It’s a BBB Monday, and we’re not talking about the Better Business Bureau.

Today we honor the 3-Bs of the top collectibles of Italy, Brunello, Barolo, and Barbaresco along with other allocated Italian gems you’ll find here atop our Store for the day.

Amici… abbiamo un colpo grosso per voi! Our spy bandits were on a mission to secure more Ugolforte with this new vintage. In a dark corner of the cellar… picture intelligence came back with a handsome lot of this 98 Pointer! A vintage many critics are comparing to classics such as 1997 and 2001.

This is as close to Poggio di Sotto as it gets at under $50. With 98 points from the World’s Best Sommelier?! Those who scored a little bit of the 2018 already know that it will not last!

Where Brunello is KING, Poggio di Sotto sells their interpretation from this exact patch of Castelnuovo dell’Abate for HUNDREDS a bottle, San Giorgio is a fraction of that… so elegant and pretty right now.

Luca Marrone has made wines in the past for Poggio di Sotto directly, and he’s been the winemaker overseeing that estate since ColleMassari acquired it in 2011. He now oversees the whole ColleMassari group: Grattamacco, Castello ColleMassari, Poggio di Sotto, and Tenuta San Giorgio.

SevenFifty explains, “After the acquisition, the Tipa-Bertarelli family worked to preserve the old vineyards of the property. They extended that love of tradition to the cellar. Working with low yields of about 2 tons/acre, winemaker Luca Marrone ferments spontaneously in stainless steel, then ages both wines in 30hl to 40hl casks for styles that are slightly bolder and more concentrated than neighboring Poggio di Sotto. The two estates share the same farming regimen… At San Giorgio, gravel and clay of volcanic origin give their wines a round, deep structure, offering the same quality and terroir by way of expression and a lower price tag than Poggio di Sotto.”

Vinous remarks that this wine is “Sleek and expertly balanced.”

IT SURE IS!! It’s elegant and approachable, but still with plenty of life left for the next decade. On the nose, dense black cherry, beaded with dried oregano and a savory whiff of earth and dried roses, invites you in. On the palate, it gives way to a lovely concentration and textures of blackberry, morello cherries, bright acidity, a flinty edge holding the whole thing together, with a finish that ended on a double take! High fives across the room…

Did we say $48?! We don’t get away with criminally insane steals like this very often!

98 Points – Luca Gardini “In the Castelnuovo dell’Abate area, these vineyards are up to 25 years old on clay and tuff, sandstone and galestro soil, for a classic wine of its type. A highly expressive and confident attack on the nose, with linden and pomegranate, and a strong floral component of rose hips. The palate shows savory tannins, finishing long, and rich in fruit expression.”