2018 Il Borro Borrigiano Valdarno di Sopra Rosso 750 ml

An under-$20 Tuscan red boasting 92+ points never fails to capture our attention—especially one attended by rave press clippings, like the dazzling 2018 Il Borro Borrigiano Rosso. “This is a terrific wine with a confident, pure and easy-drinking appeal that is nothing short of charming,” says Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate. For that kind of critical praise—from a proven customer favorite producer—to come at bargain prices like $18 per bottle.

It’s reminiscent of Chianti Classico yet subtly different—with layers of wild strawberry, Mediterranean herbs, and clove spice—from an appellation near Tuscany in the little-known region of Valdarno di Sopra. But this under-the-radar DOCG just happens to be home to legendary Super Tuscans, and much of the earthiness and savoriness that these luxury wines are famous for is immediately apparent in the rustic touches of Il Borro’s Borrigiano.

When we offered the last wine from Il Borro, a Wine Access member-favorite producer, we had never set foot on the 1,750-acre Il Borro estate near Arezzo, which had twice passed through Medici hands before Ferruccio Ferragamo—the son of footwear designer Salvatore Ferragamo and Chairman of the luxury goods brand founded by his father—purchased it from Italian royal Duke Amedeo d'Aosta. Needless to say, we righted that wrong on our last visit to Tuscany, when we visited the breathtaking property, which includes the Ferragamos’ house (which has been featured in Architectural Digest), 7,000 olive trees, and rotating crops of wheat, sunflowers, corn, legumes, and lavender, in addition to the 100 acres planted to vine.  

It’s no surprise that such a place produces such a lovely wine. What is surprising is that the pristine estate—with its replanted vineyards and impeccably restored adjacent village, roads, and bridges—produces a wine as accessible, price-wise, as Borrigiano. Its first vintage was in 2001, which made it the second wine produced at Il Borro on Ferragamo’s watch.

The wines have slowly risen to the tops of critics’ charts, with Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate singling out the winery for praise on multiple occasions, writing: “I can't think of many vintners with the courage and the means to apply such a spirit of creativity and entrepreneurship to their wines.”

The 2018 Borrigiano is the estate’s first wine with the Valdarno di Sopra appellation designation, and is 100% organic. It hails from a vineyard with densely planted vines, forcing the plants to struggle for survival, resulting in densely flavored berries. Grapes are picked by hand and undergo a cold maceration to maintain aromatic complexity before aging for ten months in large oak casks.

Gorgeously perfumed and drinking wonderfully right now, this bottle delivers elegance of Burgundy and the character of Tuscany, at a fantastic price.