Tua Rita, Redigaffi, Tuscany, Italy, 2017

Overview The Wine
Rita Tua and her husband, Virgilio Bisti, bought approximately 37.5 acres of land in 1984 and planted it with Cabernet and Merlot. They later purchased an additional 17.5 acres of land, bringing the total estate to 55 acres, of which about 45 are planted with vines. The winery released its first vintage in 1992, and soon began receiving praise and accolades from wine enthusiasts worldwide for its rich, full-bodied wines. In just five short years, its 100% Merlot had achieved cult-like status, receiving outstanding ratings from the world’s most prestigious wine critics and publications. Critic Robert M. Parker Jr. said the 1999 Redigaffi was “as close to perfection as a wine can get.” The following year, he gave the 2000 Redigaffi a perfect 100 score. The winery’s Bordeaux blend, Giusti di Notri, also garners near-universal praise. Little wonder that Tua Rita’s wines are considered among the most difficult to find in Italy. Tua Rita is located in Suvereto, a small medieval town in the Tuscan province of Livorno, on the coast south of Bolgheri. The winery lies at just 300 feet above sea level, on clay, silty soil. Luca D'Attoma, the estate’s winemaker, keeps yields to a minimum to ensure concentration of flavors. The estate’s total annual production is currently just 3400 case.

Grape / Blend 
100% Merlot

Origin
Tuscany, Italy 

Winemaker's Tasting Notes
Deep purple in color, Redigaffi offers luscious layers of blueberry jam, ripe plum and blackberry, followed by voluptuous notes of dark chocolate, licorice, black pepper, vanilla and incense. Full-bodied and lush on the palate with polished tannins and an extra-long finish, Redigaffi is one of Italys greatest Merlots. A true masterpiece.

This wine pairs beautifully with dark-fruit chutney sauces, kalamata olive tapenade, Chteaubriand, and grilled pepper-crusted sirloins.

97 Points - James Suckling
This has gorgeous aromas of walnuts, chocolate, spiced plums, licorice and grilled herbs. Rich and chewy with a full body and firm, broad tannins. Opulent, yet held in check. Salty undertones to the ripe fruit and spice. Concentrated from start to finish. 100% merlot. Drink or hold.

96 Points - Decanter
2017 had a hot, very dry growing season and the winery had to make a strict selection in the vineyard and take extreme care in the winery during vinification. The 2017 Redigaffi still manages to be beautifully balanced in spite of the challenges of the vintage. On the palate there's beautiful weight and texture with lovely harmony and concentration, though the vintage reveals itself on the finish with a slight dry chalkiness to the tannins. The Tua Rita team had started to focus more on vinifying single plots of vines separately by this point, and whatever the techniques employed, the result is fantastic

94 Points - Vinous
The 2017 Redigraffi (100% Merlot) is a classic Tua Rita wine. Rich, dense and explosive, the 2017 captures all of the natural exuberance that comes so easily in this southern part of the Tuscan coast. Inky dark fruit, chocolate, spice, new leather and spice abound. Although the 2017 is quite potent, it is also not as extracted or opulent as it can be. I would prefer to drink it over the next decade or so.

94 Points - Wine Advocate
Born in yet another hot vintage on the Tuscan Coast, the 2017 Redigaffi is dark, richly concentrated, textured and soft. It offers a broad collection of plummy dark fruit aromas with cherry preserves, chocolate-covered prunes, grilled rosemary and Indian spice. However, what stands out most in this edition is the power and the firmness of the tannins. This is the proverbial big wine with a capitol B that could use more time in bottle.

93 Points - Wine Spectator
This is powerful, from the vanilla- and coconut-scented oak to the concentrated blackberry, black currant and fruitcake flavors to the muscular tannins that support it all. Notes of Mediterranean scrub and tobacco peek through on the long finish. Best from 2023 through 2035. 900 cases made, 100 cases imported.