The Tenuta di Biserno 2019 Lodovico is another iconic wine from the Tuscan coast. This magnificent blend of Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot reveals thick layers of dark fruit, pressed blackberry, leather and spice. The wine is beautifully concentrated and well-rounded with all the added textural softness and richness of the warm and sunny growing climate found on the Tuscan coast. The finish is long and impeccable.

The Tenuta di Biserno 2018 Lodovico shows a high degree of focus and sharpness in this vintage that was not always easy given some extra rain showers. This full-bodied Tuscan red is vertical and very intense while maintaining a careful sense of balance and aromatic equilibrium all the while. It shows big, black intensity with lots of fruit thickness and layering. The wine strikes at that proverbial and elusive crossroads between power and elegance. The blend sees mostly Cabernet Franc, with smaller parts Merlot and Petit Verdot. It is fermented in cone-shaped steel vats for up to four weeks. It completes malolactic fermentation in barrel (or 80% of the total does, with the remaining 20% in steel) and ages in barrique (with 80% new oak) for 16 months. Including 750-milliliter bottles and magnums, annual production is from 8,000 to 10,000 bottles.

This is the headline wine from Lodovico Antinori's Tenuta di Biserno. The hot vintage 2017 Lodovico shows a rich and deeply saturated color with elegant tones of dark fruit, spice, rum cake, dried plum, jerky, charred meat and cured tobacco. Like the Biserno (which is also a blend of Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot), this special vineyard selection reveals slightly less depth and dimension in terms of mouthfeel. That more compact palate is a common feature of the 2017 vintage in which hard work and severe fruit selection was achieved in order to counter the jammy concentration of the berries. This remains a big wine, however, with the balanced and bright acidity that is a crucial indicator of the wine's undeniable quality and pedigree.