Fattoria Zerbina Ceregio Romagna 2020

“Sometimes the impact of a winery is so positive that it enriches a whole area with its quality, consistency and continuity. This is true of Fattoria Zerbina.” – Gambero Rosso

While the phenomenal Sangiovese producer Zerbina, is still small and family-run, I’m afraid I won’t be able to consider it as off the radar for much longer. After all, almost every bottle goes direct to the most elite restaurants in the country, their Gambero Rosso is a perennial ‘Tre Bicchieri’ award winner (some sort of record number of times in a row), and the press has caught on finally. I fear that the minuscule amount of her wine that does make it stateside will be cut and prices are bound to catch up.

The transformation of a very good winery to one of the best in all of Italy is overwhelmingly the work of the uber-talented owner/winemaker Cristina Geminani. After studying in Bordeaux – under Denis Dubourdieu, she returned and transformed not just the vineyard practices at Zerbina but arguably throughout the wider Italian Sangiovese landscape.

Robert Parker, himself, said “I occasionally wonder what I should write about the wines of Cristina Geminani, the owner-winemaker of this estate, one of the most talented women in Italian wine…and about the quality of the wines there is little to discuss – this is the leading estate in Emilia-Romagna, has been so for fifteen years, and it cannot be ignored.”

This is a showstopper as always and easily one of the best Sangioveses made at anywhere near the price. At this price, it stands alone. Unfortunately, the American wine experts have now caught hold of this one, risking a shortage for the Nicholas Wines faithful who rely on this incredible Red value as a staple in their households. I’ll do the best that I can – but this 2020 Ceregio Rosso is one that is a crowd pleaser in any room.