The second estate to release a Bolgheri red after Sassicaia, founded 1977. Acquired by Claudio Tipa's ColleMassari group in 2002; CCPB-organic certified since 2014.
Signature wines: grattamacco-bolgheri-superiore, grattamacco-bolgheri-rosso, grattamacco-grattamacco-bianco
Scores: Wine Advocate 96 (2019), Vinous 95 (2018)
Address: Localita Lungagnano 129, 57022 Castagneto Carducci, Livorno, Italy, Tuscany
Bolgheri's enduring artisan: Michele Satta arrived in 1974 and bottled his first wine in 1983. Notable for keeping a 100% Sangiovese (Cavaliere) on the Bordeaux-dominated coast.
Tasting: Cellar tours and tasting flights by appointment; Michele Satta personally hosts on advance booking.
Signature wines: michele-satta-piastraia, michele-satta-i-castagni, michele-satta-cavaliere
Scores: Wine Advocate 95 (2018), Vinous 93 (2018)
Bolgheri's enduring artisan: Michele Satta arrived in 1974 and bottled his first wine in 1983. Notable for keeping a 100% Sangiovese (Cavaliere) on the Bordeaux-dominated coast.
Tasting: Cellar tours and tasting flights by appointment; Michele Satta personally hosts on advance booking.
Signature wines: michele-satta-piastraia, michele-satta-i-castagni, michele-satta-cavaliere
Scores: Wine Advocate 95 (2018), Vinous 93 (2018)
Contini Bonacossi family estate at Carmignano with vineyard records back to 804 AD on the property. Wine production formalised in 1920; certified organic and a Carmignano DOCG benchmark.
Tasting: Cellar tours, Vin Santo vinsantaia visits, vineyard walks and on-site agriturismo accommodation; certified organic.
Signature wines: capezzana-villa-di-capezzana, capezzana-trefiano-riserva, capezzana-vin-santo-di-carmignano-riserva
Scores: Wine Advocate 93 (2018), Vinous 93 (2018)
Maremma estate built by Elisabetta Geppetti from her 1985 inheritance into the region's reference producer. Saffredi (Cabernet-Merlot-Alicante IGT) and Morellino anchor the range.
Tasting: Cellar tours, vineyard walks and tasting flights by reservation; Saffredi is the long-running Super Tuscan flagship.
Signature wines: le-pupille-saffredi, le-pupille-poggio-valente, le-pupille-morellino-di-scansano
Scores: Wine Advocate 97 (2019), Vinous 95 (2018)
Joint venture between Castellare di Castellina and Domaines Barons de Rothschild (Lafite), housed in a Renzo Piano-designed cellar at Gavorrano. Baffonero, a 100% Merlot, is the prestige bottling.
Tasting: Tours of the Renzo Piano-designed cellar, vineyard walks and tasting flights by reservation; the cellar's underground barrel hall is a destination in itself.
Signature wines: rocca-di-frassinello, rocca-di-frassinello-baffonero, rocca-di-frassinello-le-sughere
Scores: Wine Advocate 95 (2018), Vinous 94 (2018)
San Gimignano's leading Vernaccia specialist, founded 1979 by Giovanni Panizzi and acquired by Simone Niccolai in 2010. The Riserva ages in a mix of stainless steel, tonneau and acacia wood.
Tasting: Cellar tours, tasting flights and an on-site museum dedicated to Vernaccia; guided visits at the Santa Margherita property.
Signature wines: panizzi-vernaccia-di-san-gimignano, panizzi-riserva-vernaccia-di-san-gimignano, panizzi-vertigo-chianti-colli-senesi
Scores: Wine Advocate 93 (2022), Vinous 92 (2021)
Frescobaldi's Rufina estate, in the family since 1000 AD and on its current 250-hectare scale since the mid-19th century. Montesodi single-vineyard Sangiovese is the long-running flagship.
Tasting: Castle tours, cellar visits, vineyard tastings and lunch in the medieval estate by reservation; one of the Frescobaldi estate-visit anchors.
Signature wines: nipozzano-vecchie-viti, nipozzano-montesodi, nipozzano-chianti-rufina-riserva
Scores: Wine Advocate 95 (2019), Vinous 94 (2018)
