One of the highlights in this range, the 2016 Saffredi is a hugely promising wine marked by a beguiling combination of vertical structure, energy and concentration. Black cherry, lavender, spice, plum, sage and lavender all pulse with remarkable energy. Massive and yet remarkably vivid for such an intense wine, the 2016 is shaping up to be a real jewel of a wine.

Incredible aromas of dark berries, lavender, rosemary, licorice and dried flowers. Spice. Full body and fantastic tannin texture with great length. Goes on for minutes. Muscular yet wonderfully formed and refined. A glorious Saffredi. Drink in 2022.

True to a vintage that will be remembered for excellent quality across Tuscany, the Fattoria le Pupille 2016 Saffredi is one of the standout wines in this retrospective. It is a very strong protagonist among these younger vintages. The wine remains full of life and energy, and there is an especially zesty note that recalls climbing vines or crunchy snow peas with contrasting elements of greenness and sweetness. If 2018 is remembered for ripeness and brandied cherry, and 2017 shows aromas of toasted espresso bean, this 2016 vintage leans into dried flower, peat moss and pastis. Oak is used generously, but not in an overblown manner, to give the wine important structural power and aging runway. The finish is linear and tight.

The 2016 Saffredi brings full-throttled intensity in a very well-balanced wine. The blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (60%), Merlot (30%) and Petit Verdot (10%) spends 18 months in mostly new oak. This vintage is compact, firm and precise, with lovely floral aromas on the bouquet in front of blackberry and plum. Long oak toasting gives the wine tasty notes of spice and cinnamon and rounds the bouquet off nicely. The mouthfeel is soft and velvety. This is a complex, integrated and absolutely beautiful wine. ML

This red is dark and brooding, revealing plum, blueberry, tar, iron and leafy underbrush flavors. Intense and burly, yet persistent, refusing to quit on the firm finish. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. BS