Tenuta di Arceno Valadorna Toscana IGT 2014

For anyone who stopped by the restaurant the other week and saw a group of people ‘hard at work’ tasting a selection of old wines, this one was the absolute star of that tasting. The 2013 Arcanum will get all the glory because of the big score and the better vintage, but I’m telling you this wine is absolutely fantastic – it’s drinking like a dream. Most people felt like this was the best wine of the tasting. For me, it was a toss-up with this and its sibling. It’s almost hard to believe that the same people who made the 2013 Arcanum also made this Valadorna. They’re totally different. This is a super Bordeaux Blend that leads with Tuscan Merlot, and is followed by Cabernet Franc and Cab Sauv. It’s just strikingly smooth, and so tasty with so many different layers, it’s the kind of wine that I’d even recommend sipping on its own without food. It’s just that impressive, and that rare to be drinking something like this from the 2014 vintage, in 2026!