A blend of 70% Sangiovese, 20% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2019 Rapace opens to a medium-dark color and nice concentration that is not too heavy and not too light (although the 15% alcohol content is a lot). It's perfect as an all-meal option or a versatile wine that can pair with everything from appetizers to meat-based mains. The bouquet offers dark fruit and plum. Those primary aromas are framed by sweet spice, cedar and tobacco. Those oak elements work to create greater depth and texture in the wine. This is a production of 10,365 bottles and 484 magnums.

The Uccelliera 2018 Rapace (a blend of 70% Sangiovese, 20% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon) is a lean, medium-bodied red. This is an easy-drinking blend with an especially food-friendly taste profile. The 2018 vintage is on the thinner side, but this wine will appeal to those who appreciate more brightness and aromatic lift. The 14.5% alcohol content pushes back a bit, but the wine is accessible nonetheless. Production is 9,600 bottles.

Uccelliera's 2017 Rapace is the most fruit-forward of the three vintages I tasted in this mini vertical (consisting of 2015, 2016 and 2017). This makes perfect sense given the scorching hot and dry conditions of this growing season. Rapace is a blend of 70% Sangiovese, 20% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, aged in French oak for 18 months. The wine delivers ripe and dark fruit, with a subtle dusting of crushed mineral that becomes more prominent as the wine takes on air in the glass. However, it is a bit thinner and shorter compared to the other vintages I tasted at the same time. Due to the difficulties of the vintage, production was reduced to 9,600 bottles. Those bottles were filled in July 2019 and were released in January 2020.

The Uccelliera 2016 Rapace (a blend of 70% Sangiovese, 20% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon) shows a focused and chiseled personality that is very characteristic of this vintage. The wine's mineral side, with shadings of lead pencil and crushed stone, give sharp contours and delineation to the abundant black fruit packed tight at the core. The wine shows bright acidity with more than enough rich fruit to bolster that freshness. Some 11,300 bottles were produced, and this bottle was originally released to the market in January 2019. This is an outstanding value buy.

The Uccelliera 2015 Rapace is a blend of 70% Sangiovese, 20% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, all aged in French barrique for 18 months. The wine was bottled in July 2017 and was released to market in January 2018. Some 11,200 bottles were produced. This bottle takes us back in time to what was a very rewarding growing season in Tuscany. The primary fruit is surprisingly well intact in this vintage (the oldest in this mini vertical, which also includes the 2016 and 2017 Rapace). Dark, plummy fruit rises to the top, pulling opulent tones of barbecue spice and smoke along. The tannins have surrendered to a soft and silky side.