Tenuta di Arceno Arcanum Toscana IGT 2013

96+ Points, Parker’s Wine Advocate

Earlier in the year, around springtime, we hosted a tasting of old wines at Barrel and Roost with one of our major importers. Without a doubt, this was the absolute star of that tasting. I mean I was running around like a madman that day, but after smelling, swirling and taking a small sip, it made me stop for a second and appreciate how good what I was tasting was. This is a gorgeous Bordeaux blend from a terrific vintage that is still drinking amazingly. It has this incredibly silky texture to it, with red and black fruits that gave way to more herbal and spiced notes towards the end. What a beautiful and complex bottle. Even better: this still has so so much life ahead. What a treat.

This is the pinnacle of Tenuta di Arceno’s offerings: a Cabernet Franc-based blend with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot covering the other 30%. It’s a wine that’s viewed as one of the benchmarks for Cabernet Franc in Italy and one that rivals some of the best of the Right Bank and in 2013 both Sassicaia and Masseto. The Wine Advocate loved it all, everything from the nose that “exudes ripe berries and sweet vanilla toast” to the Cabernet tannins that are “long, soft and supple” with “potent underlying power, elegance and finesse.” This is perfectly aged, perfectly cellared and is so unique from everything else you’d expect to taste in Tuscany.