2016 Il Borro Toscana IGT is sold out.

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Dual 96pt Super Tuscan Masterpiece

Wine Bottle
  • 96+ pts Wine Advocate
    96+ pts RPWA
  • 96 pts James Suckling
    96 pts JS
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2016 Il Borro Toscana IGT 750 ml

Sold Out

Sign up to receive notifications when wines from this producer become available.
  • Curated by unrivaled experts
  • Choose your delivery date
  • Temperature controlled shipping options
  • Get credited back if a wine fails to impress

We Skipped the David

On our last afternoon in Florence we had a choice: a visit to Michelangelo’s marble icon or a trip back to the 140-year-old Buca Lapi, where we first sipped Il Borro’s extravagant Toscana IGT and feasted on the nearly four-inch-thick char-grilled steak that is the house specialty. 

Some might question our sanity, but Wine Access members who got their hands on last year’s tiny allocation of the 2015 Il Borro will understand why we booked it back to Buca Lapi. We had to try the 2016. 

Once again we were floored by the richness, depth, and complexity of this member-favorite. With a score of 96+ from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, which called the 2016 “a seamless, full-bodied red wine that presents an A-list aromatic presentation,” and a 96-point score from James Suckling, who noted it’s “linear and focused with lovely lines of ripe and firm tannins,” the 2016 Il Borro Toscana clocks in as one of the top Super Tuscans of the vintage. 

The 1,750-acre Il Borro estate near Arezzo has a regal history, having twice passed through Medici hands before Ferruccio Ferragamo purchased it from the Italian royal Duke Amedeo d'Aosta. In 1993, he began a renovation of massive scope: Ferruccio not only replanted the vineyards, but restored the game preserve, the adjacent village, and the roads and bridges that traverse the property’s four river valleys. The results, unsurprisingly, were stunning. 

The 2016 Il Borro demonstrates the success of these efforts. It is grown entirely from organically farmed vines, densely planted in sandy loam soils 900 feet above sea level. The blend of 50% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 15% Syrah is both muscular and sophisticated. As the Advocate wrote in their glowing review, “The tannins are well integrated and there is enough acidity to lift the entire flavor profile of this beautiful wine.” 

Back at Buca Lapi, when the meal was over, there were still a few slices of perfectly grilled steak left on our plates. The Il Borro, however, was long gone. Similarly, we don’t expect our allocation to last.