2023 Grammatica Toscana IGT

Made entirely from Sangiovese and first produced in 2020, the 2023 Grammatica includes the estate’s press wine and was raised in cement, with roughly 10,000 bottles produced. It pours a reflective ruby hue and has a pure, attractive nose of black and red berries, violets, and fresh earth. Medium-bodied, it is supple and inviting, with ripe tannins, refreshing acidity, and a clean, easy finish that makes it a terrific entry point into the estate’s more contemporary style of transparency. It should drink well over the next 6 to 8 years. Drink 2026-2032. This was my first visit to the estate of Cerbaiona, where I met with Matthew Fioretti. Along with investor Gary Rieschel, they purchased this historic estate in 2015 from Diego Molinari and began a four-year process of uprooting, replanting, and extending the vineyards, which are now cultivated using the alberello method. They have also overseen the construction of a new underground cellar. The wines have a renewed focus on precision, clarity, freshness, and sense of place. It is immediately apparent that Mr. Fioretti brings a fastidious attention to detail from the vineyard to the glass, and I, for one, find this a welcome change that seems to be leading Cerbaiona to a potential place among the best of the region.

The 2023 Grammatica is conceived as the estate’s foundational wine, much like grammar itself provides the structure for language, with most of the fruit sourced from Cerbaiona’s own vineyards and a small portion of purchased fruit. Aged in third- and fourth-use oak before resting in cement and glass ahead of release, the wine prioritizes clarity and balance. The 2023 vintage delivers appealing volume and texture that remain finely understated, supported by a quietly confident structure that makes the wine especially well suited to the table. Production is 10,350 bottles.