wines to maintain a surprising level of freshness, even in warm vintages. 2006 is quite possibly the most consistent vintage yet from top to bottom for Tua Rita. Simply put, the wines are not to be missed. T

In the difficult 2005 vintage Tua Rita proves why it deserves a spot among the finest estates in Italy. This is truly a stellar showing from proprietor Stefano Frascolla and consulting oenologist Stefano Chioccioli made all the more notable considering the less than ideal conditions the 2005 vintage presented.

Tua Rita is located in Suvereto, one of the warmer micro-climates in Tuscany. Co-owner Stefano Frascolla and consulting oenologist Stefano Chioccioli have turned out a beautiful set of 2004s which I was able to taste with them at the property. The wines were every bit as impressive when I re-tasted them recently in New York. I found the 2003s to be more variable. “Clearly owing to the extreme heat 2003 was a very complicated harvest for us,” says Frascolla. “Many plants shut down because of the hydric stress and our production numbers were significantly lower than normal. The wines have slightly firmer tannins than is usually the case, but I think the wines will come together in the bottle. It is a vintage that will require more patience, both in the cellar and as the wines open up in the glass. That said the acidity readings are still quite high which makes me think the wines have the ability to age. We are extremely pleased with 2004, which like 1999, is once of my favorite vintages. The wines have the concentration we look for but at the same time they have always been incredibly accessible even when they were in barrel. It is a more balanced vintage and the higher acidity makes these wines refreshing, inviting and easy to drink.” The estate works with high-density vineyards and low yields per plant. Frascolla aims to find the right balance for each plant, so yields may be higher on one plant and lower on another. Once the fruit is harvested it is put through a meticulous sorting process which I witnessed as the last of the Merlot was being brought in on the day of my visit. Fermentations are carried out with selected years in stainless steel although in recent vintages the new Syrah as well as parts of the Merlot for Redigaffi have been fermented in wood uprights. Frascolla and Chiocciolo favor long fermentations lasting several weeks. The wines do malo in barrique, where they also age prior to undergoing a slight egg-white clarification but no filtration prior to being bottled. In most vintages the percentage of new oak varies from 60-70% for the Giusti di Notri to 100% for the Redigaffi and 200% for the estate's newest wine, the superb Syrah.

Tua Rita is located in Suvereto, one of the warmer micro-climates in Tuscany. Co-owner Stefano Frascolla and consulting oenologist Stefano Chioccioli have turned out a beautiful set of 2004s which I was able to taste with them at the property. The wines were every bit as impressive when I re-tasted them recently in New York. I found the 2003s to be more variable. “Clearly owing to the extreme heat 2003 was a very complicated harvest for us,” says Frascolla. “Many plants shut down because of the hydric stress and our production numbers were significantly lower than normal. The wines have slightly firmer tannins than is usually the case, but I think the wines will come together in the bottle. It is a vintage that will require more patience, both in the cellar and as the wines open up in the glass. That said the acidity readings are still quite high which makes me think the wines have the ability to age. We are extremely pleased with 2004, which like 1999, is once of my favorite vintages. The wines have the concentration we look for but at the same time they have always been incredibly accessible even when they were in barrel. It is a more balanced vintage and the higher acidity makes these wines refreshing, inviting and easy to drink.” The estate works with high-density vineyards and low yields per plant. Frascolla aims to find the right balance for each plant, so yields may be higher on one plant and lower on another. Once the fruit is harvested it is put through a meticulous sorting process which I witnessed as the last of the Merlot was being brought in on the day of my visit. Fermentations are carried out with selected years in stainless steel although in recent vintages the new Syrah as well as parts of the Merlot for Redigaffi have been fermented in wood uprights. Frascolla and Chiocciolo favor long fermentations lasting several weeks. The wines do malo in barrique, where they also age prior to undergoing a slight egg-white clarification but no filtration prior to being bottled. In most vintages the percentage of new oak varies from 60-70% for the Giusti di Notri to 100% for the Redigaffi and 200% for the estate's newest wine, the superb Syrah.

The winemaking team of Stefano Frascolla and consultant Stefano Chioccioli never seem to miss a beat, and the estate has turned out very strong wines in 2003 and stellar ones in 2004. Frascolla described 2004 as "almost perfect, with plenty of light and the right amount of water," and harvested a week later than usual. All the wines had high final acidities of 6.4 to 6.9 grams per liter and plenty of extract. It's a year when Tua Rita's very stony soil really shines through. "Two thousand three was really tough: we started harvesting the white grapes on the 6th of august, a record for us, said Frascolla. "Keep in mind that the summer-like heat started a month ahead of time, and never let up." Wine lovers ought to know that Stefano makes a few barrels every year of an amazing cabernet franc/petit verdot blend (roughly 50/50) that is finer-textured and even more seamless than his other wines. But since this leaner, higher-acid wine represents a departure from the rich, concentrated house style, he hasn't yet bottled it on its own yet, preferring to blend it into the other wines. To my taste, it's already better than the Giusto di Notri, and as good as the Redigaffi.