Piedmont dominates the world of Italian wine. Gaja and Bruno Giacosa take the podium of the best 100 Italian reds along with Tenuta San Guido. The annual ranking is compiled by Gentleman, a lifestyle magazine by Class Editori, directed by Giulia Pessani. This year, the novelty is the return of the notable absentees from 2023, especially prominent names from Piedmont, as well as labels like Solaia, Masseto, and Ornellaia.
The Top 100 Best Italian Red Wines
The best red wines according to the Italian critics
Barbaresco Sorì Tildin '20 makes its comeback, claiming the top spot and pushing Sassicaia '20 to second place, which remains a solid certainty among the top positions. Bruno Giacosa's Barolo Riserva, Falletto Vigneto Le Rocche '17, in third place along with Gaja's two Barbaresco crus (Sorì Tildin and Sorì San Lorenzo in fourth place) highlights the great moment of Piedmont not only at the top of the ranking but also in the top 100 with a total of 33 labels.
Gianfranco Fino's Es '21 maintains the fifth position, while in sixth place, tied, are Amarone della Valpolicella Classico '13 by Bertani, Montiano '20, and Masseto '20. Marche and Sardinia share the seventh position with Rosso Piceno Superiore Roggio del Filare '20 by Velenosi and Turriga '19 by Argiolas, while Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Poggio al Vento '16 by Col d'Orcia takes the eighth position.
Tied at the ninth position are Etna Rosso Barbagalli '20 by Pietradolce and Tenuta di Trinoro '20. The tenth and eleventh positions are dominated by Tuscan references with the return of Solaia, followed by a trio of great Sangiovese-based wines: I Sodi di San Niccolò '19 by Castellare di Castellina, Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Vigna Il Poggio '18 by Castello di Monsanto, and Brunello di Montalcino '18 by Poggio di Sotto, alongside Montefalco Sagrantino 25 Anni '19 by Arnaldo Caprai.
Tied in twelfth position are Barolo Ornato '19 by Pio Cesare and Cabernet Franc '20 by Due Mani. In thirteenth place, along with Barolo Ginestra Casa Matè '19 by Elio Grasso, Lupicaia '18 by Castello del Terriccio, and Il Borro '19, Trentino makes its debut in the rankings with San Leonardo '18 from the homonymous winery.
After Montiano, Lazio reaches the fourteenth position with Habemus '21 by San Giovenale, aligned with Torgiano Rosso Rubesco Vigna Monticchio Riserva '19 by Lungarotti and Barolo Sperss '19 by Gaja. Sicily returns in fifteenth place with Faro '18 by Palari. The rest of the ranking can be read here.
The novelty in the vote counting
The Top 100 is compiled by combining the votes from the six most authoritative Italian guides – Gambero Rosso, Veronelli, Bibenda, Vitae, Cernilli, and Maroni – through a database that records over 2,000 labels each year, curated by Cesare Pillon, assisted by Emanuele Elli. This year's novelty is including the scores of wines regardless of their presence in all five guides. This brings back names absent from the last edition and introduces more labels at the same position. No one is excluded, and the ranking provides a more accurate picture compared to the panorama of oenological criticism.
The top 20 according to international critics
Taking a further look at the international scene is the ranking of the top 20 Italian reds voted by international critics, obtained by adding the Italian ratings to those of the four major international evaluators: Wine Spectator, Robert Parker (Wine Advocate), James Suckling, and Antonio Galloni (vinous.com). This reveals a clear preference for Tuscan wine.
This ranking includes only five Piedmontese wines, with a notable absentee – Gaja – and only one Umbrian wine: Montefalco Sagrantino 25 Anni '19 by Arnaldo Caprai at position number 12. At the top is Sassicaia '20, followed by Masseto and, aligned with the Italian list, Barolo Riserva Falletto Vigneto Le Rocche '17. Solaia and Tenuta di Trinoro take the fourth and fifth positions. Back in Piedmont, Barolo Ginestra Casa Maté '19 by Elio Grasso is in sixth place, followed by Sodi di San Niccolo '19 by Castellare di Castellina.
Internationally, Barolo Ornato '19 by Pio Cesare gains a few positions, placing at number eight, just like Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Vigna Il Poggio by Castello di Monsanto at ninth position. Following, Val d'Arno di Sopra Merlot Galatrona '20 by Petrolo concludes the overview of the top ten red wines according to international critics.
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