Tag Archives: Sangiovese

Exploring Tre Bicchieri: Italy’s Top Wine Awards and Tastings

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Tre Bicchieri is one of Italy’s most prestigious wine awards, given by the renowned Italian wine guide Gambero Rosso. The term translates to “three glasses,” signifying wines that stand out for their exceptional quality. Each year, Gambero Rosso also hosts a tasting tour featuring the award-winning wines, and the San Francisco event took place on February 27, 2025, at Fort Mason. It’s a fantastic opportunity for industry professionals to explore top-tier Italian wines and engage with winemakers, distributors, and brand representatives.

My Tasting Strategy

With hundreds of wines available, tasting everything is impossible, so I always attend with a focused plan. This year, I sought out producers that, in my experience, consistently deliver high-quality wines. I approached the tasting relatively blind—meaning I knew the producer but hadn’t researched the wine’s ratings, price, or blend beforehand.

I also narrowed my focus to Italy’s powerhouse appellations—the 3 B’s (Barolo, Barbaresco, Brunello)—along with Chianti, because, well, how could I not?

The Wines

Below is a curated selection of the wines I tasted, along with their vintage, producer, critic ratings, price, and grape composition.

VintageProducer & WineCritic RatingPrice (USD)Blend
2022Il Sasso Carmignano, Mauro VannucciJS 92$3580% Sangiovese, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon
2019Brunello di Montalcino Poggiarelli, CortonesiJS 91$35100% Sangiovese
2019Brunello di Montalcino La Mannella, CortonesiN/A$69100% Sangiovese
2016Brunello di Montalcino La Mannella Riserva, CortonesiN/A$69100% Sangiovese
2021Nizza Le Court Riserva, Michele ChiarloWE 94$50100% Barbera
2020Barolo Cerequio, Michele ChiarloWE 94$124100% Nebbiolo
2019Tenuta di Arceno ArcanumRP 93$5265% Cabernet Franc, 20% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon
2020Tenuta di Arceno Chianti Classico RiservaWS 94$40100% Sangiovese
2018Tenuta di Arceno ValadornaRP 95$120100% Merlot
2020Renato Ratti Barolo SerradenariN/A$180100% Nebbiolo
2020Renato Ratti Barolo MarcenascoJD 93$75100% Nebbiolo
2022Renato Ratti Langhe NebbioloN/A$27100% Nebbiolo
2020Giovanni Sordo Barolo PernoWE 90$65100% Nebbiolo
2020Giovanni Sordo BaroloN/A$30100% Nebbiolo
2020Poliziano Nobile di Montepulciano Le CaggioleRV 95$70100% Sangiovese
2021Poliziano Nobile di Montepulciano AsinoneD 93$80100% Sangiovese
2021Marchesi Frescobaldi Chianti Rufina Terraelectae V. Montesodi RiservaD 95$45100% Sangiovese
2021Marchesi Frescobaldi Chianti Rufina Nipozzano V. V RiservaJS 92$3690% Sangiovese, 10% other red varieties
2022Marchesi Frescobaldi Chianti Classico Tenuta PeranoN/A$23100% Sangiovese
2021Carlo Giacosa Barbaresco AsiliJS 95$95100% Nebbiolo
2021Carlo Giacosa Barbaresco MonteficoJS 93$60100% Nebbiolo
2021Carlo Giacosa BarbarescoRV 92$37100% Nebbiolo

Key Takeaways

I intentionally omitted any wines that I wouldn’t personally buy. Every wine on this list was good, very good, or outright outstanding. What I love most is the wide range of price points—proof that great wineries can produce quality wines at multiple levels through strong viticulture and winemaking practices.

Of course, these wines only represent a small selection of what was available at the event. Italy’s wine scene is vast, spanning hundreds of regions, grape varieties, and microclimates, with incredibly talented winemakers. I only wish I had more time!

Final Thoughts

If any of these wines catch your interest, I highly encourage you to seek them out. Whether you’re a seasoned collector or just starting to explore Italian wines, you won’t be disappointed.

Let me know in the comments—have you tried any of these wines? Which Italian producers consistently impress you?

Salute! 🍷

Gambero Rosso’s ‘Tre Biccheri’ in San Francisco 2024

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“Tre Bicchieri” translates to “Three Glasses” in English. It is a prestigious wine award given by the Italian wine guide, Gambero Rosso, a leading authority on Italian wine. Their annual Vini d’Italia (Wines of Italy) guide is highly regarded in the industry.

So, what does the term really mean? The “Tre Bicchieri” award is bestowed upon wines that are considered outstanding, with a rating of three glasses being the highest honor. More than 70 expert tasters comprise the team that blind-tastes 45,000+ wines annually, rating them on a scale of one to three glasses (bicchieri). Of these many thousands of wines, fewer than 1% achieve the Tre Bicchieri designation, a ranking reserved for only the best wines from each vintage. Each tour stop also includes a set of Master Classes, which spotlight different regions of Italy and the most exciting grapes and wines emerging from those regions.

Gambero Rosso hosts events and tastings in different parts of the world, showcasing Italian wines across Italy, including those that have received the prestigious Tre Bicchieri recognition. The San Francisco tasting was held at the Fort Mason Festival Pavillion with the San Francisco Bay as the backdrop. Slated for industry professionals, it provides an opportunity to explore and appreciate the diversity and excellence of Italian wines. It also provides an opportunity for producers to showcase their wines to wine importers, wholesale buyers, retailers, restaurateurs, educators and the press. 

A wealth of information is provided by enthusiastic owners and winery representatives. In this instance, these particular wines have not yet arrived at the distributor for sale, so an advance preview of wonderful wines to come!

Three wines, same producer, different vineyards, very different aromatic profiles. A side by side tasting complete with a detailed map of the area so the representative could talk about the individual vineyards, elevation, and aspect that make these wines a standout.

There were approximately 90 tables (producers) with 2 to 4 wines at each station available to taste. It was a wonderful experience as always (I always select a theme as I cannot taste everything), and this year I concentrated my tasting on the Piedmont and Chianti areas (although I must admit I am fascinated by the 100% Cabernet Franc wines coming out of various areas in Italy and just had to sample a few).

View the list of wineries and wines at:

https://gamberorosso.us/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/folder-san-francisco.pdf

Follow-up to the Bolgheri tasting in November…..

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The goal of this tasting event was to learn about the terms Toscana and Super Tuscan and the wines in those categories, what Superiore implies, to explore the Wine Classification system in place in the region, how IGT began so producers did not have to label their wines as simply table wine, as well as ‘meeting’ some of the players in this class. For the tasting experience, we moved from wines with Sangiovese in the blend to all Bordeaux varietals, and finally circled back to Tuscany, finishing with Antinori’s Tignanello. It was quite a journey.

While this was an ‘armchair’ adventure, the pictures of the beautiful countryside, the sea, amazing vineyards and castle like chateau, coupled with stories of some of the most iconic Italian producers that took their dream of crafting Bordeaux style wine from the windswept lands that touch the Tyrrhenian Sea into a cult reality, it proved to be a heady tasting.

To recap, the following are the wines tasted:

2019 Michele Satta Cavaliere (100% Sangiovese) $60

2020 Gaja Ca’ Marcanda Magori (65% Cabernet Franc, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot) $80

2020 Podere Grattamacco Superiore (65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 15% Sangiovese) $130

2020 Ornellaia Frescobaldi (50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petit Verdot) $270

2020 Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia (85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc) $270

2020 Tua Rita Per Sempre Syrah (100% Syrah) $249

2019 Antinori Tignanello (80% Sangiovese, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc) $180

To be clear, there was not a bad wine or a wine that any one or more attendee did not like. It was a journey through and an introduction to the various expressions of varietals found in this region, followed by a discussion of the success this area has enjoyed. 

For me, personally, it was my first taste of Sassicaia and I loved it. The fruit was ripe and the flavors lush, but not overblown. The purity of the fruit stood out and the finish was superb, the wine restrained and elegant, not fruit forward like a California Cabernet. I also enjoyed the Grattamacco as I love how the marriage of Bordeaux varietals and Sangiovese seem to bring two worlds together, giving the wine an uplift and added structure. And, I fell in love with Tignanello several years ago, so I am biased as I make sure I collect and cellar several bottles each vintage. The surprise was the 100% Syrah wine from Tua Rita. It was inky and rich and the first 100% Syrah bottling I have had from this region. A true standout!

They say that a given situation can form a lasting memory in your mind, and I would place this tasting in that category. Good people, great wines, fantastic food created to play well with the wines, and wonderful pictures and stories of this beautiful area along the sea. Seeing the vines curve along the hillsides and down to the sea, knowing that the marshy land was drained to make viticulture a reality (as happened in Bordeaux a long time ago), with iconic winemakers and their vision of what the area could become. Their wines have shown to be carefully crafted and have gained worldwide appeal and accolades. This was a tribute to their efforts!

While these are not most people’s ‘Wednesday night wines’, I encourage you to gather some friends and try a couple of these bottlings to learn about this exciting region! You will not be disappointed…