Fattoria Le Pupille Fattoria Le Pupille Poggio Valente 2022 750ml

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. (Monica Larner)

This is really crunchy and juicy, with plums, sliced peaches and some fresh basil and lemongrass. It’s full and layered with terra cotta notes and open-grained tannins. Takes off on the palate. Drink or hold.

Here is another knock-out bottle in this group of new releases from Fattoria le Pupille. The 2022 Poggio Valente is punchy and bright with terrific clarity of fruit. Winemaking has shifted over the years to prioritize larger oak botte. This change has allowed for more varietal expression with blue flower, heritage rose, tart cherry, rye bread and crushed stone. The wine's flavor signature is wholly Mediterranean with hints of rosemary and lavender. The effect is especially luminous and lifted in 2022. This is an elegant wine with a unique voice.

Really pretty balance and focus to this red with plums, berries, cherries, currants and hints of vanilla and hazelnuts. It’s medium-to full-bodied with refined tannins and a clean, fruity finish. Very elegant. Pure sangiovese. So drinkable now. Why wait? Drink or hold.

Tasted from vat, the Fattoria le Pupille 2018 Poggio Valente is an elegant expression of Sangiovese with just a hint of the freewheeling wildness that characterizes the Maremma region of southern Tuscany. The wine delivers cherry, wild rose, forest fruit and blueberry. Beyond those primary tones are integrated notes of spice and mild tobacco. The wine is put together with careful precision, and all it needs now is more aging time in order to flesh out and build depth. Everything is set, just give it time.

The 2019 Poggio Valente is gorgeous. Bright and vibrant in the glass with terrific energy, the Poggio Valente is a fine example of the style favored here these days. Dark red/purplish fruit, rose petal, spice and orange zest complement a core of Sangiovese fruit. I especially like the vibrancy here. The 2019 is absolutely delicious. That’s all there is to it. (Antonio Galloni)

Rich and spicy, evoking plum, cherry, sandalwood and cigar box aromas and flavors. Though solidly built, this is also fluid, echoing spice notes on the finish. Best from 2022 through 2033. 1,700 cases made, 400 cases imported. (Bruce Sanderson)