2020 Terrabianca "Campaccio" Toscana

The savory nose of damp earth, mixed herbs and rocks draws nuance from an undertone of dried tomato, which sweetens on the palate to push back more forcefully on an enduring savoriness. A sprinkling of tart currants sets up a bitter chocolate finish, where tannins glide past crackling acid like ice skaters past a glittering Christmas tree. (DC)

If you drank Italian wine in the 1990s, you remember the black label, and you remember what it cost. Campaccio was one of the Super Tuscans that defined the decade, born at Terrabianca in Radda in 1988. The estate changed hands in 2019 and is now Arillo in Terrabianca, with the Radda vineyards going into Chianti Classico and Campaccio coming from the family’s Maremma property near Massa Marittima, where Cabernet and Merlot ripen properly. The blend is 70% Sangiovese, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Merlot, twelve months in French barriques, six in bottle. In the glass, it pours a deep ruby. The nose is dark-toned and polished: black cherry and cassis, leather, sweet spice, licorice and a mocha edge. On the palate, it is ample and resonant, medium-to-full-bodied, with ripe, rounded tannins, a savoury Sangiovese core holding the Cabernet’s weight in check and a long, warm finish. Vinous gave it 94, the Enthusiast 93, and it sells for $40 elsewhere. We have it at $19.99, in depth, in every store. A 94-point Super Tuscan for twenty dollars does not stay on the shelf, so buy the six for the holidays now: ribeye, short ribs, the cheese board.