An opaque red, the 2020 Castello Di Bolgheri is open with aromas of pencil shaving, toasted pine, licorice candy, lavender, and blackcurrant. Fleshy and full-bodied, it retains good freshness and offers a velvety texture and a good bit of length. It is going to do well to rest another year in bottle. Drink 2024-2040.
95 points, Audrey Frick, Jeb Dunnuck (Jan 2024)
In the bottle with the white label, the Castello di Bolgheri 2020 Bolgheri Superiore shows a hint of savory greenness with peppercorn, bay leaf, baked plum and blackberry preserves. The oak adds sweetness with cinnamon and nutmeg over a very generous mouthfeel with thick, chalky tannins that need a few more years of bottle age. With a 15% alcohol content, this wine is more intense on the palate compared to the bouquet. The effect is almost burly or pugilistic, setting this wine up for a pairing with hearty winter dishes. That hit of chili flake that we saw in the Bolgheri Rosso appears again here. Some 25,000 bottles were released, and the blend is 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Cabernet Franc and 7% Merlot.
94 points, Monica Larner, Wine Advocate (Feb 2024)
This red leads off with ample iron and savory aromas and flavors, courtesy of eucalyptus, wild rosemary and mineral notes, all framing the core of pure black currant and blackberry fruit. Taut and firmly built, with fine length. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot. Best from 2025 through 2040. 2,500 cases made, 350 cases imported.
94 points, Bruce Sanderson, Wine Spectator (Oct 2023)
The nose is a sun-soaked seafaring adventure, with savory notes of dried meat from the hold and leather belts and boots mixing with a rich fruitiness and the salty sea air. The rich, fruity, chocolaty palate eventually turns spicy, and that spice dances with searing acidity to prolong the finish.
94 points, Danielle Callegari, Wine Enthusiast (Nov 2023)
Notes of toasted spices, dark cedar, cocoa and bark with a mix of red and blue fruit in the background. Full, compact and lightly chewy with firm, vertical tannins. Spiced, ripe and intense, yet well-integrated and balanced with tension and persistence. Needs some time in the bottle. Try after 2025.
93 points, James Suckling (Jun 2023)
Castello di Bolgheri is quite traditionally made, with partial oak fermentation in 500l barrels and long macerations of up to 30 days for Cabernet Sauvignon, and up to 20 for Cabernet Franc and Merlot. An intense nose of cassis with floral hints and black olives is enhanced by balsamic depth. There's sucrosity on the chewy, lively and youthful palate. The tannins seems to be grainy, extracted, still to condense but ripe, with crisp balancing acidity. The sweetness of the fruit, a bit confected, is balanced by a kind of bitter finish.
93 points, Aldo Fiordelli, Decanter (Jun 2023)
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