2018 Caiarossa Toscana Rosso IGT
"This is extremely perfumed with violets, sage, lavender, currants and berries. Fresh and vivid. Medium-to full-bodied with super refined tannins and fruit. So subtle and refined. This is really long and gorgeous. Goes on for minutes. A change in style from past vintages and I like it. 30% syrah, 30% cabernet franc, 16% cabernet sauvignon, 12% merlot 7% petit verdot and 5% sangiovese. From organically grown grapes. So hard not to drink now, but better after 2023." James Suckling 96pts
As seasoned wineslingers, no wines make us as thirsty just talking about them than the wines of the Tuscan Coast; they have a warmth, charisma, and generosity to them that you simply don't find in places like Bordeaux or the Loire. The Tuscan sun, her gravelly soils, Sangiovese, and Cabernet Sauvignon create an alchemy that beckons your nose into the glass in a way that other red wines simply can't. Caiarossa, is located just to the north of Bolgheri by about 30 minutes. Here in the rolling hills of the Cecina river valley, the influence of the sea moderates temperatures nicely, with a climate absolutely perfect for growing Sangiovese and the Bordeaux varietals. It is no accident that these wines are made in the graceful, powerful style of a great Margaux; Caiarossa is owned by the same family that owns Margaux's Château du Tertre (5th Growth) and Château Giscours (3rd Growth). The estate is managed and the wines are made by Dominique Génot, a Frenchman who trained in Bordeaux and Dijon and also staged in California and New Zealand. 2006 was his first vintage at Caiarossa, and his mastery shows. If you crave the voluptuous, savory sunshine of the Tuscan coast you taste in the likes of Sassicaia, Ornellaia, and le Macchiole, these little gems, emblazoned with a bust of Dionysus himself, are going to become a treasured part of your cellar.
James Suckling
This is extremely perfumed with violets, sage, lavender, currants and berries. Fresh and vivid. Medium-to full-bodied with super refined tannins and fruit. So subtle and refined. This is really long and gorgeous. Goes on for minutes. A change in style from past vintages and I like it. 30% syrah, 30% cabernet franc, 16% cabernet sauvignon, 12% merlot 7% petit verdot and 5% sangiovese. From organically grown grapes. So hard not to drink now, but better after 2023.
Wine Advocate
Tasted as an unfinished sample, the Caiarossa 2018 Caiarossa offers great insight into the forward-looking trajectory and the solid quality record of this gem of an estate on the Tuscan Coast. This is a blend of Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Sangiovese, Syrah and Alicante, with the saturated and dark fruit aromas of the Cabernet grapes in pole position. A deep core of black fruit is backed by exotic spice, tar and sweet licorice at the back. The finest work here is to the tannins, which remain very smooth and taut, giving the wine an elegant but determined backbone.
Wine Spectator
Intense fruit flavors of blackberry, black currant, black cherry and spicy oak are the hallmarks of this red, which is balanced and well-integrated, fresh and long, but just needs two to three years to unwind.