A Bordeaux-style Tuscan red from Frescobaldi's historic Castiglioni estate: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Sangiovese. Twelve months in barrique build dense tannin, dark fruit and a roasted-coffee finish that suits grilled red meats.
Frescobaldi's technical sheet leads with blueberry, redcurrant and plum, then star anise and black pepper, closing on roasted coffee from 12 months in barrique. The notes below fold that producer profile together with the Vivino drinker consensus.
Blueberry, redcurrant and plum lead, the dark-fruit core Frescobaldi names on its Castiglioni technical sheet. Behind the fruit sit star anise and black pepper, with vanilla and a roasted-coffee note drawn from 12 months in barrique. Vivino drinkers most often log oak, cherry and blackberry, the same arc the producer describes.
Coffee
Blackberry
Blackcurrant
Blueberry
Plum
Leather
Black pepper
VanillaThe tannic texture is dense and fine-grained, framed by generous body from the Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot core. A lively acidic vein, the Sangiovese signature in the blend, keeps the ripe black fruit fresh rather than heavy. A year in 225-litre barrique adds the cocoa and sweet-spice layer drinkers pick up most.
Long and savoury, closing on roasted coffee bean and dark berry with the barrique tannin still gripping. It firms up against food rather than fading.
A polished, Bordeaux-leaning Tuscan red a step above Frescobaldi's entry tier, rated 4.0 from close to 10,000 Vivino voters. Best with red meat over the next decade; the 2020 is open now, the 2023 wants a couple more years.
Five live UK listings span the 2020, 2022 and 2023 vintages, roughly 23 to 28 pounds for the standard 75cl bottle. That sits below the median price for a Toscana IGT red.
Scored across six dimensions for a barrique-aged Toscana IGT blend near 25 pounds: strong with food, built to cellar and priced below the Tuscan IGT median, though too structured for an everyday pour.
Dense barrique tannin and lively Sangiovese acidity make it a natural red-meat and hard-cheese wine.
Its cheapest UK listing near 23 pounds sits well below the 31.50 median for Toscana IGT, solid value for a Frescobaldi estate wine.
An approachable, fruit-forward Cabernet and Merlot style familiar to newcomers, though the firm tannin really wants food.
A recognised Frescobaldi estate name at a 25 pound price point makes a confident dinner-party red without a splurge.
Scoring is rule-based and deterministic. The model and weightings are documented in our editorial methodology.
A compact view of what the Toscana denomination actually requires, and how this bottle sits inside it. Pulled from the official Italian disciplinare.
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Three vintages are in the UK market now. The cool, wet 2023 spring gave way to a dry harvest of healthy, ripe fruit at Castiglioni, while the balanced 2020 remains the highest-rated recent vintage of this wine on Vivino.
A cool, wet spring at Castiglioni gave way to a warm summer and a dry harvest of healthy, ripe fruit. The 13.5% ABV blend carries dense barrique tannin that needs a year or two to settle; best from 2026.
Tuscany's hot, dry 2022 produced ripe, concentrated fruit and generous body at Castiglioni. Already approachable, with the barrique structure to hold towards the end of the decade.
A balanced Tuscan 2020 and the highest-rated recent vintage of this wine on Vivino. Drinking openly now, with supple tannin and dark-berry fruit to the fore.
Drink-now / hold guidance reflects general style cues for this wine, not a forecast for a specific bottle. Where vintage-level editorial notes exist, they appear above.
The Castiglioni estate in Val di Pesa is where the Frescobaldi family's wine story began. Its wines were poured at the papal court and at the English court of Henry VIII in the 1500s, and the family still grows and bottles here today.
Italian wine law sorts bottles into a pyramid. DOCG sits at the top: tightly drawn boundaries, prescribed grapes, mandatory ageing, government tasting before release. DOC is the same idea with looser thresholds. IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica) is broader still, requiring only that 85% of the grapes come from the named territory.
Toscana is in the IGT tier. That is not a quality verdict, it is a description of how much freedom the producer has at vinification and ageing.
Toscana falls within Tuscany , covering Tuscany.
Frescobaldi grows the Cabernet, Merlot and Sangiovese on its own Castiglioni vineyards in Val di Pesa and picks by hand, which costs more than bought-in bulk IGT fruit.
A year in small French oak barrique, then two months in bottle, ties up barrels and cellar space that a steel-only Toscana IGT avoids.
The Frescobaldi brand and Castiglioni's documented history since 1300 carry a premium over anonymous Toscana IGT labels.
The broad IGT rules allow higher yields and no release-tasting commission, keeping costs below a Chianti Classico or Brunello from the same hills.
UK excise duty of 2.67 pounds a bottle at 13.5% ABV plus 20% VAT make up roughly 6.80 pounds of the 25 pound shelf price before the retailer's margin.
Five live listings across UK merchants keep it competitively priced near 23 to 28 pounds rather than scarce and marked up.
Dishes that complement this wine
Dense barrique-built tannin and a lively Sangiovese-edged acidity make this a steak-and-roast wine. Think bistecca alla fiorentina, braised beef, lamb ragu and aged pecorino rather than delicate fish.
The dense barrique tannin binds to the protein and char-fat of a rare bistecca, softening on the palate while the meat tames its grip. Sangiovese acidity then cuts the richness so each bite resets.
Try with: Fiorentina steak · Arrosticini · Brasato al Barolo · More pairings →
Generous body and ripe black fruit stand up to long-cooked beef, veal and pork without being flattened. The barrique sweet-spice layer echoes the caramelised, herb-roasted surfaces of these dishes.
Try with: Brasato al Barolo · Ossobuco alla Milanese · Porchetta · More pairings →
Lively Sangiovese-led acidity slices through the fat of a slow lamb ragu, while the tannin keeps pace with the meat. Black-pepper and anise notes lift the herbs in the sauce.
Try with: Agnello Ragu Lucano · Lasagna · Spezzatino di pecora · More pairings →
Tannin and dark fruit balance the salt and concentrated fat of mature sheep's cheese, where a softer red would taste thin. The wine's acidity refreshes the palate between bites.
Try with: Pecorino sardo e pan carasau · Caciocavallo farcito · More pairings →
The eucalyptus, mint and black-pepper edge that Cabernet Franc brings bridges to rosemary, fennel and juniper seasonings. Ripe fruit then carries the savoury depth of slow-cooked game.
Try with: Porchetta · Coniglio alla ligure · Brasato al Barolo · More pairings →
Dense tannin overwhelms light white fish and shellfish and can turn metallic, while high chilli heat amplifies the alcohol and oak. Keep this for red meat and hard cheese instead.
Skip with: Cozze arraganate · sushi · vindaloo · raw oysters · Pairing guide →
Built for medium-term cellaring, this Cabernet-led Tuscan holds around a decade from the vintage. The 2020 is drinking openly now, while the firmer 2023 will reward two or three more years in bottle.
Peak around 2027. Best in the years above; holds without falling over either side.
Twelve months in barrique and dense tannin give roughly a decade of cellar life, strong for an IGT if short of Brunello.
£23.35 is the lowest tracked offer for the current vintage and we have no signal of further discounting.
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Confidence · HighDrawn from what drinkers consistently report on Vivino and Wine-Searcher, summarised in our own words. A crowd read across many tasters, not a single critic.
Confidence · MediumFrom the official Italian disciplinare for this denomination, cross-checked against the Ministry of Agriculture register.
Confidence · HighOur reading of the price, drawn from the disciplinare, public UK duty rates, and typical landed-cost benchmarks. Not a quote from the producer or a retailer.
Confidence · MediumStyle guidance for this kind of wine at this price point. Treat it as advice, not a forecast for the bottle in your hand.
Confidence · MediumIt is a Bordeaux-led Tuscan blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc with Sangiovese, grown on Frescobaldi's Castiglioni estate in Val di Pesa and labelled Toscana IGT.
The hand-picked grapes ferment in temperature-controlled steel, then the wine matures for 12 months in barrique and a further 2 months in bottle before release, which builds its dense tannin and oak-spice layer.
Expect blueberry, plum and blackcurrant fruit with black pepper, star anise and a roasted-coffee edge. The palate is full-bodied with dense, fine tannin and a lively acidity that keeps the finish fresh.
It is built for red meat: bistecca alla fiorentina, braised beef, lamb ragu and herb-roasted pork, plus aged pecorino. Vivino drinkers most often pair it with beef, lamb and veal.
It drinks well on release and holds around a decade from the vintage. The 2020 is open and generous now, while the firmer 2023 rewards another two or three years in bottle.
Current UK listings run from about 23 to 28 pounds for the standard 75cl bottle, across the 2020, 2022 and 2023 vintages.
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