2015

Wine Searcher: The rest of Europe also performed extraordinarily well, with Italy, Spain, Germany and Austria all producing some fantastic, ageworthy wines.

Piedmont:
WS: Drink or Hold – Winter snow and spring rain provided water reserves for the vines during the hot summer, resulting in vibrant Barolos with red fruit flavors and rich Barbarescos, all showing balance.
JR: Healthy grapes and exceptionally regular bunches. The vintage shows great promise, even if some grapes were relatively low in acidity.

Tuscany/Chianti:
WS: Drink or Hold – Long-lived, powerful and concentrated reds, yet the best have purity and elegance; great value.
JR: A cold and rainy winter preceded an irregular spring followed by exceptionally hot, dry summer weather, creating small bunches of Sangiovese, so yields were down across the region.