2017 Cavalli Tenuta Degli Dei Toscana 750 ml

The last time we offered the Tenuta Degli Dei Cavalli, Wine Access members cleared pallets of it out in a day, then rated it 4.31 stars—an excellent showing for a Super Tuscan at this price. 

A Cabernet blend from Tuscany’s iconic Conca d’Oro, the 2017 version will appeal to lovers of wines like Solaia, Ornellaia, and Rampolla’s Sammarco—but at a fraction of the cost. 

We went nuts for Cavalli after sampling it at a trattoria in Florence, where we were immediately pulled in by its seductive aromas and sophisticated palate. This ruby gem is just getting started after four years in bottle, and in another four to six years this will be one of the silkiest, most polished Tuscan reds in your cellar—one whose price your guests won’t believe.

The Cavalli in the name is Roberto Cavalli, the famous fashion designer who had been coming to this picturesque Tuscan village—a stone’s throw from the stunning Romanesque parish church in San Leolino—since the early 1970s. He eventually bought the breathtaking estate, which came with a small vineyard that was in complete disrepair. In 2000, Roberto’s son Tommaso Cavalli set about planting the vineyard anew.

Roberto may not have known it, but he had stumbled across a genuine viticultural goldmine. The estate is located in the heart of Tuscany’s iconic Conca d’Oro, or “golden basin”: an amphitheater-like cradle near Panzano, seemingly custom-made for grapegrowing, thanks to its ideal microclimate, high-altitude vineyards, and south-facing orientation.

When it comes to Tuscany, this is the expression we so often crave: a nose overflowing with macerated cherries, black olives, savory herbs, and dried roses, plus a fresh, balanced palate upheld by a firm tannic structure.