Castello Romitorio 'Romitorio' Toscana Rosso 2021

93 POINT Tuscan! The BEST price ANYWHERE! Castello Romitorio in da’ HOUSE!!!

YES!!! What a wine! What a Wednesday! The absolutely EN FUEGO Castello Romitorio winery has been blowing up on a global scale these last few years. Their simply cult-like, wake-up-in-a-bathtub-full-of-ice-missing-a-kidney just to get one Brunellos have been snagging TONS of praise from all the top critics – 97, 98, 98 again, 97+ – and on and on…just fiercely hip and having their “It Girl” moment. We tasted this at VinItaly back in April – and honestly…we considered canceling the appointment. We KNEW beforehand the wines were epic, with crazy high scores, and a cult-like following. But the production size is small – what are the chances they even had enough? At these sort of prices, we insist on getting the all-time great deals our loyal Last Bottlers demand. It seemed a herculean task…and well, this was day four of “networking” over negronis and Champagne until 3:30 in the morning out in Verona’s Piazza delle Erbe.

But we really, REALLY wanted to try the wines! So we soldiered onward…and my word, are you gonna be glad we did!!! Somehow – I was barely conscious at this point – our crack team of buyers SCORED an all-time deal on this 93 POINT Romitorio Toscana Red. It was one of our favorites from all THIRTEEN wines we tasted from this great estate – with a quality for value that simply couldn’t be beat! A price like this for a wine of this pedigree is just ga-ga…plus, it’s got a friggin’ BULL on the label! (Everybody loves animal labels, right?) I digress…the wine!

Stunningly pretty, with loads of wild berries and flowers – from blueberries to violets and lilacs, with accents of black plums, red currants, and black cherries – and followed by a structured and lusciously rich mouthfeel that evokes molten milk chocolate and cafe mocha. Whispers of wild fennel, and orange zest complete the sensations – a velvety smooth, and wild ride that simply SINGS with freshness and depth! Huzzah, indeed! This will smackdown wines three times the price – a stunning marriage of power and elegance not often found at these sort of daily drinker price points. Get a case, get two, just GET MOVING! Not enough, and you have to know – the office is loading up on this for their personal stash! While it lasts!

** ROMITORIO!!! Fun Fact: Head honcho Filippo Chia’s dad traded 3 paintings for these 200 hectares of land and a castle ruin that would become Castello Romitorio (Hermitage Castle). Sandro Chia (who also designs all their stunning labels) is a principal member of the Italian Neo-Expressionist movement – and his art is nearly as stunning as the wine inside! **